Angus Hughson journey
www.winepilot.com
Entrepreneurial journey told by three students
Story written by Abhishek Majumdar
” The most difficult thing I had to do was to bring older people onto a digital platform like winepilot. And having said that I am also one of them. Though I had a decade of experience in selling stuffs online, I was not one of those people for whom technology came naturally. I gave in the hard hours to learn different platforms like WordPress, Facebook ad targeting and as an when they came by. I love doing most of the work myself. I don’t need help unless it’s something I believe I cant learn. My 20 years experience in the wine selling industry, experience in writing columns on drinks in magazines, my education in psychology all have helped me gain the skills for creating and managing WinePilot with minimal help. I’ve got a younger woman who kind of helps me be social, but that’s more just, her knowing that sphere, kind of better than me; my investors are completely hands off, they’re like, “just tell us what you’re doing and we trust you to do what you’re doing.” I love my daily life where I talk to wineries, they send me wines, they send my colleagues wines, and we just write articles on them. I know I am erring on the side of caution in that sense, but the business is going well. I’m actually about to launch another complimentary business too. So I can go gaga about it, but I believe in that the hottest flame burns out the fastest. I am not the guy who wants to come on front of the paper in business pages, I am not here to earn money or fame. That’s not my aspiration for this. I want to create a sustainable business, so that a lot of wineries can pay very well in this country, and paid by many people. I want people who deal with service n this wine industry to make more money, and I want to help brands. The next immediate thing, I wish is that this pandemic goes away and I can return to office soon. It’s difficult writing articles in a small house when your wife is writing music for a living in one room, while my daughter jumping up and down and learning ballet. I am also trying to be creative and am also writing what I do.”
Story written by Steve Teja The The
When I was starting this business, I would feel nervous. The wine industry that has been my expertise for 20 years is very beautiful. I say to myself, this is my passion that I won’t get bored with. Personally, wine has something more than regular alcohol beverages that led you to drunk. The old tale says, wine is art. The uniqueness of the flavour that varies in every sip resembles the story of the soil that grows the grapes in the vineyard. The climate, the mineral and the water are small factors from the countless factor that wine’s taste delivers to us. Wine is also culture. This reminds me on how wine influences people lifestyles. I love wine and cheese parties, and having a community that enjoys the same thing is a gift. We feel connected and happy to be around together. Now, there is a lot of variety of wine that is suitable for all activities. Wine has a history. The legacy behind winemaking that has been passed down from generation to generation, will give an emotional flavour to the wine itself. I, as a pilot that drives you into curiosity about the world of wine will reveal the excitement of wine through winepilot.com. The website that I am focusing on right now, will welcome and simplify the world of wine that will attract young people. The expectation of flavour from the wine and simple recommendations on how to enjoy wine will educate the newcomers to love wine. Through this media, the world of wine that has stereotypes with old fashion and conservative industry may start fading and replace by ‘wine is a drink to all age’. I, as an expert in the retail industry for 15 years and writing skill for the Australian newspaper, this media will entertain and attract the reader as preferences media for choosing their alcoholic beverages. Importantly, Winepilot.com won’t be any regular wine media like the others wine media. Winepilot.com will become part of your lifestyle and plays a huge role on people social life. Lastly, Winepilot.com be answer for the wine that you want to enjoy.
Story written by Beatrice Wang
“The wine culture has lasted for hundreds of years. Wine has played an important role in human development and history. It remained an indispensable product in western medicine till late 19th century. I earned my Phd in Psychology from the University of Sydney where I conducted research on cognitive and perceptual bases of wine expertise. I also earned a Master of Wine qualification, which is the highest standard of professional knowledge in the wine industry. Wine media platform is a very traditional industry. I started my own wine media platform ‘winepilot’ in 2019. Wine has a very large consumer group, obviously from 18 to 100 year olds, who enjoy wine and want to learn more about wine. As a free platform, winepilot advocates wine to a broader audience in the Australia and New Zealand market. It is a new voice to deliver wine, beer and all other alcoholic beverages content to real life through a digital platform. It’s meant to help consumers, educate consumers, entertain consumers, get them engaged in the category. While at the same time helping brands, essentially connect with their target markets. I spent 20 years in the wine industry, from the UK to Sydney. And I’ve been in retail, commerce, and marketing. I am also active as a wine judge, drink communicator and drink editor for magazines. I ended up like the Chief Marketing Officer of a business that was a $50 million turnover business. It was a big business that I’d helped grow to that stage, which was quite an enjoyable process of being in an office with two people, and then later on being in an office with 50 people. Having been a part of that was kind of something I enjoyed. So when I started winepilot, it wasn’t a question of money or anything like that. It was literally I was doing what needed to be done. Basically, the wine industry is incredibly conservative. There are many people who love drinking wine and are passionate about wine. But when you ask them, they don’t know much. And therefore, professionally, I’d got to stage in a big business that I was getting bored with. But then at the same time, there was this clean need in the wine industry for something like what I’m doing – which is to guide those people who potentially are interested in wine but don’t know where to get information.”