Small Winery Operators and Business Vision: A Western Australian Case

Numerous academic studies discuss the vital importance for entrepreneurs of having a clearly defined business vision, whereby they outline the business philosophy and/or long-term objectives for their business. This study examines the business vision dimension among a group of 40 Western Australian wineries, the majority of which are open to the public. While almost half of the respondents (18, 45%) are certain of where they want their businesses to be in the future, others (16, 40%) do not appear to have a clearly defined vision, or are unsure of what the concept of a 'vision' entails, either in regards to their own businesses or their industry. The importance of providing an excellent experience at the winery can contribute to business opportunities, which in turn requires a business vision. However, while such vision might be critical from a business perspective, the findings identify no differences between those who manifested a clear-cut business vision and those who did not with regard to their winery's age. These preliminary findings shed some light into an unexplored area and may help support future research on winery entrepreneurship.