WineInStyle: Let it Go...Let it Go

Letting go can be hard. Yet, sometimes you just...do it.

Eberhart has done an excellent job growing the business as much as he has. Hitting $4M in 10 years in a foreign market is no mean feat. However, there seem to be few arguments left as to why he should continue. On the macro level, while the wine industry in Japan is growing, it's not growing that fast relative to other international markets. One could argue that Eberhart should stick around and carve out a larger slice of Japan since he has an early mover advantage. However, Eberhart's company lacks differentiation or impassioned leadership - bad signs in an increasingly crowded market. Since the company is already struggling against competition, it seems unlikely that it would survive against larger or more determined opponents.

Eberheart's care for his new CEO in his absence is touching and important. However, immediately selling the company to these new investors may not be the best course of action. I believe he should use this current offer as leverage and shop around for alternative investments. If the current offer is the best he can get, fine - otherwise, he should optimize for investors that clearly care about the long term upkeep of the firm.