Questioning Authority: The Philip James Edition
Philip James is an entrepreneur…and a good one. In the case of his history as a wine industry entrepreneur, he has brought us Snooth and, most recently, Lot 18. In the case of both companies, James focus has been on addressing the complications of consumer demand through technology. However, it appears that given his want, he'd throw all that away for the chance to go on an adventurous quest.
QUESTIONING AUTHORITY: THE PHILIP JAMES EDITION
Job Description?
Founder of Lot18. Prior to that, Founder of Snooth
Profession other than current you'd like to claim?
Explorer
First Act as The King of Wine?
Unpopular, but needed for DTC to really grow – mandate pricing parity, so customers can buy a wine from the winery at the same price as they can from a retailer. As it stands right now, most wineries discriminate against their own most loyal customers.
Last book read?
"Sahara" by Michael Palin (see my alternate profession answer for why)
DeathBed Wine?
Sticky and sweet – Taylors Port from '78
Your hero or heroine?
Richard Branson. You might be seeing a theme here – he's an entrepreneur and an explorer, the original Adventure Capitalist.
Where does your one roundtrip ticket in a time machine take you?
Into the future. I spend my time building companies that I hope will be useful in the months and years to come. There are times when I'd like to skip the waiting and just see how things played out.
Is the 100-point wine rating scale a good thing?
No, but like uncorking a delicate wine, you can't go back.
Late night Snack?
I have an awful habit of eating raw pasta. Its terrible on my teeth, which are British to start with.
Your new winery is named…?
"Bojago". The same name as my too infrequently updated blog, it means "of James" in the dead Celtic language of where I grew up in Cornwall, South West England.
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