Today on the podcast we hear from marketing guru Julie Rhodes from Not Your Hobby Marketing . Julie and I talk about The Power of Marketing + Finance . And dig in on why NOW is the time to invest in your marketing and sales strategy. Key Topics: Brewery marketing trends, new ideas to try, fundamental marketing tactics to revisit Why NOW is the time to double down on your investment in sales and marketing (and where to find the cost savings to pay for this) When to add a sales rep (and how to pay...
Aug 02, 2024•45 min
Today on the podcast we hear from Ross Stensrud, co-founder of Tapwyse , a developer of custom branded apps for taproom breweries. Ross shares his experience working in commercial fitness - where the business model is all about memberships and recurring revenue - and how this idea can be applied to your taproom to grow sales. Key Points How to develop an app for your brewery to grow sales and create predictable recurring revenue Best practices to re-imagine the 'mug club' so you can add unlimite...
Jul 11, 2024•47 min
Webinar Replay: How to Build Your Brewery Key Metrics Dashboard In today's webinar I am joined by Alec Johnson from Ekos who shares his favorite KPIs and shows you how to build beautiful (and profitable) dashboards. Here's what you'll get: 50+ key metrics used by other breweries KPI best practices: How to pick the right numbers for your business Sample brewery KPI Scorecards and templates to download Tips to build dashboards and KPIs in your brewery management software Do this next: Watch the we...
Jun 18, 2024•45 min
Today on the podcast we hear from Brian Deignan, founder of Validation Ale in Santa Barbara, California. Validation ale's tagline is: "Allowing great beer to rise to the top. Your order is a vote toward Validation." The concept is to curate an evolving tap list based on customer orders and taste. Validation uses data to drive decisions on what beers belong on tap. This approach gives customers what they want while maximizing beer sales on draft. A lovely combination. Key Topics Lessons Brian lea...
May 28, 2024•56 min
In today's podcast we'll cover the key drivers of brewery profitability, and give you specific action steps to follow to improve the bottom line in your business. Key Topics Key drivers of brewery profits Scorecards to measure and improve the bottom line Most effective ways to cut costs, increase margins and grow sales How to create a profit plan and profit routine Resources Learn more about the brewery financial round table Watch the video and get the financial templates: How to Drive Brewery P...
May 21, 2024•54 min
On today's podcast you'll hear about a new project from A-Bay Engineers called the Craft Brewing Community Dashboard. Many brewery owners and managers are looking for financial and operational benchmarking data, and this new dashboard could be just the thing. Jamie Schild, CEO and Jim Oilschlager, COO share details on the community dashboard, what it is, how it works, and how breweries can use this information to make data-driven decisions. Key Topics How to join the brewery community dashboard ...
May 15, 2024•41 min
Larry Chase is a certified Open Book Management Coach and teaches companies how to be financially transparent with all of their employees. In this podcast, Larry and I talk about brewery compensation and bonus plans. Larry shares what NOT to do, and best practices to follow if you are thinking about putting a bonus plan in place for managers or staff. Key Topics Top reasons why bonus plans fail...and how to avoid them Bonus plan best practices How to use mini-games to create 'early wins' Resourc...
May 08, 2024•43 min
Today on the podcast we hear from Chris Overlay, CEO of Get Hoptimized, a craft beer marketing and advertising agency. Chris' company helps breweries and craft beer businesses grow with effective and affordable marketing services, from label designs, to social media ads, to strategizing world domination. Key Topics How much to spend on brewery marketing The marketing metrics that matter for craft breweries How to use 'funnels' to bring more customers into your taproom Resources Connect with Chri...
May 01, 2024•53 min
Today on the podcast I'm joined by Jack Kessler and Steven Welborn from Ohanafy - the only brewery and wholesaler software platform built on SalesForce. If you're interested in growing beer sales (and learning about the financial aspects of the beer business) this podcast is for you. Key Topics Why it's crucial for beer producers to understand the financial intricacies of their business in today’s competitive market Insights on how understanding financial metrics can directly impact the cash flo...
Apr 16, 2024•37 min
If you're ready to get serious about improving brewery profits and cash flow, the Beer Business Finance Association is here for you. The association is a network of brewery owners and managers who come together to share ideas and best practices to help run a financially successful beer business. In today's podcast, I'll share why the network came to be, and how you can join and transform your brewery financial results. Key Points Quarterly financial round-table meetings with beer industry peers ...
Feb 29, 2024•26 min
Today we talk variable compensation and incentives with Aaron Gore, Director of Partnerships and Community at Arryved. Key Points 99% of breweries in the U.S. see taproom operations as the biggest profit driver How to align employee compensation and incentives with top brewery objectives Examples and benchmarks to follow when setting up incentives First steps to implement a variable comp plan in your brewery Resources Connect with Aaron Gore, aaron.gore@arryved.com Learn more about Arryved POS...
Feb 22, 2024•42 min
Michael Varda from Craft Beer Advisory Services joins the podcast and shares early insights on 2023 taproom data trends. The goal of Michaels data is to show you why customers come to your taproom and what you can do to keep them coming back. Key Points The #1 factor in negative experiences: It's food. What the "Food Ladder" can teach you about a customer's likelihood to come back to your taproom. Michael's mind blowing data point: 1 in 3 negative experiences are related to first impressions. Tw...
Feb 01, 2024•38 min
Today on the podcast we hear from Brynn Keenan from Grist Analytics. Brynn and I talk all about brewery data and key metrics to track to ensure cost effectiveness in production. Key Topics Case studies of how Ninkasi and New Belgium cut production costs and increased tank capacity KPI's used to track efficiency, throughput, resource utilization and equipment performance Resources Connect with Brynn, brynn@gristanalytics.com Connect with other brewery owners and operators...
Dec 22, 2023•46 min
Today on the podcast we hear from Justina Marcial, Director of Operations at Cape May Brewery. Justina shares Cape May's story of selling their distribution rights, how they build a strong culture with their 7 core values, and how they take company communication to a new level with a structured process. Key Topics Cape May's financial and business planning process, software stack and 2024 goals SWOT planning, Swim Lanes, and Resolutions - Cape May's keys to success How to use a business coach in...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Today on the podcast we hear from Dave Williams, VP of Analytics & Insights at Bump Williams Consulting. Dave shares tips on how to create a portfolio strategy for the new year . He highlights several areas where beer is "winning" and how breweries can take advantage. And we dig into pricing and price sensitivity at retail. Pricing is a big deal. Dave shares what you need to know about pricing trends and consumer behavior, so that you can position your products for success. Key Topics Trends...
Nov 09, 2023•51 min
In today's podcast we share tips and tactics to build your taproom financial plan. The process of financial planning (budgeting) can be long and arduous. Today, we talk about how to make it easier and maybe even enjoyable! Key Points How to motivate your taproom manager to tackle the budget The first steps you should take when starting your plan Models and explainer videos to guide you through creating your taproom financial plan Resources Learn about Taproom Success and claim your FREE MONTH Ta...
Oct 30, 2023•19 min
Today on the podcast we hear from Scott Birkner from Dogwood State Bank. If you're looking to fund a startup brewery or expand existing operations, you'll want to listen to this podcast. Scott shares all the details you need to know about SBA lending and how to position yourself to get the best loan possible. Key Points Types of SBA loans available to breweries Eligibility requirements, interest rates and terms The most common errors breweries make in their financial projections Specific require...
Oct 24, 2023•40 min
In today's podcast Bump Williams shares an early read on the BWC growth strategy survey. The results are...surprising. The survey is sent to hundreds of retailers, wholesalers and breweries, and asks one simple question: What are your strategies for growth in the upcoming year? The results are tallied, sorted by the most common answers, and analyzed to determine overlap amongst the companies in the 3-tier system. One of the goals of the survey is to identify where there is alignment or common gr...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Today we hear from Andrew Coplon, founder of Secret Hopper, a mystery shopping service for taprooms and brewpubs. Andrew has tons of data to share from over 6,000 unique taproom visits. Examples include adding paper menus to increase guest spending by 25% and increasing to-go beer sales by 5x with one simple question. Key Takeaways The most important taproom data points to measure and manage Tactics to train and motivate your staff How Secret Hopper provides feedback and data on the customer exp...
Oct 05, 2023•37 min
Today on the podcast we hear from Metazoa Brewing Vice President Lauren Frederick. Lauren's background is in sales and marketing, but she shares her tips and tactics to learn the financial aspects of running a brewery. Many brewery operators are non-financial managers. In today's episode you'll hear Lauren's journey from sales rep to vice president and the financial knowledge she learned along the way. Key Topics Metazoa's brewery financial planning process Software stack, key metrics, and compe...
Sep 27, 2023•35 min
Today on the podcast we review a tool you can use to amplify cash flow in your brewery, it's called Melio . Melio is one of the fastest-growing B2B payments companies in the U.S. and is reinventing the way customers and suppliers pay each other. You'll hear from Aaron Gervais, CEO and co-founder of Otherwise Brewing, a gluten-free brewery based in San Francisco. Aaron uses Melio to streamline customer receipts and supplier payments. Key Topics How to use a payment platform to speed up collection...
Sep 23, 2023•35 min
In today's podcast we talk brewery insurance with John Round and Shannon Prescott from the Richards Group. John and Shannon share their insights on loss prevention, creative benefits, industry specific coverages to be aware of, and trends in the industry. Key Topics How breweries can use creative benefits as a recruitment tool Insurance cost reduction tactics for breweries Areas where a broker can/should add value Insurance trends in the beer industry Resources Learn more about the Richards Grou...
Aug 23, 2023•58 min
Today on the podcast we talk about grant seeking and grant writing with Tranice Watts If you are a brewery owner or operator and you're interested in finding grant money you'll want to listen to this podcast Tranice takes us through the state certification process, how to search for grants, and how the application process works. Key Points How to search for grants (state and local) Types of grants (50/50 cost share or 100% funded) Keys to writing successful grant applications Resources Connect w...
Aug 16, 2023•42 min
Beer businesses are always on the lookout for ways to reduce costs and increase sales. In today’s podcast we talk with Bud Dunn from VxP, who shares a tool that you can use to reduce finished product loss by 50% or more, and increase gross profit per CE by 20 cents or more . Key Topics Volume is good, profits are better, how to use VxP to increase both How to align sales rep incentives with overall growth of the business How to get suppliers involved with incentives and co-op dollars Resources L...
Aug 09, 2023•45 min
In today’s podcast we dive into the magical world of distributor contracts, and provide Five Steps you can follow to a better contract for your brewery. The distributor contract is a big point of contention between craft breweries and distributors . Before any beer is delivered, the contract has to be reviewed, debated, negotiated, and eventually signed. The challenge with most contracts is that both parties want the terms to be in their favor . Breweries want options to get out of the contract,...
Aug 02, 2023•25 min
Today we learn all about SBA loans with Scott Birkner from Dogwood State Bank. If you need to borrow money to start or grow your brewery, then you need to listen to this podcast. Scott breaks down all the details of SBA 7A and 504 loans and shares his advice on how to best prepare for the loan process. Key Topics Financing trends in the brewing industry How to prepare for an SBA loan: When to start and what information you'll need to finish Loan requirements for start-up breweries Resources Lear...
Jul 31, 2023•42 min
Today we talk with Roger Kissling, VP of Sales for Iron Heart Canning. Roger shares all the details you need to know about mobile canning services. Iron Heart has 28 warehouses in 27 stats, and packaged approximately 100 million cans last year. If your brewery is thinking about canning solutions, Iron Heart may be the answer. Key Topics Logistics of mobile canning Pricing, contracts, expectations, roles and responsibilities of mobile canning Trends in package sizes and configurations Resources L...
Jul 09, 2023•45 min
Chris Holden is Director of Sales and Marketing for the Hop Guild and a grower in New York state. In today's podcast, Chris shares his insights on the state of the hop industry, recent trends, and talks about a new product called HOPSAUCE . "HOPSAUCE® is The Hop Guild‘s proprietary hop oil developed to replace traditional hop products on the hot side and in the whirlpool. HOPSAUCE® will enhance flavor and aroma as well as reduce wort loss. HOPSAUCE® is flowable at room temps and makes for a perf...
Jun 30, 2023•32 min
In today's podcast we talk lessons learned starting, running and selling a brewery with Jeremy Cowan, founder of Shmaltz Brewing. Jeremy's advice to those who want to start a brewery? "Don't." "100% do not start a brewery. Go find a really cool brewery where the owners are spread a little thin, and go buy one, or become a partner...before you ever start your own brewery." Key Topics Options to invest in a brewery, without actually starting one How to raise pricing and margins with sustainability...
May 22, 2023•31 min
Today we talk cash flow with ResolvePay co-founder and CEO Chris Tsai. ResolvePay is a tool that takes the guesswork out of credit checks, and helps you manage and improve cash flow. Whether you are a brewery in self-distribution or a supplier servicing the beer industry, ResolvePay can help your business improve cash flow. Key Topics How to use "buy now, pay later" to increase sales and boost cash flow Tools to automate credit checks and assessments A complete solution for accounts receivable a...
May 15, 2023•37 min
