Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brooks Trabold. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Brooks thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Would you say you are more focused on growing revenue or cutting costs? We’d love to hear how you think about these two critical drivers

When it comes to running a true grassroots startup – you have to spend money to make money. Sitting on cash (in excess of a reasonable reserve) is as useless as sitting on unsold inventory, neither of which are viable options for our company if we want to continue to grow.

Running a successful boutique wine distribution (startup) company means, outside of reinvesting almost all of our profits in inventory (did I forget to mention that importing/distribution is an EXTREMELY capital-intensive business?), that we’re spending money on promotional meals, on attending industry and trade events, and on traveling to different cities and countries to prospect and negotiate with high quality wine producers. Being a smaller company in an industry dominated by 2-3 main players, you have to put yourself out there to make yourself known, and that comes with a price tag!

Over the past 2-3 years, we’ve bootstrapped all of our profits back in the business, and continued to operate with no outside capital contributions or investors. My first office was a whopping 600 sq ft off of Harry Hines – just big enough to fit a little
3′ desk, a computer chair, a couple of pallets of wine, and most importantly – was just enough to obtain a distribution license through the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission (TABC). If nearly all of my focus wasn’t on growing revenue, we would never have graduated from that tiny office to the amazing warehouse facility we operate out of today.

That’s not to say we aren’t mindful of our expenses in our day-to-day operations. We still run financial forecasts, and abide by our inventory scheduling. But, we do so in a way that allows us to maximize our revenue potential – by reinvesting profits in new and exciting inventory, which allows us to stay relevant and maintain our competitive edge.

Brooks, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Growing up I didn’t play sports past middle school, so I was always looking for projects to work on, and was always grateful for any opportunity to express my creative side. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would start my own business. Not because it sounded impossible, but because I always thought I’d follow in the footsteps of my dad or my older brother – working in real estate. But, that never happened.

After I graduated from University of North Texas, I got my first job in the corporate world – working in healthcare finance. It was an exceptional experience, and I developed professional skills that I utilize to this day. But I knew I wanted to do something different with my career and that the corporate world wasn’t for me. So, I left my job, and volunteered to go pick grapes during harvest at a boutique winery in Sonoma, California. With no certain fate in mind – I never imagined that in the next year, I’d fall In love with the wine industry, move back home to Dallas, and start my a wine distribution company of my own. Because after all, I didn’t know anything about wine.

As it turns out though, it didn’t take a whole lot for me to want to start the business. It’s just what I felt I had to do, because the industry felt so right to me. The ability to work with the land in the vineyard, to serve people in hospitality, and to bring joy to all those who came to visit the winery, was far more rewarding than compiling analyses on acquisitions on hospital groups.

Though, I’ll admit, I was certainly frightened by the uncertainty of my role in wine, and by the redundant saying in the industry: “that in order to work in wine, and to have 1 million dollars – all you have to do, is start with 2 million”. I was also told the wine industry is among hardest to succeed in – as it requires incalculable capital, endless time, countless resources, and a heck of a lot of luck to even begin reaping the rewards of starting a wine business. A reminder that even if you do all of these things, you then have to compete against the hundred million dollar companies that not only dominate the industry, but leave little room for independent companies to succeed.

But, with a profoundly bullish attitude, commitment to my newfound calling, a little experience (working wine retail and volunteering at the winery), some introductions (that I made by going door to door at what felt like every restaurant in Dallas), a few bucks (for basic business formation, licenses, and various software that I had saved from working my 3 jobs at the time), and a great portfolio of wine, which I put together in no time – I was finally able to launch my very own wine distribution company: Flora & Fauna Imports.

In starting the business, every day I learned something new. What’s the difference between Barolo and Barbaresco? How do you make a sales call to a restaurant you’ve never been to? What’s the best (free) CRM for a startup company? What’s more optimal for a single member LLC: Quickbooks Desktop or Quickbooks Online? And, after Googling thousands of questions about wine and how to run an independent boutique wine distribution business, I decided that I could use a few mentors to look up to and learn from (constantly bother). Which I did. And, to my utter dismay to this day, none of them have yet blocked my phone number. But rather, they continue to entertain my wild thoughts, and answer questions based on their experience in different scenarios and situations.

In my first few months of being a small business owner, I was constantly reminded (and still am reminded regularly to this day) that failure, is very much part of life. And it’s certainly part of (starting a) business. And that – unless you fail over and over again, you will never succeed.

Fortunately, natural optimism is one of my strong suits, and nothing has keep me from making Flora & Fauna Imports the most successful distribution/importation company of my wildest dreams. After 4 years of hard work (2 with my original business model, 2 with the “Flora & Fauna model”), I’ve managed to finally get some help – from my incredibly beautiful and talented girlfriend Paige Nissen. And soon, from our first full-time sales rep (who starts in a few weeks). I look forward to seeing what we will accomplish in working together as a team.

All in all, I’m incredibly grateful for where I am today. It has taken willingness to expose myself to absolute vulnerability, countless sleepless nights, successes, failures, and more google searches and books than I ever want to see again to get Flora & Fauna Imports where it is today. I absolutely love my work, and am beyond blessed to have partnered with the 40+ amazing wine producers we represent from all over the world, and the 200+ restaurants/retailers that we service on a regular basis. I’m grateful to wake up and work in an industry that is so vastly inviting, so creative, so innovative, and so perfect for me.

Cheers – to the wine industry, and to the future of Flora & Fauna Imports.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

While importation and distribution are the core revenue streams for Flora & Fauna Imports – we have been asked by many to start a wine club (which is actually an excellent source of recurring revenue we’ve often considered).

Legally speaking, as a distributor – Flora & Fauna Imports cannot operate as a wine club (thanks to the breakup of vertical integration post-prohibition).

However, thanks to Covid, and having extra time to thinktank with my girlfriend Paige, I can proudly say that we recently formed a sister wine company – and that our wine club officially launches in less than a month!

We will offer 4 shipments of either 3, 6, or 12 bottles – all available at 3 different pricing tiers. The idea, is to have a no-hassle wine club, that is fun, educational, and available to anyone who may be interested. All you have to do is sign up, and seasonally selected wine from the best boutique producers we can find – will magically arrive at your door once a quarter.
We will also host wine club pick-up parties, tastings, events, and dinners that you gain access to only through the wine club. We’re very excited, and welcome anyone who wants to join!

Snobby Wine Club | Available starting July 1, 2022
Snobbywineclub.com

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Referrals are everything.

If you use a product you like, or have an experience from a company that really moved you – take a second to post about it on your Instagram, or share it with someone you know. Advertising on social media and through word of mouth are both completely free – and can really make a difference for a small business.

Contact Info:

• Website: Floraandfaunaimports.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floraandfaunaimports/?hl=en
• Other: Snobbywineclub.com