Luckily, I Wrote It All Down

One advantage of embarking on a startup later in your career is that you’ve likely amassed a network of friends and colleagues with varied and valuable skills whom you can ask for help. And if you’re like us, you have more ideas than money, so your network truly becomes a superpower. So, when a friend (and winery CFO) offered up a COGS model, we took it … more importantly, we asked for it.

I’ve kept a journal since our founding (my first one is pictured), and thumbing back through the conversations, I’m struck by the number of smart people talking. Heck, we’re still working on implementing some of our earliest ideas because they’re just that good!

It’s said that good advisors will always tell you the limitations of their advice. Not only have we experienced this (and the inverse), but we’ve also remained open to people connecting with our company and our wines as they choose, not only as we’d want them to. It can be tough to let go of expectation, but it’s one way we tap into our vision of authenticity and inclusion.  

It’s been so special to reflect on our relationships that got us this far as we continue to grow our Dragger inner circle. We’ve defined Connection Capital as the revenue produced due to fostering a sense of connection with and among a company’s people. Now that’s the kind of wealth I look most forward to earning.

And in the meantime, I’m continuing to write it all down …