Last week I shared a short excerpt from my most recent talk and couched one of my core beliefs with a caveat…
Belief: Craft as a whole is still an underdog, and there is a clear path forward to profitable growth.
Caveat: Without a strong vision, a well-thought-out strategy, and intelligent leadership team decision-making, the benchmarks, metrics, and tactics aren’t enough.
Which gets at something deeper that’s happening in our industry, and it’s this:
The bar has been raised.
Because no longer are brewery owners stumbling into the game, riding a wave of enthusiasm for beer, it’s harder to run a brewery today than any other time in this latest craft revolution.
The “homebrewer with a dream” can barely get off the blocks.
The 2nd career folks, optimistic they will get-rich-quick and build a nice retirement cash-flow business, are facing the stark reality that they traded a cushy career for a full-time, low-paying grind of a job.
And even the seasoned entrepreneur needs to be heads-up, sharp, and on top of their game to keep pace.
The criteria for success have changed.
And in today’s segment, I talk about why this is happening, what the new criteria are, and how even the most promising of breweries can find themselves in deep trouble if they’re not up to the challenge.
Then, next week we’ll look at the flip side of this scenario:
Success driven by good information and disciplined decision-making even under unfavorable market conditions.