If there are five at a table ready to eat a pie, and one person takes a piece greater than 1/5th of the pie, then they do so to the detriment of the other four. If, however, one person makes the pie one thousand times bigger, they do so to the benefit of everyone at the table. This is what Elon has done. He has made the pie larger for all of us. Kudos to him.

A young Scottish girl who defended her sister from Muslim invader/predators has been vindicated by a British court. She should have a statue erected in her honor rather than have been charged in the first place. She has more heart than the leftist politicians destroying the UK.

Good news for those who hate billionaires: Elon Musk is no longer a billionaire.

My next video is up on LinkedIn. This time I'm covering successful self-distribution. I'm considering topics to cover next. What would you suggest? linkedin.com/posts/laramita-…

I'm doing a series of short videos over on LinkedIn concerning the Business of Wine. I posted the third video today; this time covering Marketing and Advertising. What topic should I cover next? linkedin.com/feed/update/urn…

I've seen how this ends in too many movies. Spoiler alert! It won't end well. Humanity had a good run. I suppose it's time for something else to dominate our planet.

Next up in my series on people who have influenced me is Colonel Harland Sanders — yes, the KFC guy. Not everyone who inspires me was a saint. Sanders accomplished a tremendous amount, most of it later in life, but he also had a short temper and cursed like a sailor. None of us are perfect, and there’s still plenty we can learn from him. Born in 1890 on a small Indiana farm, he dropped out of school at 13 and spent the next 50 years bouncing through jobs — farmhand, railroad fireman, lawyer, insurance salesman, and gas-station owner. He failed at a number of ventures. He was already in his 60s, running a tiny roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, when he perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and the pressure-frying method that became Kentucky Fried Chicken. When a new interstate bypassed his place and nearly wiped him out, he took his $105 Social Security check and hit the road, personally pitching his chicken to restaurant owners across the country. At age 74 he sold the company for $2 million — but stayed on as the face of the brand until he passed at 90. What impresses me most: - He didn’t hit his stride until an age when most people are thinking about retirement. - He failed repeatedly, lost everything more than once, yet kept refining his craft and betting on himself. - He didn’t invent franchising, but he perfected a simple, repeatable system that turned a roadside recipe into a global empire. Key lessons for me: 1) You’re never too old to start something new. 2) Failure doesn’t get the final word — keep showing up and improving. 3) Perfect the process and make it scalable. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colone…

Next up in my series on those who have inspired me is Madam C.J. Walker, an African-American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and social activist. She was also America's first self-made female millionaire. She was born into poverty after slavery, and then very quickly both of her parents died, leaving her an orphan. As a young woman she had very little formal education yet taught herself chemistry. She would go on to formulate cosmetics specifically for Black women and she started her own cosmetics business. She did this at a time when women couldn't borrow money and contracts signed by women weren't always honored. Further, she was Black in the Jim Crow south. In spite of all of this she succeeded in building a cosmetics empire. Her products were well formulated, but that wasn't the sole reason for her success. She built a nationwide network of sales agents. These gals were called "Walker Agents". These ladies were given training, uniforms, and business cards. This arrangement not only enriched Madam Walker, it created opportunities for the agents who otherwise would be lucky to have domestic work or be a share cropper. Lessons I've learned from Madam Walker: 1) Don't let roadblocks stand in your way; find a way around them. 2) Find people who love your products as much as you do and get them to sell them for you. 3) Know your customers and know your products. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madam_…

This is the second in a series of posts I'm sharing concerning those that have inspired me and the lessons I've learned from them. Today it's Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, the reluctant Roman dictator. He was a Roman farmer and former consul who was summoned from his fields in 458 BC to serve as dictator during a military crisis with the Aequi tribe. Roman Senators drafted him while he was plowing a field in his small farm across the Tiber River and granted him absolute emergency powers for six months. He quickly raised an army, trapped and defeated the enemy in a single day, and rescued captured Roman forces. True to his principles, Cincinnatus resigned the dictatorship after just 16 days—far short of the six months allowed—and immediately returned to his farm. They say that "power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely", but not with this guy. His story later inspired George Washington and led to the naming of the city of Cincinnati. Lessons: -1 Put the common good above your own. -2 Always remain humble. -3 Allow integrity to guide your actions.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius…

This is the first in a series of posts I'm going to share concerning those that have inspired me and the lessons I've learned from them. First up, astronaut Gordon Cooper. When the flight control system in his orbital spacecraft went down (the last in the Mercury program) he fell back to his training, ingenuity, a grease pencil, and his analogue watch. He was able to quickly calculate when to fire his retrorockets to deorbit, the duration of the burn, and the necessary orientation of the craft. He ended up splashing down just four miles from the desired spot, which is closer than any other spacecraft up until that point. Had he made a mistake he could have ended up thousands of miles away, on top of a a mountain, or stuck in a permanent orbit. What I've learned: 1) Stay calm no matter what. 2) Be ready for anything. 3) Training is critical. 4) Use what you have to succeed (be resourceful). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon…

I think it's funny hearing people talk of the 90s like it was such a long time ago. After all, it was only... uhm... 3 decades ago?!?! That can't be right. Someone tell me I'm doing the math wrong.

We also got Best in Class with our Pinot Noir under our primary brand, Laramita Cellars.

What's your current favorite cocktail? Mine is the Boulevardier.

We've finally done it! We've secured the trademark for Jumping Cholla Beverages. It only took 1 year, 3 months, 1 week, and 5 days from application to notice of allowance. Why so long? There was a similar mark that had to find its way through to rejection before ours was allowed to proceed. We could have continued using this mark without the trademark protection, but the issuance of the trademark offers assurance that we won't have issues in the future. #USPTO #trademark #trademarklaw #winemaking #winemakinglife

Not me. I had a fish sandwich for lunch. Still haven't decided what to give up this year... perhaps wine. (I'm not sure how that would work though.)

What should you do if you find an old bottle in a deceased relative's home? Greg offers his advice. #wineresearch #winetasting

#brandbuilding #winemaking #nonudity

Keep an open mind when it comes to alternative packaging. #sustainability #winemaking