Elijah Principe is a wine maker and director of Antonio's Winery in the Swan Valley, a 10 acre vineyard his grandparents Antonio and Emma started cleaning up by hand in 1975. After 50 years as a family project, 2026 is the first year the winery is going to market properly, and Elijah, at 25, is the one taking it there.

In this episode, Elijah and I talk about how the wine used to be sold, at $3 a litre into any container people brought, why he calls his wine boutique prestige rather than premium, and why he wants it kept out of the big bottle shops.

Full write-up, links and transcript: [episode page link, add once the page is live]

We also cover his first vintage, including a Grenache that turned into a natural sparkling red and a Shiraz that was meant to be a rosé, how he plans a year ahead, how he checks the grapes he buys in, and the cellar door he's planning for late 2027 or early 2028.

Elijah also shares the mentors who give him advice straight, how networking helped him get his labels done, and why a 100-year-old tin shed might have to come down.

A good listen for anyone taking something their family built and putting it in front of the public.

Connect with Elijah and Antonio's Winery:

Instagram (Elijah): https://www.instagram.com/elijxh_p/

Instagram (Antonio's Winery): https://www.instagram.com/antonios_winery/

Website: https://antonioswinery.com/

Julia Ewert is a published author, LinkedIn Learning sales instructor and one of Australia's leading sales strategists and professional negotiators. She teaches the Infinite Sales System and helps companies build repeatable sales systems that lift conversions without pressure or discounting, and she has worked with our team at Smartfix.

In this episode, Julia and I talk about why so many business owners say they don't do sales, where the stigma comes from, and why a dishonest tradie says more about that person than it does about sales. We get into price objections, "I need to speak to my partner", and why the fortune really is in the follow-up.

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/julia-ewert/

We also cover how to ask permission to call back, why open questions help you recommend the right fix, why a confused mind always says no when a quote has too many options, and whether you should give the price on the spot.

Julia shares how she tests salespeople in an interview, why sales training without a process is a band-aid on a severed limb, how she wrote her book From Pitch to Profit in five weeks by speaking it, and how 37 follow-ups over 3 years and 4 months won her Crown as a client.

A practical conversation for anyone who quotes jobs for a living.

Connect with Julia Ewert:

Website: https://juliaewert.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaewert-sales-strategist-professional-negotiator/

The Donut Card (newsletter): https://juliaewert.com/donutcard/

The Infinite Sales System: https://juliaewert.com/infinite-sales-system/

From Pitch to Profit: https://juliaewert.com/book/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYGtawSRsKE

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What does time in the AFL teach you that has nothing to do with football?

In Episode 26 of Unlocking Business, I sit down with Jacob Blight, founder of BLYT Development. Jacob grew up in country Western Australia with no one around who had made it to the AFL. He was drafted by Richmond in the 2024 mid-season draft at 22, found out on a Wednesday night and flew out the next day. After being cut, he started a business built around a gap he saw in youth sport. Kids are taught skills and drills constantly, but very little about the mindset, character and habits that decide whether they make it or fall away.

Full write-up, links and transcript: https://www.hypotential.com/podcast/blyt-development-jacob-blight/

We talk about how someone actually gets from a country town into the AFL, the odds of getting drafted, why the average career is only a few years, and why so few players have a plan B. Jacob explains why he sees a second pursuit as good for both wellbeing and performance, and what happened when he was all in on one thing in year 12.

We also get into how BLYT Development works, why the parents are the buyers even though the kids are the audience, why he now requires a parent on the call for anyone under 18, and how he changed his offer several times in his first year. Along the way we cover coaching and credibility, personal branding, discipline versus motivation, setting short, medium and long term goals, and why self-belief is your superpower.

A good one for anyone building a business around their own story, and anyone who has had to start again.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ouHzLyGKCM

Follow me: Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok