Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in consultancy but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Clark Smith, Founder of WineSmith Wines & Consulting, located in Petaluma, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

WineSmith wines explore traditions outside the mainstream. There's a message in every bottle. We always dedicate ourselves to the production of balanced, age-worthy wines in a European style, seeking to demonstrate to our California winemaker colleagues that California is a better place to make French-style wines than France is. We call these wines "Euro-forgeries." We also explore "Oddities" such as Norton, solera-style Petit Manseng, vintage Napa Valley sherry, and St. Laurent. We have also investigated sulfite-free wines for 21 years, and the results are some of our best wines.

Tell us about yourself

I'm an MIT dropout from the late 60s who wandered out to California and got a job in a wine shop in 1972 when there were only 250 wineries in the US. Now there are 11,000, mostly very small. I now have 62 vintages under my belt, including 14 in the Southern Hemisphere, so I love to coach these Mom & Pop wineries on the breathtaking complexities of growing quality grapes, building a winery, equipment selection, lab skills, winemaking chemistry, legal compliance, web design, sales and marketing, and general administrative structures. This is a very tough industry, and I love everyone in it because there's no money in winemaking, but it's a wonderful lifestyle where you're making human connections with the land. They say, "Never be a winemaker or a jazz musician unless you just have to."

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I invented a membrane process to remove vinegar or excessive alcohol from wine. This is practiced all over the world today.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

In winemaking, you're chasing your dream. Nobody makes wine so customers can get drunk. Great wines are liquid music. The challenge is to market your dream so enough people "get it" for you to keep breathing.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Follow your dream. The rest will follow, and you'll never hate your job.
  2. Determine your company's purpose before you do anything. It will inform every decision you make.
  3. Build a team full of people who love to do the jobs you hate. Shower them with love, trust, and support, and don't micro-manage. They will walk through fire for your dream.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

The pandemic has hit small wineries really hard. Still, though I could use a few bucks, if I won the lottery, I'd just keep doing what I'm doing as long as I can. Visit my website at www.WhoIsClarkSMith.com and use the promo code "IKNOWCLARK" for 20% off.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://whoisclarksmith.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wine-Wise-Guy-103994552115125
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClarkRSmith
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clark-smith-04891413/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.