After graduating from Arizona State University in 2003, I moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in architecture. I fell in love with the Bay Area, but after a year, my firm wanted to move me to another city for a two-year project. On my last day, my work friends took me out for drinks. We had only been at the bar for a few minutes when a stranger struck up a conversation with me about wine. A ten-minute chat later, he offered me a job leading wine tours. I happily accepted his card, but inwardly thought I would remain in the architecture field.

 

I managed to secure a part-time architect job. I often refer to San Francisco as the land of fours: where you either juggle four jobs or share a cramped flat with four roommates! I couldn't live on a three-day-a-week job, so I decided to apply to lead tours. In the interview, I was greeted with, “You’re the guy from the bar! That was two and a half months ago; I’ve already hired someone else. I could maybe use an overflow guy for the weekends.” I replied that it was perfect—I had another job and would happily work weekends for him if needed.

 

I began my journey leading tours in a cozy 12-passenger van, but alas, the wineries were the same trio each time—like a bad sequel no one asked for. I also knew there were better places out there but wasn’t allowed to visit. At the conclusion of each tour, clients frequently told me they wished to return for another tour but wanted to explore different wineries. I gave them my card (which said I was an architect) and assured them I would take them next time in my trusty Ford Expedition. I then approached my boss and convinced him to add my vehicle to their insurance. The tour was aptly named Max’s Napa Tour, allowing clients to request wineries or share their preferred wine types.

 

I soon began setting up my own company, as I much preferred visiting different wineries on each tour. I tried to keep the name Max’s Napa Tour, but the URL didn’t look right—www.max’snapatour.com. What is a snapa tour? So I dropped the apostrophe and moved the “s” to the end, changing it to www.maxnapatours.com. When the housing market crashed in 2005, I traded my architect’s pencil for a tour guide’s cap and dove headfirst into leading tours full-time.