The Success Journey is the map to guide you through our trainings. It shows you where to start so you will have a solid foundation.
The Success Journey has 4 phases
- Master the Fundamental Five
- Master the Bookkeeping
- Master the Costing
- Master the Business
This is a “choose your own adventure” type of journey. Your path will depend on your role. We serve Owners, Office Managers, and Accounting Professionals of small boutique wineries. But there are several flavors. Click here to read more
Master the Fundamental Five
We recommend that everyone begin here. The Fundamental Five are the five basic processes of our system. There are many ways to set up and use QuickBooks, but our system was designed specifically for small wineries so that the owners can run useful reports and the team can handle the day-to-day bookkeeping tasks efficiently.
The Fundamental Five are
- Use an effective chart of accounts
- Set up inventory the right way
- Track the sales by channel
- Select a method to enter the POS sales
- Record samples, pours, & shrinkage
For an overview of the Fundamental Five consider the Discover QuickBooks Course
If you have a big mess or would like step-by-step guidance to implement the Fundamental Five, then we invite you to learn more about the Fundamental Five Course.
Master the Bookkeeping
Once the Fundamenatal Five are in place, the next phase is to learn how to use QuickBooks efficiently and effectively. What is unique about small wineries is that the person handling the day-to-day bookkeeping is juggling a hundred other tasks. The large wineries have full-time bookkeepers to handle these tasks. In small wineries this is typically handled by the Reluctant Bookkeeper (aka the owner) or the Office Manager who insists they are not bookkeeper.
If you are brand new to QuickBooks and want to learn the basics of using QuickBooks, join our FREE Copper Club so you can take the QuickBooks 101 course.
Lessons on how to handle the many day-to-day tasks such as bank reconciliations and bottle runs are available 24-7 in our Learning Library. The Learning Library has over XX hours of video based lessons and includes
- Quickies
- Mini-Courses
- Office Hours recordings
- Q&A Forum replies
To find answers in the Learning Library, use our search tool called “Searchie”. Enter a keyword or a phrase in the search bar and the results will show the exact spot in every video where that topic is discussed.
The Learning Library and Searchie are available exclusively to our Silver Club members.
To learn more about the Silver Club CLICK HERE
From time to time we release a mini-course to non-members. Watch our newsletter for updates SIGN UP HERE
Master the Costing
You have setup the Fundamental Five in your QuickBooks file. Your team is handling the day-to-day bookkeeping in a timely fashion. Unfortunately your financials will not be useful until you have accurate costing. We call this cost True Cost. If you do not know your True Cost, you might make a fatal mistake.
We have several courses
- Costing in 6 Minutes (FREE)
- Overview – How to calculate the True Cost of Your Wine (for non-accounting professionals)
- Costing Book Checklist Course (for CFOs and other excel nerds)
We recommend that everyone watch Costing in 6 Minutes course, because this will give you an overview of the costing process and an understanding of the key concepts about costing.
Master the Business
This path is the Holy Grail. Now that you have set up your QuickBooks file with the Fundamental Five, and your team is handling the weekly, monthly, and annual bookkeeping and accounting tasks in a timely manner, and you know your True Cost, how do you use that information to manage the business and increase your profit?
Frankly, this should be the work of a CFO but most small wineries cannot afford a CFO. So we teach you how to read the financial reports and what to look for. Our course Strategy & Planning for Wineries is available exclusively to Silver Club members in the Learning Library.
Here is a sample of some lessons
- Create a cash flow forecast
- Focus on Gross Profit
- Understand the mysterious Statement of Cash Flows
- Monitor non-financial metrics
- Create a weekly flash report
To learn more about the Silver Club CLICK HERE