Customer story:
Vintage Makers
Learn how Method lit the way for this wine cellar and cigar humidor manufacturer to expand their retail presence.
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Vintage Makers — A business for the wine enthusiast
Vintage Makers is a New Hampshire-based business that specializes in the design and installation of custom wine cellars. Founded in 1994 by Darren Wood, it has since become a business known for excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
From concept to completion, Vintage Makers takes a personal approach to ensure your wine cellar is tailored to your needs.
Darren and his team specialize in climate-controlled wine cellars for:
- Residential homes.
- Retail spaces.
- Hotels and resorts.
Meet Darren, the CEO of Vintage Makers
For over 30 years, Darren Wood has designed and built custom wine cellars, often incorporating humidors.
True to their quality, Darren’s humidors caught the attention of cigar vendors, which sparked the creation of Smokin’ Betty’s Cigars in 2009. The goal was clear: to provide retail clients with climate-controlled humidors filled with the best hand-rolled cigars.
Over the years, Smokin’ Betty’s Cigars has far surpassed the wine cellar side of the business. Fast forward to 2024, Vintage Makers has plans to extend its cigar humidor program to several leading convenience stores.
Finding Method
For 25 years, Darren relied on QuickBooks Desktop to manage Vintage Makers. However, as Smokin’ Betty’s expanded into six states, Darren quickly hit the limits of QuickBooks.
Each state has its own excise tax on tobacco products, and QuickBooks lacked the reporting functionality to handle them. This made it difficult to adhere to varying state tax regulations.
To support the business’s growth, Darren needed software with greater flexibility and comprehensive reporting insights.
“[Vintage Makers] was growing, and we needed software that could handle special taxes.”
– Darren Wood, Owner
As a result, Darren turned to NetSuite, a comprehensive ERP software. While it addressed the limitations of QuickBooks, it did so at a hefty cost. These costs only increased with additional charges and user fees.
Not to mention, NetSuite’s aggressive sales tactics and subpar customer service were significant drawbacks.
Darren also explored Salesforce, but Method emerged as the ideal choice. It was fully customizable, so it could offer the power of an ERP but at a fraction of the cost. It was the perfect, cost-effective solution Vintage Makers was looking for.
Since 2023, Darren and his team have been using Method to:
- Customize reports and dashboards.
- Simplify job scheduling and dispatching.
- Manage customer relationships for wine cellar manufacturing.
“I stumbled upon Method in the Right Networks app hub and thought it was too good to be true.”
– Darren Wood, Owner
How Method helped scale the business
For Darren, the deciding factor when choosing a solution came down to capabilities. Here’s what set Method apart:
- Seamless QuickBooks sync.
- The ability to customize the software.
- Field service features for on the go efficiency.
1. Real-time, two-way QuickBooks sync
As a growing business, Darren understood the importance of seamless software integration.
With Method’s real-time, two-way QuickBooks sync, Darren gained access to all the information he needed. This simplified data collection for special tax reporting.
What’s more, Method simplified fieldwork by syncing all work orders back to QuickBooks in real-time.
Instead of manual data entry, Method synced instantly in the background, so Darren could focus on running his business.
“The simplicity in creating work orders and field service texts that tie back to QuickBooks is fantastic.”
– Darren Wood, Owner
2. Building customized solutions
Customization was crucial for Darren when picking a solution.
The best software should simplify your processes and scale with your business as it grows. For Vintage Makersa, Method met these needs perfectly.
Thanks to the platform’s extensive customization, Darren configured the ideal system for his needs. With guidance from Method’s expert consultants, he customized the interface to craft unique dashboards for each user.
By doing so, Darren ensured his team had access to only the information they needed in Method. The result? Better efficiency and no QuickBooks clutter.
“Method’s open architecture database and customization have been fantastic.”
– Darren Wood, Owner
3. Field service functionality
Efficient, on the go access to information empowers field teams to perform at their best.
Vintage Makers leveraged Method:Field Services to:
- Evaluate convenience stores for the cigar humidor program.
- Manage service jobs for existing humidors.
With Method, Darren effortlessly created and assigned work orders from one centralized platform. In the field, his team used Method’s mobile app to manage job details, such as:
- Notes.
- Photos.
- Documents.
- Store information.
Not to mention, Darren had instant access to job data right from his office, including real-time feedback and notes.
From job scheduling to execution, Method gives your field team the tools they need to deliver great service.
“It’s about having the data set up the way each person needs to see it and access it easily — that’s the best part of Method.”
– Darren Wood, Owner
Final words of advice: Give Method a go!
Vintage Makers’ shift to Method proved transformative. For Darren Wood and his team, the journey from the constraints of traditional software to the endless possibilities of Method marked a significant leap towards achieving their business aspirations.
For businesses looking to simplify operations and enhance efficiency, giving Method a try could be the key to unlocking potential and igniting growth.
Fuel your growth with a free trial of Method.
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