One of the mantras of Flipped Startup is “experience first, make meaning second.” I decided it was time for my colleague, David Robinson, to experience the joys of fine wine growing and biodynamics. We drove from Seattle to San Francisco in mid-July visiting many of my winery friends at Archery Summit, Dominio IV, Stoller, Cowhorn and Benziger Family Winery.

Our excuse for the trip was to provide the Benziger Green Team with a strategic networking workshop. The real reason was to share with David the metaphoric power of the biodynamic philosophy and reality.

With the help of Barney Barnett, Daphne Amory, and Mike Benziger, we toured the nooks and crannies of the vineyards, caves, and tasting rooms. It was a special delight to listen to David talk non-stop on the drive back to Seattle of all the connections he made by grounding his coaching philosophy in the concrete spirituality of biodynamics and fine wine growing.

For a humorous look at the wonderful world of innovation and new ventures, checkout Fl!p and the gang at Fl!p Comics.