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Brian, Proprietor and General Manager at Crux Winery: Advize Career Interview

A career journey from healthcare consulting to winery ownership!

Crux Winery's proprietor and general manager's path highlights the transferability of skills, showcasing how a business background and a decade-long winemaking hobby culminated in a fulfilling career change.

The multifaceted role demands attention to detail, creativity, and strong relationships, encompassing everything from grape growing and winemaking to marketing, sales, and compliance.

The daily tasks are seasonal, ranging from long harvest days to managing wine clubs and navigating complex regulations.

The interview emphasizes the importance of sensory skills, hospitality, and building relationships, offering valuable insights into both the physical and intellectual demands, as well as the rewarding collegiality within the small winemaking community.

For aspiring professionals, harvest internships and entry-level business positions within larger wineries offer diverse entry points, with extracurricular activities like fraternity leadership providing surprisingly relevant training.

The challenges of marketing a luxury product and the importance of strong relationships are underscored, leaving a compelling picture of a unique and rewarding career in the wine industry.

Advizer Information

Name

Job Title

Company

Undergrad

Grad Programs

Brian Callahan

Proprietor and General Manager

Crux Winery

Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo

N/A

Majors

Industries

Job Functions

Traits

History, Art History

Food, Beverages & Alcohol

Sales and Client Management

Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, Student Athlete

Watch all of this Advizer's videos below

Career Path Of A Proprietor And General Manager At Crux Winery

Brian's career path was "not very linear," starting with a business-oriented college education that transitioned into a history major, followed by 30 years in healthcare consulting. This experience, however, provided "basic skills that you can apply to any vocation," ultimately leading to a decade-long home winemaking hobby that blossomed into launching Crux Winery in 2012, a venture that overlapped with their consulting career for several years before becoming their sole focus.

Career Path Of A Proprietor And General Manager At Crux Winery

Main Responsibilities of an Owner and General Manager at Crux Winery

Brian, proprietor and general manager of the small Crux Winery, wears many hats, doing "everything from marketing to client relations to sales," even "janitorial work" and catering, reflecting the multifaceted demands of owning a small business. The upcoming harvest will see Brian fully engaged in winemaking, highlighting the hands-on, "farmer" aspect of the role alongside the business operations.

Main Responsibilities of an Owner and General Manager at Crux Winery

A Day in the Life of a Proprietor and General Manager at Crux Winery

A winery owner's day is highly seasonal, with harvest bringing "long days, early mornings, late nights" focused on vineyard checks and grape picking. Outside of harvest, Brian balances wine club management, marketing events, "lots of compliance related work" with government agencies, and the general business operations of running their own establishment.

A Day in the Life of a Proprietor and General Manager at Crux Winery

Most Important Skills for a Crux Winery Proprietor and General Manager

Brian, proprietor and general manager at Crux Winery, identifies "attention to detail" and "thinking creatively" as crucial skills for success. These abilities enable innovative client engagement and drive business growth in the competitive wine industry, as Brian explains the need to "figure out new ways" to attract customers.

Most Important Skills for a Crux Winery Proprietor and General Manager

Favorite Parts of Being a Proprietor and General Manager at Crux Winery

Brian, Crux Winery's proprietor and general manager, most enjoys the blend of "physical labor and intellectual thinking" inherent in both grape growing and wine production, finding the sensory aspects and freedom from desk work particularly rewarding.

Favorite Parts of Being a Proprietor and General Manager at Crux Winery

Biggest Challenges Faced by a Proprietor and General Manager at Crux Winery

Brian's biggest challenges as Crux Winery's proprietor and general manager are navigating the "complicated" regulatory landscape of alcohol production—with its "federal, state, and county" reporting requirements—and differentiating the winery's product in a competitive market filled with "lots of great small family-run wineries" without a substantial marketing budget.

Biggest Challenges Faced by a Proprietor and General Manager at Crux Winery

Favorite Parts of Working in the Wine Industry as a Proprietor and General Manager

Brian, proprietor and general manager at Crux Winery, finds the "collegiality of small winemakers" most rewarding, a stark contrast to his corporate past. This collaborative spirit fosters a free exchange of "information, ideas, sometimes equipment, um, and help manpower," creating a supportive environment for mutual success within the industry.

Favorite Parts of Working in the Wine Industry as a Proprietor and General Manager

What Type Of Person Thrives In The Wine Industry, According To A Proprietor And General Manager At Crux Winery

Brian, a proprietor and general manager with a unique, multifaceted role at Crux Winery, highlights the importance of a refined "palate and sensory skills" for production roles, while emphasizing that "attention to detail, creativity, and hospitality" are crucial across all wine industry positions for creating a positive customer experience. This multifaceted approach reflects their own success in the industry.

What Type Of Person Thrives In The Wine Industry, According To A Proprietor And General Manager At Crux Winery

What a Winery Owner at Crux Winery Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Wine Industry

Brian, proprietor and general manager at Crux Winery, learned the difficulty of marketing and selling wine in a competitive market where it is considered "a luxury product," not a necessity. Better understanding the inherent sales challenges before entering the industry would have been beneficial.

What a Winery Owner at Crux Winery Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Wine Industry

Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Winery Professionals At Crux Winery

For undergraduate students interested in wine production, a "physically demanding" harvest internship offers valuable hands-on experience, starting in early September. Alternatively, larger wineries provide entry-level business roles in areas such as "compliance, financial management, or sales," which offer a less chaotic path into the industry.

Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Winery Professionals At Crux Winery

Significant Career Lesson From A Proprietor And General Manager At Crux Winery

Brian, Proprietor and General Manager at Crux Winery, emphasizes the paramount importance of relationships throughout a career spanning healthcare, business consulting, and the wine industry, stating that "relationships are the most important thing" with suppliers and customers, requiring strong communication and responsiveness to their needs. This focus on building and maintaining strong relationships has been a key factor in Brian's success across diverse professional fields.

Significant Career Lesson From A Proprietor And General Manager At Crux Winery

College Experiences That Helped A Winery Owner And General Manager At Crux Winery Succeed

Brian's most impactful college experience was extracurricular involvement, specifically leadership roles in a fraternity. This provided "a real world opportunity" to apply academic knowledge and develop crucial skills in people management, organization, and strategy, serving as a "great training ground" for his current career as Proprietor and General Manager at Crux Winery.

College Experiences That Helped A Winery Owner And General Manager At Crux Winery Succeed
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