When you hear the whir of the blender – RUN!

Let me tell you about a bizarre evening. The flier I got in the mail said, “Entrepreneurs: Want to Boost Business? Attend An Exclusive Napa Seminar” and featured Trump-like phrases such as “only desire and determination matter” and “success is the only option”. This sounded intriguing. And legit - the pitch came in a heavy stock embossed envelope. Nice. I RSVP’d to “Tim” as instructed. My first clue that all was not as expected in the resort conference room was seeing “Tim” whipping up a foamy, grass-green concoction in a blender, with attendees gathered around the table, clutching paper cups but not exactly rushing in for a sample. It occurred to me that this green was the ideal spring shade for the Red House polo, though I elected not to sample the froth once I realized it wasn’t a margarita.

We were told to be seated, and “Tim” asked us to hold hands (something even ex-New Yorkers avoid) “because everyone is linked in the world of business ownership”. Great. “Tim”, obviously from a long line of televangelists was rev’d up. He circled us, gesticulating wildly - his hair as unmoving as a garden gnome’s. Wow! I had to hand it to him – he was animated, Maybe I could learn something from his ability to project, after all, I am as passionate about Red House as he is about…potassium deficiency?

It quickly became apparent that this was no entrepreneurial meeting of the minds, but rather a recruitment of independent distributors of nutritional powders and elixirs. “Be a sponsor!” “Follow us to prosperity!” I listened politely, until the words became as fuzzy as the drink. As my mind started to slip away, my eyes noticed the elegant bag of the woman seated next to me. This was not the accessory of someone who hawks drums of protein shakes. As we left for our break, she tripped over a stack of wealth-building manuals (only $19.95 each). I helped her to her feet and introduced myself. She too had been duped into thinking the seminar was about building her business - a boutique in St. Helena. AND, talk about turning lemons (or lemon-balancing nutrition powder) into lemonade - she just might be interested in offering my Red House pashminas at her shop! We’re having lunch next week to discuss the particulars – over sashimi and protein shakes! (Ok, maybe sake.)