The word “brand” is notoriously difficult to define in marketing. If we were talking about a ranch brand—the kind seared onto livestock to signify ownership—that’s easy to understand. But in marketing, a brand is not a physical thing. It’s a symbolic construct. It’s not the label on the bottle or the winery’s logo or even the product itself. Rather, it’s the entire perception a consumer holds in their mind about your company, your wine, your people, and everything you collectively represent. A brand is a conceptual identity that differentiates you from your competitors. It can be shaped by your name, your origin story, the design of your label, the personalities involved in your winery, your tasting room experience, your packaging, your email tone, your partnerships, or even how you respond to a customer complaint. All these elements come together to form the intangible yet powerful idea of your brand. It is, quite literally, eve

It is time to dust off the employee handbook, review your policies and procedures, and make sure they comply with all the new laws, regulations, and interpretations that went into effect during 2025, became effective in late 2025, or January 1, 2026. Below, we have identified our “top 10” changes.  Please keep in mind there were hundreds of laws, regulations, and changes implemented at the local, state, and federal levels throughout 2025. This summary highlights selected changes most likely to impact California employers and is not intended to be exhaustive. So, if you need a handbook/policy review or have any questions, please call us! 1 – Minimum Wage Update: Updates happen every year.  It’s best to put a calendar reminder in November, to make sure your payroll is ready! Action: Review your payroll to ensure all employees are being paid the new minimum wage, send written notice of the wage change to affected hourly employees, and be sure your salari

Join us In-Person or Remotely by Zoom. Topics: AI Transparency Law for Employment Decisions Notice to Employees of Immigration Rights Ban on "Stay-or-Pay" Employee Debt Repayment Limitation Expanded Paid Sick and Safe Time Treble Damages for Unpaid Labor Commissioner Awards and more! Schedule 8:30 am Registration & Breakfast (For In-Person Attendees) 9:00 – 11:00 am Program Register Now Oxford Suites - 67 Golf Course Drive West, Rohnert Park, CA 94928

Achoo! Guess what can cost you $2,495 per employee?  It’s that time of year for the Flu and many other viruses to hit your employees and knock them off line for several days or longer. Already, doctors and hospitals are reporting more flu-like illnesses. Why should you care? Because poor employee health costs U.S. employers and organizations over $575 Billion and 1.5 Billion work days of lost productivity and annually! The Flu is nothing to sneeze at! Did you know that productivity losses linked to absences cost U.S. employers $2,495 per employee per year – and smaller businesses feel the effect of absenteeism even more? On top of that, if your employees come in while sick, the loss in productivity while on the job added up to 44 days per year. All coming right off your bottom line. You CAN reduce the cost and risk... We all know how easily the Flu, Covid-19 and other viruses can spread. And with today’s employees often coming in sick to work – an

We want to make you aware of a new requirement for California employers that took effect on July 1, 2025.  The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has released the official “Survivors of Violence and Family Members of Victims Right to Leave and Accommodations” notice. Employers are now required to provide this written notice to employees at specific times, based on recent changes under Assembly Bill 2499.  Key Requirements for Employers Under AB 2499, employers must now distribute this notice: To all new employees at the time of hire To all employees on an annual basis Upon request by an employee Any time an employee informs you that they or a family member is a crime victim We recommend distributing the notice to all employees now, adding it to your onboarding documents, and setting a recurring reminder for annual distribution. Important Changes Under AB 2499  The law expands who qualifies as a crime victim. It now includes individuals impacted by a wid

Discover MMCI Automation’s latest innovation showcased at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium! This collaborative robot is designed for wineries looking to streamline their palletizing process safely and efficiently. With built-in safety features, it works alongside employees without fencing, adjusting speed and stopping if touched. Perfect for small wineries handling 8-10 cases per minute, this robot offers reliability, efficiency, and zero downtime—no sick days, no breaks, just consistent performance.

What’s the opportunity cost of stopping to ingest another piece of content? Two sentences in, are you gripped with a guilty impulse to reach for your phone or keyboard and start making calls instead? I’d like to redirect your energy so that your success in sales isn’t random or acute, but consistent and chronic — the result of a strategic, focused effort that means doing less and selling more. Defining Success If I “get you” to read this article, does that mean I’ve written it well?  “Well,” you might say, “that depends on your goal, I guess. What are you trying to do here —put words in my mouth?” As tribal creatures, we tend to assume everyone around us is on the same page, that we define success in the same way.  In Chapter 1 of The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel argues that “Nobody’s Crazy” — every one of us handles our finances based on different values, informed

FAMILY FRENZY IN WINE COUNTRY: THE CASE FOR KIDS AND CANINES Let’s kick things off with a dose of reality. We’ve all been there: it’s a bustling Saturday morning in July, you’re bracing for a packed day at the Tasting Room, and Murphy’s Law is in full effect. Two of your staff are out sick; another is off serving the crowd at an art and wine festival downtown. You unlock the door at 10:01 AM, only to be greeted by a frazzled family of five: mom, dad, and three rambunctious kiddos. The younger two are reenacting a wild-west shootout with gravel as ammo, while the third is glued to an iPad, deep in the latest YouTube Kids saga. Mom and Dad look like they’ve just survived a hurricane, and you have a “high-roller” group arriving in fifteen minutes. And then comes the kicker: “Can we bring in our German Shepherd?” You contemplate if it’s too late to call in sick. INCLUSIVE IS THE NEW BLACK If you have yet to hear, exclusive

Help Nancy Achieve Mission Graduation Our community gave the gift of higher education to 18 deserving students last year. Here is an update on one of the scholars that the community's past generosity is currently benefiting. Every Friday at 4 am, Nancy wakes to the buzz of her alarm. In the dark, she throws on her running shoes, grabs a quick cup of coffee, and heads to the UC Berkeley track field. In the dewy grass, she joins fellow members of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) to train for the next 5 to 8 hours. Nancy was inspired to serve her community in the sixth grade when her father got extremely sick. At the hospital, she saw firsthand how wonderful nurses care for the critically ill. As her father recovered under the staff’s watchful care, Nancy knew how she wanted to give back. Thanks to your generosity, she is attending Hartnell College to pursue her lifelong goal of earning a degree in Nursing. She maintains an exceptional 3.8 cumulative GPA