People tell me all the time, "Ben, we need to get your wine into this restaurant."
Here's why I say no.
When I started Peony Lane, I had no idea what direction I wanted to take things. I began at farmers markets because I needed first-hand sales experience. I wanted to see if my wine had enough traction to survive, and after investing much more than everything I had, I needed sales before I could think about the next stage.
At the time, I thought that next stage would be a tasting room in my hometown.
Community has always been huge for me. I figured I'd build it by creating the kind of space I wanted to spend time in. The "if you build it, they will come" idea. I'll meet the right people if I build the place they'll all want to gather in.
On the road to getting there, I ended up finding the community I really needed online. We centered around one big idea, Bitcoin, and once I found that, I realized I couldn't find many of the connections I really wanted outside of it.
So when I turn down restaurants or liquor stores that want to carry my wine, it's not because I don't want to grow Peony Lane. It's because I've learned what actually drives me.
I don't get energy from just making and selling wine. I get it from producing value for my community. As soon as my wine becomes just another bottle on a shelf or menu, all the excitement disappears for me.
Sure, it would be nice to make those sales, but fulfilling wholesale orders takes energy that pulls me away from what brings me joy. Focus is scarce, and I want mine aimed at what matters.
If there's one thing I've learned about entrepreneurship, it's that consistency is everything when it comes to survival. New opportunities pop up all the time, but knowing when to say no is the difference between building something lasting and burning out.
To make it anywhere in business, you need to be pumped about your goal, and I quickly realized that just making really good wine wasn't enough for me.
What drives me is giving people the same experience I had when I realized wine doesn't have to make you feel bad afterward. Educating about wine in a way that isn't pretentious and getting back to basics: Does it taste good TO YOU? How do you feel the next day?
It's deeply gratifying to show that you can make a great product, focus only on serving your community, and still win in a real way.
Business has never really been about the money for me, which is ironic given that all our Bitcoin community cares about is fixing THE money.
