From Bubbles to Boardrooms: Act 1: Startups Are Such Fun (Volume 1)

The true stories in this book demonstrate how much fun can work be, especially for those lucky enough to be part of starting a new company. Every day is a new experience, exhilarating for those who, like the author, thrive on learning, ambiguity and a degree of chaos. The early days of Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley, the first major French wine investment in the U.S. in 1973, were a high-performing hoot. In today’s business environment it is refreshing to see an example of how iconoclastic leadership, coupled with the belief that good minds and youthful energy outweigh experience, can achieve remarkable success in record time. Given the freedom and responsibility to make important things happen, inexperienced young people produced amazing results, from a unique solution for a major construction problem to finding new ways to get a breakthrough product to market faster and creatively building a cadre of brand-loyal customers. In the absence of rules and supervision, innovation erupted. This is not meant to a complete or even accurate recounting of the early days of Domaine Chandon. Most of these stories are the lessons I took away from a wonderful opportunity to learn by doing, a happy part of my long career that I cherish and wish to share. Women and men who are or aspire to be leaders may be tempted to open this door to human potential themselves, by giving promising grads or even, as at Domaine Chandon, hippies too, a chance to test the limits of possibility.