Articles & Reports

Strategic Planning

How to stay competitive in a down market
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

How to prepare for opportunity
Deborah Steinthal Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

Building a new framework for the future: growing cash and equity.
Hank Salvo, Partner, Scion Advisors

How to Ride Out the Economy – 7 Key Actions to Grow Cash & Equity

A new set of glasses: Seeing your business through the eyes of a potential buyer
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors

How to prepare your winery for sale: 5 steps to build a brand that’s worth more and avoid being a fire sale!
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors

Future Scenarios: Discover and quantify your business potential
Hank Salvo, Scion Advisors

Scenario example: Building cash by building EBIT (a cash flow surrogate)
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

How to grow cash and equity for more financial security: The cigar box approach
Hank Salvo, Partner, Scion Advisors

How to strengthen the foundation of your wine business during uncertain times.
Deborah Steinthal, Founding partner, Scion Advisors, in conversation with Steve Dorfman, Partner, Ciatti Company

Skillfully Manage your Business During this Economy
Hank Salvo, Scion Advisors, August 2009

How to grow cash flow
Hank Salvo, Partner, Scion Advisors

Growing Profits by Getting Smaller
Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. Practical Winery & Vineyard, November 2004

Family business transitions: Economic times are hard. Is there any silver lining?
Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers, March 2009

Are Luxury Wines Commoditizing? What builds competitive advantage?
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. April 2007

Discover & Quantify your Business Potential
Hank Salvo, Scion Advisors. December 2006

Create a Business Plan Your Bank Will Love
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. August 2004

Wine Industry Landscape

New Report: Ownership Transitions in the Wine Industry
Rob McMillan, SVB Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division and Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors

AC NIelsen July 2010 Report
Danny Brager, AC Nielsen

Last 24 months
Deborah Steinthal Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

Meet the Wine Meisters
The Deal. September 15, 2008

Wine Industry 2015: Preparing for the challenges of tomorrow’s market landscape
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

Perfect Storm Revisited III
Co-authors Deborah Steinthal, Erica Valentine, and John Hinman

How Families Compete
by Chris Rauber. San Francisco Business Times, May 2005

Napa WIne and Hospitality Industry - August 2009
Napa Register

2009 Unified Wine Symposium Scion Panel Presentation
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

The Perfect Storm, Revisited

How Family Wineries Can Compete in the Global Market
by Eric G. Morham, Senior Vice President, International, Constellation Wines. April 2007

U.S. Wine Market Liberalization by 2015
by Deborah Steinthal and John Hinman. Practical Winery & Vineyard, November/December 2005

U.S. Wine Market Liberalization: Wine Vision 2015
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors and John Hinman, Hinman & Carmichael LLP. November 2005

The Perfect Storm, Revisited
Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors and John Hinman, Hinman & Carmichael LLP. Wine Business Monthly, December 2007

Merlot Done Right
by Peg Melnik. The Press Democrat, July 2007

Brand & Market Strategy

Sage Brandworks on brand execution: 6-step checklist
David Studeman, Partner, Sage Brandworks, 925.283.1879, www.sagebrandworks.com

How to Ride Out the Economy – 5 Ways to Drive more Profitable Market Strategies

Five common brand building mistakes
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors

Four ways to identify your winery’s competitive advantage
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors

A Virtual Winery in the Making
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors. Practical Winery & Vineyard, July/August 2008.

How family businesses can succeed in a proliferated wine marketplace.
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors, in conversation with Michael Mondavi, Folio Wine Partners, Founder and Coach

Acting Like a Pull Brand: The First Step in Building One
Dave Trebilcock, Scion Advisors. June 2007

Fine Tuning Your Brand Strategy with "True Costs"
by Dave Trebilcock, Scion Advisors. October 2007

When economic times are tight – tighten your message!
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors

Sales & Marketing Agency solutions: What are they & Who needs them?
by Vivien Gay, Scion Advisors. December 2006

Prune your portfolio to build brand equity
Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. Practical Winery & Vineyard, Sept/Oct 2004

Direct to Consumers in Napa Valley Wineries
by Stanford Graduate School of Business. May 2004

Are You Selling 1,000 cases Online?
Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors and Paul Mabray, Inertia Beverage Group. October 2007

Organization Strategy

Stages of Family Business – What stage are you in?
Rosemary Richardson, Associate, Scion Advisors

How to Ride Out the Economy – 5 Steps to Improve Performance thru Leadership

What type of transition are you facing?
Rosemary Richardson, Associate, Scion Advisors

Got conflict? Build a high performing team & more productive business.
Rosemary Richardson, Associate, Scion Advisors

Improve team productivity: hire a coach!
Rosemary Richardson, Associate, Scion Advisors, 707.257.9828

Your Role As CEO, Part 2: Strategy - Making the Tough Choices
by Vicky Farrow, Partner, Scion Advisors. June 2007

Got Conflict? Build a higher performing team and more productive business
Rosemary Richardson, Scion Advisors. Practical Winery & Vineyard, March 2009

Your Role As CEO, Part 1: Operations - Mastering the Discipline of Execution
Vicky Farrow, Partner, Scion Advisors. April 2007

A to Z on employee retention
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. August 2004

Family Continuity Planning

NEW! Wine: The Next Generation
by Jane Hodges Young. NorthBay Biz, November 2009

Managing a 3rd generation transition: Creating guiding principles for your family constitution.
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors, in conversation with Pete Seghesio, CEO and 3rd Generation Owner, Seghesio Family Winery

All in the Family:
Antinori, a 600-year-old family-owned winemaker, is succeeding in an industry facing turnover and change.
Elizabeth Harris, Worth Magazine. June/July 2008

Scion Advisors on Ownership Transitions: WIFS 2008 panel presentation
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

WIFS 2008 Panel Presentation Jeff Bundschu on Ownership Transitions
Jeff Bundschu, CEO Gundlach Bundschu Winery

WIFS 2008 Panel Presentation Carissa Chappellet on Ownership Transitions
Carissa Chappellet, Executive Committee Chair, Chappellet Winery

WIFS 2008 Panel Presentation Chris Indelicato on Ownership Transitions
Chris Indelicato, CEO, Delicato Family Vineyards

WIFS 2008 Panel Presentation, Rob McMillan on Ownership Transitions
Rob McMillan, SVB Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division

Napa Valley Vintners Panel - Wine Business Succession
by Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

Wine: The Next Generation
NorthBay Biz, November 2009, Jane Hodges Young

Selling the Cellar
Forbes Magazine

Ownership transitions & family wine businesses
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

An interview with Margaret Duckhorn
How to retire: Preparing your successor
Deborah Steinthal in conversation with Margaret Duckhorn

New Report: Ownership Transitions in the Wine Industry

Beating The Odds: Family Wine Business Succession Planning
by Deborah Steinthal. Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, March 2007

Transitioning Your Wine Business to the Next Generation
Deborah Steinthal, Wine Business Monthly

Grape Growers Who Live Rich, Die Poor
by Deborah Steinthal. Wine Industry Financial Symposium on Vineyard Economics, May 2007

2005 Wine Family Succession Survey
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. May 2005

A decade of acquistions of family-owned wineries

How do Family Ownership, Control, and Management Affect Firm Value?
by Belen Villalonga, Harvard Business School, and Raphael Amit, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. June 2004

An Eccentric Succession: Conversations with the Cakebreads
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. Robb Report Worth Magazine, December 2004

Governance

Creating Effective Governance in a Private Company
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

Case Studies

Case Study #1: Preparing a north coast business for profitable growth.

Case Study #2: Preparing a business for stable growth.

Case Study #3: Preparing a closely-held business for sale.

Case Study #4: Preparing a 3rd generation family business for continuity.