Business
Ian Blackburn is Founder at Learn About Wine, one of the earliest wine education platforms on the internet, launched in 1995. In this episode, Ian shares how a college trip to Napa Valley with Robert Mondavi sparked a lifelong passion that eventually became a 30-year business with over 120,000 followers.
Ian walks us through how he built Learn About Wine from a personal hobby site into a full education and events brand, producing intimate classes, large-scale wine dinners, and virtual experiences. He also opens up about surviving the 2008 recession by selling 5,000 Groupons in a single day and what it took to teach that class nearly 100 times in one year to honour every redemption.
Beyond the wine world, this conversation is packed with lessons for any entrepreneur building an education-led brand, from staying true to quality and reputation over decades to why passion is the ultimate competitive advantage in an AI-driven world.
Whether you are in wine, marketing, or building your own knowledge-based business, Ian's story is one of curiosity, consistency, and earned credibility.
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In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 - 00:18: Introduction
00:18 - 02:11: Ian's Journey Into Wine
02:11 - 04:21: The Napa Trip That Changed Everything
04:21 - 06:08: Why Learn About Wine Started in 1995
06:08 - 07:06: Surviving 2008 With 5,000 Groupons
07:06 - 08:32: Scaling Classes, Dinners, and Events
08:32 - 10:03: The Decision That Kept the Business Relevant
10:03 - 12:42: How Today's Wine Consumer Has Changed
12:42 - 14:17: Advice for Building an Education-Led Brand
14:17 - 16:04: Closing Thoughts
Connect with Ian Blackburn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianblackburn
merchantofwine.com
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