Strategies for Building & Growing Your Wine Business
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Program Overview
Join us as Anisya Fritz, Ph.D., CEO and co-owner of Lynmar Estate, discusses her experience as a wine entrepreneur and reflects on 10+ years as the lead instructor for the Wine Entrepreneurship Certificate Program. Dr. Anisya Fritz is an expert strategist and entrepreneur extraordinaire. Lynmar Estate is a luxury brand in the Russian River Valley, that she successfully transitioned from 80% wholesale/20% direct to consumer to more than 80% DTC. She is a master of strategic thinking.
This online course is designed to give owners and general managers of vineyards and wineries of and those aspiring to start a business in the wine industry the time and tools to develop a plan with metrics to track effectiveness. Participants will be exposed to key concepts in the development of business models and strategy and have the opportunity to talk with others about key aspects of the wine business including the positioning of their organization, key aspects of marketing and sales and the financial frameworks to track success.
The teacher Anisya Fritz, Ph.D. has taught the course since 2012.
During the online classes there will be guest speakers, breakout sessions, and small group exercises. Over the 8 weeks students will develop their own business plan which they will write and present
Deliverable: A written business path and its presentation developed and honed over 8 weeks.
Sample of Previous Guest Speakers:
- Tim Burgess, Rodney Strong
- Jeanette Tan, Owner of QB Winery Solutions
- Sandra Hess, DTC Wine Workshops
- Kim Marcus, Wine Spectator
Course Information:
Instructor: Anisya Fritz, Ph.D.
Dates: February 7 - March 27, '24
Meetings: Online Classes on Wednesdays 5-8 p.m. PST
Course Fee: 1250.-
Registration: An application is part of the registration process. We will keep you informed when news about the program is published and when the application process begins.
Course Texts (Optional but recommended if you are new to strategic planning or the wine industry)
- Essentials of Strategic Management (Fifth Edition)
David Hunger and Thomas Wheelan (2011). - The Complete Idiots Guide to Starting and Running a Winery
Thomas Pellechia (2008).
Next program will start on February 7, 2024
Please contact wbcertificates@sonoma.edu for more information.
About the Instructor
Dr. Anisya Fritz
Anisya Thomas Fritz, Ph.D., is a Proprietor of Lynmar Estate, a family-owned producer of ultra-premium
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. She is also co-founder of the Fritz Institute, a not-for-profit organization that
works on improving the system of humanitarian aid and disaster relief around the world, and LynnCo
Supply Chain Solutions, a logistics provider, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The author of numerous articles on competitive strategy, international entrepreneurship, and humanitarian relief, Dr. Fritz has published in leading journals such as the Harvard Business Review, Strategic Management Journal, and the Journal of International Business Studies.
Previously, Dr. Fritz was an associate professor at Florida International University in Miami and a Visiting Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics in Stockholm, Sweden. She received her B.A. at Loyola College in Maryland and her M.S. and Ph.D. at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. In 2022 she was also awarded an honorary doctorate from Loyola College in Maryland.
Registration is done in partnership with the School of Extended and International Education.