Saturday, April 18 2009
Off to the Centre of Canada!
Amish limousine, seen in Niagara On the Lake
It's a busy old week lined up for Winexpert. Many of the management and executive team are gathering in Ontario for Fiscal 2010 planning meetings. It takes a lot of time to coordinate the activities of our various divisions, given the complexity of the business, so we like to get started early.
I'll be in some very long meetings this week, helping the team get the ducks (darn near a whole flock of them) in a row. Luckily I don't have to present this time around, burying my stuff in the marketing department's presentation, but I still have to be there to explain my bits and answer–and ask–questions to make the plans better, tighter and more aligned with the fiscal and technical aspects of the business.
I didn't used to enjoy these meetings before I fully understood their purpose. From a technician's point of view they look like colossal wastes of time. Couldn't you accounting types just send us an email about it and we'll read it when we have time? I could be drinking wine or taking apart a pump instead of sitting in this little windowless room for three days!
But from a manager's point of view it's a lot different. Coordinating plans is like being a spider working a web but hopefully with less fangs and sucking of body fluids. If we plan on doing a special promotion next year, are we going to have enough juice to make the wine kit? Better let Purchasing know. Things are very busy in R&D: can we perfect the recipe and test it in time? Better ask the lab. Will we have enough capacity to make that kit? Better ask Production. Will we have labels and sell sheets? Better ask Marketing and see if Tim can write something up for it. What about getting the kit out to our distributors and our retail partners: will we have enough shipping containers? How about people to fill the orders? Better ask Shipping.
It's like a really complex board game–not chess, really. More like Risk, marshaling your forces (resources and people) to approach a battle (program or logistical challenge) in a timely and efficient way to defeat your enemy (accomplish your goals). And I like really complex board games.
I get a break on the weekend, but I'm not off home (sorry Sweetie!). It's the Ontario Fermenter's Guild annual general meeting, and I'm presenting there. I like working with the OFG: I've known most of the folks for a long time and don't get to see them nearly often enough. I'll be able to catch up with Winexpert's retail partners and all the others. Technically most of them are my competitors, but we're all in the industry together. We only have a small chunk of the potential market for consumer produced wine so far, so we tend to be gentlemanly about it all and I really enjoy talking to other retailers and my colleagues from other kit companies, to catch up on gossip and rehash old times.
No rest for the wicked, but if you're in Toronto on Saturday I'll be over at Spadina Gardens for lunch having some of their delicious Chinese food. If I have enough time I'd like to hit the World's Largest Bookstore.
Next week is another kettle of onions: I'm off to Ohio! But that's going to have to wait until next week gets here.
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