Off to Las Vegas

I'm just about a year into my foray in the wine business, still struggling to make ends meet.  Nevertheless, I have a book of clients here in Massachusetts, a couple of distributor partnerships that I have cultivated, and I get to help select new wines for our company's portfolio.  Since I'm with a small company, I get to fill a number of different roles.  If I were working in this capacity for a larger company it would mean big bucks.  Instead, I'm scraping by, though each month seems to be a bit better than the one before it.  There is a day not too far off where I'll be able to focus full time time on nationwide distribution and be able to walk away from the pandering toil of door to door sales, but that day is not here yet.

So this week I am off to Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas to exhibit at the 69th Annual Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Convention.  Should be quite the to-do.  This is the biggest show of it's kind in America and, as you can see from the trailer, is full of pomp and circumstance.  Equipped with a new title, Director of U.S. Sales & Marketing, this is another step towards prosperity in the industry of my choosing.

Anniversary

One year ago today I made my first post detailing my anticipation & anxiety before I set out on my journey to find an illustrious career in California. 366 days later, I am back in the same room where I wrote that first entry, wondering what was ahead. Now I possess the knowledge of the past year, though I am still wondering what lies ahead.

Here I am, back where I started. But now I am an apprentice in the industry I've tried to gain entry into for two years. I am no longer wishing I was elsewhere, at least not geographically. Financially, yes, I'm longing for better days. And they will come.

My California plates are retired. My car is registered back in Mass. I'm split between my new home and my old home, spending more time in my car than either of them. Unsettled, once more, yet I am on the right path.

The knowledge of my surroundings is no longer confining, It is instead a tool for my advantage.

My first client in Suffolk County is one of my late uncle's favorite places. My others are still waiting to begin.

I received my first commission check. My pay out for May was $7 dollars and 47 cents. I'm keeping that check, where one day it will be framed in my office. There's nowhere to go but up.

Yesterday I received my selling license from the state. I am officially in the wine/spirits business.

Though I don't live close by, I visit the ocean most days of the week. Soon I will have a book of clients and a home there.

I am with my family and friends. I am not searching, I am working. I am building my life.

All those things I set out to do one year ago are now coming true. This is not what I foresaw in terms of timing or location, but how much of life is? It took a lot of miles and hours to find an opportunity right next door, and now is the time. I am where I belong.

A year ago tonight I was nervous and excited, tonight in many ways I feel the same. But tomorrow I won't be packing, or heading West. Instead, I'll be headed into the office, and then out to visit prospects. That is the entire reason I left last year. And if I hadn't, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Ugh

Another trial today, no let-up in the evening. Just getting closer to the breaking point.

Uphill

Thought today would be the day I broke into the light with some new sales. A wait at the first retail store led me to try a place where I used to know the owner. The place is now under new ownership. Back to the first retail spot, they tasted three offerings, liked them all, had no money in the budget, 'keep coming back.' Then I got to my car and saw that I had a ticket after waiting over an hour to get through the tasting.

Off to the next appointment 26 miles away. Staffing issues interrupted their schedule so they couldn't taste today. From there I decided to regroup and hit a few places another 35 miles north in Cape Ann where I was well received on my first visit. First place, my contact had an off day. Stopped into two places around the corner who didn't want to add new vendors. Then another 14 miles north to find a restaurant closed due to inclement weather. Rockport was like a ghost town. Sure it was 45 degrees under a thick shroud of fog and heavy mist, but all the stores were dark and locked up. No one on the streets.

Fine, back south to hit the bars/lounges of Beverly and Salem where I had no contacts. Fortunately I ran into a couple of cool people that offered some hope of future sales. I ended up in a cafe I'd never heard of before 1pm today, and suddenly at 8pm I was standing outside. So in a way, every little bit leads you to where you're going.

And so it goes...

Update

LIstening to water trickle down the building after the morning rains, tomorrow I'll be back out on the pavement. Felt some momentum this week though did not enter any sales. Let's see what week three brings.

A Brief Fall Back To Earth

Got quite a surprise out of this story in today's Herald. Apparently the playoff runs of the Celtics and Bruins have brought Red Sox ticket prices back down to earth, though I'm sure only for a brief moment.

Overdue

For two years now, I've been searching for entre into the world of wine/liquor distribution. The quest has taken me in many different directions, heading from one side of the country to the other and now back again, and all along my interest in the business has held steady. It's the right path. I want to work with spirits, sell them, learn about getting them into the country, selling them around the country, and using that knowledge to learn how to import/export other products. It's a long term viewpoint, and I knew I would be starting at the bottom, the question has always been when.

This week marked my first official week in the wine business. Hired by a direct importer to learn the trade. This is a very exciting opportunity. And, as always, it comes at a cost. Two months ago I arrived in South Windsor, CT to explore my options here on the east coast. It was the right move. Of course my opportunity is coming to me in Massachusetts. After switching coasts and covering thousands of miles, the question of going another 112 is not going to stand in my way. Though I won't get to come to my new home on a daily basis, I'll be working to develop a brighter future. After so long in limbo, there was no hesitation and there is no doubt.

I have a long way to go, much to learn, and challenges to overcome. I thought for the past two weeks that this entry would be my last, as I have accomplished my goal of finding the right opportunity. But I want to continue to catalogue how this develops. In order to develop sales, I'll be knocking on quite a lot of doors. And this blog is labeled as a traveller's page, so I may as well share some of the places I go to help remember what it takes to get wherever it is I will end up.

The first week caused a bit of strain, as change always does, but whether I'm behind the wheel or behind the desk, I've felt comfortable and happy with what I'm doing. I got to speak Spanish with some Catalonian wine producers, who were kind enough to leave my some samples under a fancy new title, I've met quite a few people all in one week and though some were kind, others were indifferent, and every day there was at least one serious asshole, I'm very excited to pursue my dream. Best of all, when I finally did get back home on Friday night, I was welcomed warmly.