{"id":11008,"date":"2016-09-19T20:43:44","date_gmt":"2016-09-20T03:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/blog\/?p=11008"},"modified":"2026-04-15T17:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T00:38:09","slug":"joe-cannella-from-google-ads-to-spirits-fnsummit-speaker-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/joe-cannella-from-google-ads-to-spirits-fnsummit-speaker-series\/","title":{"rendered":"From Google Ads to Craft Spirits: fnSummit Speaker Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

Image by Will Shenton<\/em><\/p>\n

This article is part of the fnSummit<\/a>\u00a0Speaker Series. Every October, Founders Network members meet in Napa Valley for 3 days and 2 nights of programming, real fireside chats, break-out discussions, panels, wine tasting, hiking, swimming, and yoga. Founders Network sat down with each speaker contributing to fnSummit<\/a>\u00a0to discuss this year’s theme\u2014 growth. Learn more about the upcoming fnSummit<\/a>, Oct. 19-21, 2016.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Prior to founding Cannella Spirits<\/a>, Joe Cannella grew the ad spend of his clients from $20M to $150M at Google. Now, in less than\u00a03 years, his product is in over 100 locations in California and Nevada. Joe will be contributing to the fnSummit Spirits Panel: along with other founders in the spirits business, he will discuss how to grow in a niche vertical. His unique spirits will also be featured at the Founders Network Fall Panel<\/a>, 9\/29\/16. Here is his story:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about your time at Google. You grew the ad spend of your clients from $20M to $150M. <\/b><\/h5>\n

Joe:<\/b> It was an exciting and unique time. Client ad spends of $30M or $50M were common, to the point where dollar figures, for better or worse, simply became numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our focus was on gaining marketing efficacy for clients by shifting dollars from traditional media to online. It\u2019s clearly a very data driven company, so the job was way more focused on numbers than taking clients out on the golf course\u2014 though execs eventually did see the value in building relationships with clients so we got to do some pretty fancy dinners.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Google ads platform was the world\u2019s biggest data source for consumer intent, and it was fun to dig into that and understand both macro and micro trends. Getting insights out of that data was often a big hairy mess, though, so part of my job became working with engineers and product managers to develop tools and product features that would prove useful to my team and to our customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Google ads platform was the world\u2019s biggest data source for consumer intent, and it was fun to dig into that and understand both macro and micro trends. –\u00a0@joecan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019d say I was at my most valuable when I was thinking a couple years ahead, seeing the larger vision and positioning the team and our customers to take advantage.<\/strong> This proved fruitful on more than one occasion where our clients became market leaders over the years we worked with them. But naturally there was the managerial pressure of hitting quarterly numbers, so it was a balancing act between the work I enjoyed and was most effective over the long term and the work that had to be done now.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You went from a major tech company (Google) to building out your own company. What sparked your decision to make the change? Was there an \u201cah-ha\u201d moment?<\/b><\/h5>\n

Joe:<\/b> It started with a classic case of burnout. I\u2019m sure this isn\u2019t an unfamiliar story. I learned a ton at Google; how a functioning sales organization should run, and what it\u2019s like to work with smart, motivated people. But I did the same thing for way too long, and the company changed from underneath me, as companies do when they grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

We went from pushing the envelope to a structured, operational environment. On top of the burnout, I had a medical scare that changed my perspective on a lot of things.<\/strong> By my last year at google, I was floating along (by Google standards). I was at the most senior sales level you can be without becoming a manager, and looking around at what my life as a manager would entail\u2026.. it was definitely time to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Underneath all of that I had been exploring hobbies outside of my day job\u2014 which eventually led to my current business. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A big part of the inspiration came from a trip to Italy in 2010. I surprised my wife (then girlfriend) with plane tickets to Spain and Italy. We had two amazing weeks together, after which I stayed another couple weeks on my own traveling around. It was during that time that I connected with my uncle, who was also visiting from the US and we spent a couple days in Catania, Sicily, where we had a great time seeing our family name (Cannella – the Italian word for cinnamon) all around town.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was a \u201cCafe Cannella\u201d, a woman\u2019s clothing store called \u201cCannella\u201d, and at our little hotel bar at the end of the night, we spied a very rustic-looking bottle called Rosolio di Cannella – or more simply, a cinnamon liqueur.<\/span><\/p>\n

We enjoyed our share and took some bottles of Cannella back home. And then eventually (gasp!) we ran out.<\/strong> So I figured I\u2019d order some more online and we\u2019d be good. But nobody was shipping it outside the EU, or importing it, and there was nothing being made like it in the US.<\/span><\/p>\n

A lot of entrepreneurs have that moment, where you feel like something needs to exist in the world, even if only in your world, and you are just frustrated enough to do something about it. That\u2019s when I started making my own \u201cCannella\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A lot of entrepreneurs have that moment, where you feel like something needs to exist in the world, even if only in your world, and you are just frustrated enough to do something about it. –@joecan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The transition into an actual business happened a few years later on Thanksgiving Day, 2013, at the end of a great meal and night with friends & family. There was this moment when my dad and I looked around at all the people enjoying what I had made. We decided then and there to see what it took to build a spirits company.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Did going from employee to entrepreneur force you to grow personally and\/or professionally? If so, in what ways?<\/b><\/h5>\n

Joe:<\/b> Mainly, I\u2019ve become more organized. In having to become totally self directed, I have learned a lot about what motivates me and what doesn\u2019t, and you discover those little tricks that work for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the first time that something was totally mine, though my friends and family definitely helped me get off the ground.<\/strong> There was a time when stepping foot in our apartment meant having to sample up to 8 different recipe variations and fill out a multi-faceted tasting profile sheet. This all went into a crazy spreadsheet to track it all, and helped us to land on a final recipe.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was so excited about it, it felt so congruent that I have never looked back. I\u2019ve never been so committed to bringing something to fruition, and having hit several milestones already I have now proven to myself that I can see something through from idea, to bringing it to life, to sharing it with the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve never been so committed to bringing something to fruition, and having hit several milestones already I have now proven to myself that I can see something through from idea, to bringing it to life, to sharing it with the world. –\u00a0@joecan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You\u2019re big on work\/life balance. Any tips on staying focused, both at home and in the office?<\/b><\/h5>\n

Joe:<\/b> I actually take issue with the concept of \u201cwork\/life balance\u201d. I think one of the most important things you can do as an entrepreneur is remove that phrase from your vocabulary.<\/strong> Instead I see much more benefit from work\/life integration. It\u2019s great to take breaks from certain aspects of your life when needed, but to see your \u201clife\u201d and your \u201cwork\u201d as totally separate things is often counterproductive and creates more stress. From my standpoint, it\u2019s all life.<\/span><\/p>\n

That, of course, doesn\u2019t mean you aren\u2019t scheduling \u201cwork time\u201d and \u201cnot work time\u201d. It\u2019s amazing what having a kid will do for structuring your day in such a way that you have the time to be creative, productive and present.<\/span><\/p>\n

One simple habit I\u2019ve seen success with is writing down the 3 things that must get done tomorrow, and then dedicating specific time on my calendar in the morning to get through them.<\/strong> It\u2019s amazing how much that has transformed my days and weeks and company.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, from my Google days I learned to have a core metric that really tells you whether you are moving in the right direction. At Google it was looking weekly at year \/ year ad spend, which would control for seasonality. Today, it\u2019s how many printed cocktail lists are we on. For right now, that is our most significant indicator of future sales, so I try and keep that metric in mind with every task I do.<\/span><\/p>\n

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From my Google days I learned to have a core metric that really tells you whether you are moving in the right direction.\u00a0–\u00a0@joecan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You startup is growing. Starting in 2014 as a total industry outsider, your products are now in over 100 locations in California and Nevada, with near term plans to expand to major markets around the US. Can you outline 3 ways in which you\u2019ve achieved this growth?<\/b><\/h5>\n

Joe:<\/b><\/p>\n