Pushing past the $ 5-million barrier requires a dedication to pushing the boundaries that have been set before you . You can rewrite the book that was given to you as a road map for your success and create something that transforms your business from a standard company into an enterprise . O ’ Leary ’ s experience shows the value of seizing what ’ s in front of you and making it work for your business , even if that means asking the tough questions and making even more difficult decisions .
“ I believe business is war , and there are winners and losers every day . This is not a social club ,” O ’ Leary said . “ This is about getting more market share , winning more customers , and keeping your competitors broken , defaulting , and going out of business . It ’ s not a Kumbaya , sitting around the fire … Something happens , and you have to survive it , and the weak die . I never lose any sleep over that . You have to be able to survive , and then you have to take advantage of the chaos . In chaos , there are opportunities .”
Lessons From An Irish Winemaker
O ’ Leary Fine Wines had a problem . Someone posted a photo of its bottles of chardonnay — O ’ Leary ’ s personal staple — with crumbled labels , as if the bottles had been soaking in the water . This was not the brand O ’ Leary had created with an appreciation for wine that he gleaned from his stepfather . This wasn ’ t the image he wanted to portray , but the power of social media propelled it forward .
O ’ Leary was embarrassed and beyond anxious about how to explain this faux pas away . But he shifted focus away from defense . Instead , O ’ Leary sent two teams on a mission . One
was set to discover where this poster was located and how they could get apology bottles of wine into his hands . The other was sent to discover what was really going on and why this top-tier wine company had something as trivial as a labeling issue .
The discovery was quick and obvious . The team was relabeling the chardonnay bottles and left a small piece of adhesive film , tainting the label . O ’ Leary assigned his teams to send cases of wine to the gentleman who posted about the bottles , thanking him for helping the team discover the issue . Another team took to social media to explain the issue and advise the correct course they were now taking . Instead of all-out war , the issue simmered for mere days on the digital sphere , and a solution was found .
But O ’ Leary was still far from happy . Bad press had tainted this image , and he couldn ’ t push past the idea that such a mistake had been made public .
That ’ s when he was reminded that so long as you avoid legal and ethical problems in the press , any press you receive is good press . How you respond to that coverage is what ’ s important . You have to take risks . You have to put your problems on the frontline and dig into the real solution , even if it ’ s uncovered via social media . You have to be honest with where you ’ re headed , what your goals are , and how you plan to get there . When executed correctly , standing in the chaos creates success .
“ Sometimes being a little edgy can work ,” O ’ Leary said . “ You can ’ t [ b . s .]. You have to tell the truth ... “
And when you stumble into chaos , when the economy tanks , when you hit ceilings , or when you ’ re thrown a curveball from your stepfather , how you respond is even more powerful than the collapse . n