Business of Microbrews with Pete Dulin

Thursday evening we attended the discussion panel Business of Microbrews with Pete Dulin and featuring brewery owners Matt Moore (Martin City Brewing Company), Greg Bland (Stockyards Brewing), Gene Declue (Rock & Run Brewery), and Chris Roberts (Red Crow Brewing).

During the event it was mostly discussed how the breweries began and how they stay afloat.

Common theme was 'trial and error' and a lot of patience, support, and money! <insert freak out gif>

All of these breweries started at ground zero, but they started. They took out loans, got investors, had their business plan, and gathered their teams.

Specific points on advice to new breweries that we took away were:
* You are a business owner first, family person second
* Have patience, stay focused
* Watch your budget
* Make sure you have a reliable team
* Don't spread yourself thin
* Think about hiring a brewer
* "In this together" type mindset in regards to your brewery and other local breweries
* "Best beer in the world is the beer that sells"

If you are thinking of starting your own brewery, meeting with any of these fellas would be a great start. Also, have your plan - especially a point to show the bank how they can get their money back, just in case.

We also spoke with a couple people who are in the first stages of their breweries - Callsign Brewing and Trip Six Brewing Co. We will have more on these guys soon!

Big things happening, Kansas City. Be on the look out! Cheers!!