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be monetized and turned into a business so that you can create the ideal lifestyle and day-to-day operation you dream of.
water, which causes the roots to not have to dig deep, so they run across under the ground, staying near the surface because water is easily given to them. This keeps the roots shallow instead of letting them run deep. When roots run shallow, they can be lost quickly. Whereas when you actually stress the vines by not watering them, it forces the roots to go deep to look for water and sustenance, and it allows the grapes to soak up more minerals, increasing the quality of the wine. It also makes the vines stronger and more resistant to nature. I sat back while they shared this, sipping on a wine that I could taste was of the earth, thinking, how does this simple lesson apply to all of us who are out planting the “seeds” and growing the “vines” of our businesses? It was something I pondered because of how often we all look for the easy solution (I know I have at different times of my life) and it’s actually a detriment to our long-term growth. It might produce a good harvest for a little while, but over the long haul, it can lead to more losses the moment things get tough and the easy solution isn’t there. Whereas if we allow ourselves to actually embrace being “stressed” to grow and go deep with our roots, we increase our ability to endure, be strong, and have richer, deeper roots in our lives and work. I see this in so many people on social media and in business, where they want the quick wins, the likes, and the engagement because it feels good on the surface, versus going deep with their people, challenging them to grow, and nurturing them like wine growers. In my career, I never had the biggest list, the most likes, or the popularity of others, but I did do one thing above all others — nurture the people who I do have. I’ve consistently added value and content, created solutions, and dug into my people so that they can grow into good “grapes” and make good “wine” of their own. My challenge for you is to think about where you can dig deeper with your best people, allow yourself to be challenged more, and be okay with the “stress” of your development because it makes
I do this with my Vision in the Vineyard clients, where I help pull out their deepest vision and passion, and together, we craft it into a business model. I saw a prime example of this during my trip in Tuscany this Spring, where I met Franca and Mimma, two sisters who, at 81 and 83 years old, are still going and have created their brand based on a simple love of food, wine, and bringing people together at the table. For Italians, there is a saying at dinner time, “tutti a tavola,” which means, “everyone to the table.” My grandmother used to yell it from the back porch every time we had the whole family over for the typical massive Sunday lunches that lasted hours. Franca and Mimma, also known as “the Mammas,” who have their own app at 83 years old (Don’t ever say it’s too late in life.) are a perfect case study of what you can create your dream life to be. Having spent much of their lives mastering simple cooking, they have a belief that simple ingredients make delicious foods. They shared that while everyone is relying on sauces to make things taste better and covering their food in it, they believe that simple is what the world needs to get back to. Their attention to detail was as meticulous as using ribbed pasta because the sauce sticks better. No wonder rigatoni is my favorite! Who knew? These Mammas are on a mission to preserve the culture they love. They have traveled the world and been part of cooking competitions, wine competitions, and cooking classes. And they’ve been asked to take their “tutti a tavola” concept and make it bigger. I even tried when I was part of their cooking class during our stay at their country villa, because it’s near impossible for me to NOT say something when I see that there is a business opportunity right there. These two “fantastico” women created an amazing experience. They took you to market, taught you how to shop for simple ingredients, bring them back, prepare them, time it, and tell stories while sitting with family. For Italians, everything is about “la storia” — the story. Mimma and Franca would argue like sisters as they prepared the food. Mimma always wanted to tell the story behind it, while Franca tried to make sure the class stayed on time with cooking. It was amazing. We sat with an Australian couple and my two friends from Switzerland and had delicious wine and global conversation and got our hands into the cooking experience. For $165 per person and with six of us there, they had a $1,000 night doing something they love for a few hours. They do this more than four times a month in season, Now, there I was, seeing that simple belief turned into a wonderful business.
you stronger so that you can reap deep, rich harvests of success in your life.
2. Tutti a Tavola.
You can monetize any passion you have in the world. One of my favorite things to do is to teach you that anything you love doing and are good at can
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Vito Lafata • www.vitolafata.com
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