Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/701904
july 2016 / the tasting panel / 79 A ward-winning blogger, author and wine marketer Lisa Mattson believes in the value of hard work. She grew up in rural Kansas, where the state motto means "through hardship to the stars," but good jobs were scarce and good wines non-existent. When college financial aid fell through, she left the Midwest to follow her boyfriend to Florida's exponentially broader, sun- nier horizons, build a new life and finish her degree on her own dime. Two decades and 50 boyfriends later, she's now the Director of Marketing and Communications at Jordan Vineyard & Winery in Sonoma's Alexander Valley and author of The Exes in My Glass: How I Refined My Taste in Men & Alcohol. Mattson sat down with me in Jordan's elegant dining room to share some reflections and advice. "I'm so fortunate that I figured out in college one of the keys to being happy in your career," she said. "Figure out what you're good at and apply that within an industry that you love or you're passionate about." She added, "When you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work." Mattson fell in love with wine tak- ing a course at Florida International University, where she majored in communications and minored in hospitality management. Her wine technology professor, Chip Cassidy, instilled in her his immense passion for wine and helped her land a job at the Biltmore Hotel, assisting with special events and member relations for the hotel's Cellar Club. From there she moved on to an editorial position at The Wine News, public relations jobs with wine distributors, special event marketing at E&J Gallo and Director of Communications at importer and marketer Wilson Daniels Ltd. before joining Jordan in 2009. Her innovative social media and public relations strategies have kept Jordan at the forefront of wine marketing ever since. Mattson insists, though, that the skills and talents that most contrib- uted to her success weren't innate talents or creativity—just good old-fashioned work ethic, optimism and openness to change. "I'm always willing to take on anything that's thrown at me," she says, embracing changes as an opportunity to make things better. "I'm a hard worker, and I feel like hard work pays off." Mattson does her best writing and thinking from 5 to 8 a.m., so gets up early to tap into that sweet spot. "It's so much easier when you're in your zone," she says. "Things just write themselves." To boost creativity and save time, she uses her iPhone Notes app to dictate creative ideas, leads or even whole articles while she's running or working out. Mattson wrote The Exes in My Glass to share with other women the lessons she'd learned about self-respect, confidence and put- ting herself first. "I made a lot of mistakes," she laughs, "but I turned out okay! I actually turned out very successful and very happily mar- ried." She donates a portion of her book's proceeds to I AM THAT GIRL, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping girls love, express and be exactly who they are. Mattson told me that getting comfortable with confrontation was critical for both her personal and professional life. She says that she had never been good at difficult conversations, whether with a boyfriend, a co-worker, a parent or a boss. But her experience sitting down and asking her ex-husband for a divorce opened the door to a whole new world of personal and profes- sional possibilities. "Once you learn what it feels like when you break down that barrier," she says, "there is no going back." Writing: "Write the way you talk." (Sonoma author Jeff Cox's advice to her.) Social media: "D.S.U.S.—Don't Share Ugly Sh*t." Working in today's wine biz: "Diversify your skills. Every day, learn something new . . . you need to have many more skills now in wine marketing than ten years ago." When you need to drink for work: "Drink a lot of water. That's always the rule. A glass of water for every glass of wine." The biggest challenge facing women in wine: "I think that it's really important for young women to define what they want their professional image to be, both with their coworkers as well as what their image is going to be in the digital world online. Set some boundaries and some goals around that, especially with your personal life." Mason's Top Tips LISA MATTSON SHARES HER JOURNEY FROM KANSAS COWTOWN TO SONOMA WINE COUNTRY by Deirdre Bourdet / photos by Alexander Rubin