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Grant nodded; it was true. His priorities had shifted. This wasn’t a normal turnaround job. It hadn’t been since he knew Chelsea was the one managing the place. His main priority was no longer improving the bottom line—it was helping her. He’d always thought that helping a business was the same thing as improving the bottom line. In this case, he understood that it wasn’t. He could help Chelsea achieve her goals, not steer her toward a goal she didn’t value.
Chapter Sixteen
It was a beautiful afternoon, and once they reached Zosca, it seemed even more beautiful. The place was quiet with none of the weekday bustle. Grant got out of the car and stretched his legs. “I love this place.”
She came around the car and smiled at him. “I do, too. There’s something special about it. It’s not just another vineyard, just another winery, it has a feel all of its own. It’s destined for greatness, and it knows it.”
He laughed. “You really believe that, don’t you?”
She nodded seriously. “I do, and I think you finally understand that when I say greatness, I don’t mean huge financial success. I’m not against that, I wouldn’t mind it in the least, but if it happens, it will be a side effect. If Zosca ever does become a financial success story, it will be because my wines are a success. My goal is to create amazing wines, and if I manage that, the money will follow.”
Grant pursed his lips.
“What, you still think I should focus on the money, first?”
He shook his head. “No, I think you’re right to focus on the wine first, but I think you’re blind if you believe that the money will just follow. It isn’t magic; there’s no automatic financial success that comes from great wine. You still have to take care of the money.”
She frowned.
“Don’t look like that. It’s true, and you really need to wrap your head around it. I’m sorry if I’m peeing on your parade, but you worry me when you talk like that. That’s the way my grandad thought. He truly believed that his success at making great wines would translate to financial success. And you know how that turned out.”
She nodded sadly. “Dawson Dale wines won all kinds of awards and accolades. They were fabulous, by all accounts.”
He raised an eyebrow at her.
She shrugged. “Okay, so I may have read up about them—and about your grandad.”
He smiled, pleased that she was interested.
“I didn’t understand how the winery went out of business when he was making such wonderful wine.”
“Because he didn’t take care of the business side. That’s what I’m saying. There’s no magic. Look at all the mediocre mass-produced wines that do so well commercially. A good business brain can make that happen. A great business can make a success of mediocre wines, but great wines can’t make a success of a mediocre business.”
Her eyebrows came down and her lips pressed together. He didn’t mean to piss her off, but he had to say it. It was a truth she needed to understand. She heaved a big sigh and unlocked the door of the office building.
He followed her through to the break room waiting for her to speak. She went to the fridge and pulled out two sodas. He took the one she offered without a word. She went and flopped down on one of the sofas and opened her drink. He went and sat down beside her, beginning to wonder if she was going to say anything at all. Eventually, she shook her head and met his gaze.
“Do you realize you’ve just blown my secret business plan out of the water?”
“Your secret business plan?”
She gave him a rueful smile. “Yeah, the one where I make great wines and take care of my people, and because of that everything else falls into place.”
It was his turn to sigh.
“Don’t look like that. I know it’s dumb, I know there has to be more to it than that, but I just don’t know what. It seems to me that everything that goes into making a good business goes against what I want to do in terms of my staff and my wines.”
“No. It doesn’t have to go against it; there just has to be compromise.”
“What kind of compromise?”
“Like we talked about the other day, you have to take care of the business before you take care of your employees.”
“But when I take care of them they take care of the business.”
“Do they buy you new equipment? Do they invest in Zosca’s growth?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t mean like that. I mean they do their best.”
