Brewing Up Business
Snobbery is generally frowned upon, but I find there are certain things that people freely admit to being a snob about. Music is a good example, so is food. In my life, I have been around a number of people who find snobbery in one in what Homer Simpson might call, "The cause of and solution to all of life's problems," beer! Some people prefer a hearty pale ale, some a thick porter, others a Belgium White. When people find one of these variations on beer that they really like, everything else is gets a role of the eyes, especially mass market beers, the Buds and Millers of the world. Milwaukee is full of microbreweries that induce this sort of snobbery by crafting superb beers, but one of the most successful small breweries to date is nowhere near Milwaukee. It is, in fact, in Delaware. If you're looking for a small brewery in a small state that generates big results, look no further than Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. So what has set Dogfish Head on top of the micro brew world? What has put them in 29 states and four countries without the benefit of an advertising budget? These are the things you can find out in Brewing Up Business: Adventures in Entrepreneurship from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
The subtitle really says it all. This book is part business autobiography - as it's written by the founder - and part business guide. I really like this format because it allows the book to be more readable, it allows the author to inject humor, and ultimately, provides a running example of all the lessons given. That's what author and founder Sam Calagione does, and he does it extremely well.
Sam literally started with a home brewing kit that was partly comprised of used kegs. From there, he put his heart and soul and love into creating not just a good beer, but a unique beer. To get to where he is now, it took a lot things: hard work, dreaming big, being smart, and maybe most important, unconventional thinking. The results speak for themselves.
From the year round beers like the Lawnmower Light, the Midas Touch Golden Elixer, and the 90-Minute IPA (MMMMMMM), to the seasonal beers like Punkin Ale and Snowblower Ale, Calagione used the combination of great product and unique ideas to really take a leap into the upper echelon of small breweries. In 2003 revenues grew at an astounding 105%. So learn from Sam's success, learn from Sam's mistakes (of which there are many), learn from his practical ideas on nontraditional marketing, learn what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. As the founder of Spin Magazine said, "Rarely is a book as good as a beer." Ha! I agree, and this one is.
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