In this episode, we sit down with Johnny Inglis, Co-founder of WineDrops, for an unfiltered exploration of entrepreneurial resilience, the wine industry's hidden realities, and the surprising strategies that turned a pandemic pivot into a £20 million business. Discover how scrappy tactics built wine databases, implementing counterintuitive waiting lists, and choosing the right co-founder became the foundation for revolutionising wine discovery through AI-powered technology.🎯 On the Docket:00:00:00 - From failed food ventures to finding product-market fit during COVID00:06:26 - Why co-founder selection is life or death for startups (and the 95% failure statistic)00:09:14 - The pivot from Michelin-star meal kits to wine subscription platform00:16:49 - Marketing genius: How a 5-day waiting list increased conversions by 30x00:21:51 - Wine industry secrets: Only 9 regions actually matter to consumers00:27:25 - AI transformation: Natural language wine discovery replacing traditional search00:32:35 - Performance marketing vs brand building: Why they chose immediate ROI00:39:04 - The brutal math of subscription businesses and managing churn00:47:31 - Hiring philosophy: Paul Graham's "animal" test for early employees00:50:17 - UK vs US entrepreneurship culture: Immigration, ambition, and tall poppy syndrome00:56:03 - The 10-year vision: Becoming the world's best wine merchant⚡ Key Insights:How a scrappy tatic became their business foundationThe "golden period" of COVID internet marketing, they wish they'd caught earlierHow younger generations drink less wine but spend more per bottle on qualityWhy Meta advertising scales better than any other platform for consumer businessesThe counterintuitive truth that scarcity and urgency drive 30x better conversionsHow AI is eliminating wine expertise barriers through conversational searchWhy UK productivity culture needs American-style immigration and success celebration💬 Notable Quotes:"If there's any time to lose everything, it is now. I don't have a kid, I didn't have a wife at the time.""When you get product market fit, you know. We sold out within 7 minutes of our first launch.""People want what they can't have. If you're struggling, just try turning on some sort of scarcity.""You should be hiring people you can describe as an animal. If someone describes them as an animal and it doesn't make you laugh, they're not an animal.""We've lost our way, we were builders and creators and entrepreneurs.""95% of businesses that fail do so because of co-founder issues - a breakdown in the relationship."🔗 Where to find Johnny:Winedrops: https://www.winedrops.com/Jonny: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonny-inglis-4761b888/