Our Story
Premier Growth, The Business of Family was founded by Caroline Coleman Bailey in 2010. By combining her professional expertise and personal experiences with her passion for bridging the gap between business and family, Premier Growth empowers individuals and families with modern-day solutions that foster success and sustainability.
The name Premier Growth stems from two of the most famous wine regions in the world—Burgundy and Bordeaux. Burgundy is celebrated for Premier Cru, and Bordeaux is renowned for First Growth wines, two wine regions you would never think of combining. By merging these terms, it represented Caroline’s way of blending traditional and modern-day ideas, offering a fresh perspective in the realm of family business.
The Business of Family is deeply rooted in Caroline's upbringing in a large family. The need for order, discipline, routine, and purpose were family hallmarks and provided invaluable life lessons. These learnings, along with an eighteen-year career in the family business and earning a master’s degree in business administration, emphasized the need for professionalizing the family while personalizing the business ensuring a healthy exchange of cultures.
Today, Premier Growth offers customized advisory services along with specialized tools and resources to guide individuals and families to make informed decisions about their family system and legacy planning. Looking ahead, Premier Growth strives to continue leading the way in providing innovative solutions to help bridge the gap between business and family.
Caroline Coleman Bailey
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Caroline Coleman Bailey is an accomplished business leader with experience in strategic leadership, business development, and marketing communications. As Founder and CEO of Premier Growth, The Business of Family®, she is a thought leader and educator on professionalizing the family while personalizing the business. The Business of Family overlays proven business strategies onto the family while applying family practices onto the business. The goal is to bridge the gap between business and family.
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With a keen analytical mind for organizational efficiency coupled with strategic vision, Caroline is skilled at driving transformational change for individuals and families to ensure family sustainability. She has co-developed tools to help cultivate strong relationships that can be used as a foundation for family governance and legacy planning. Caroline also initiated and co-leads a global community of advisors that utilize these learning tools to offer ongoing support and guidance. She is passionate about the health and sustainability of family. As a third generation member of a global business family, she is the family catalyst for unity and change. Caroline launched the Family Council in 2006, as founding chair, and continues to serve in this role today.
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She has held senior leadership positions at Gallo where she played a pivotal role in strategic marketing initiatives while driving revenue growth, operational efficiency, and market expansion. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Gallo, Wine Institute, and Sonoma State University Wine Business Institute where she is founding board president. She was a founding board member for FBN – Family Business Network, former board member and past president of Women for Wine Sense and co-founder of WOW – Women of the World, a social impact organization focused on supporting women entrepreneurs in Africa.
Caroline earned her degree in Communications from the University of Southern California and her MBA from the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University.
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She is author of the book Rooted in Family: Honoring The Past While Creating Our Future which shares the importance of honoring family roots, discovering a personal path, and striving for family unity. She has written articles for Family Business Magazine and co-authored the chapter ‘Sustainable Succession in the Wine Industry: Leadership Skills the Next Generation Will Need' in the Handbook of Research on Sustainability Challenges in the Wine Industry. Caroline is a frequent speaker where she shares her insights and learnings about the Business of Family.
For advisory services, writing requests, or speaking engagements, email info@premiergrowth.com.
Honoring The Past While
Creating Our Future.
Rooted in Family, Honoring The Past While Creating Our Future shares Caroline Coleman Bailey’s journey of her life and experiences coming from two entrepreneurial families, working in the family business, and finding her own way.
Through storytelling, Caroline honors her roots and imparts invaluable and inspiring insights gained along her path. By discovering her true self, she found her passion and place in her family and the world, one of meaning and purpose.
The sentiment at the heart of the book is the importance of honoring family roots and striving for family unity, especially in these modern and uncertain times. Caroline’s message is incredibly relevant and timely, one of optimism and hope, as we look to our future and create a thriving legacy for generations to come.
“I have been sculpted by the people, places, and experiences along my life journey. I treasure those who influenced my adventures and am grateful to them all—past, present, and future.”
— Caroline Coleman Bailey