Beer School C
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"We faced many scary moments over the years, both spiritual—staring at the brink of bankruptcy—and physical—staring down the barrel of a 9mm pistol. When you start a business, it is not only your money and your investors' money that is on the line, it is your dream, your idea, and sometimes your life."—Steve Hindy and Tom PotterI s this a book for beer aficionados or business enthusiasts? Both, and it's as refreshing as a cold brew. In Beer School, authors and entrepreneurs Steve Hindy and Tom Potter share the improbable saga of Brooklyn Brewery, the company they grew from a home-brew hobby into a multimillion-dollar business—all in the most competitive beer market in the United States. If you have a thirst for entrepreneurial success, drink up. If you are a business manager or owner and want fresh ideas and insight, tap in. You'll learn entrepreneurial basics, plus some things textbooks don't teach you, as you follow the company's successes (and a few failures) and find out about: Creating that all-important first business planGetting financing and/or recruiting investorsUsing guerilla marketing, publicity, and community involvement to attract attentionKeeping employees educated and motivatedPartnering on events and networking for opportunitiesKeeping your cool when the Mafia comes callingHiring "virgins"—why veteran salespeople can have problems in start-upsManaging people, finances, expectations, and growthSurviving a vociferous attack in Las Vegas when the odds against you are 8-to-1From the beginning, the odds were against Steve and Tom. It's estimated that eight out of ten businesses fail in their first year. Yet these entrepreneurs succeeded in a competitive arena dominated by mega-corporations and mega-money. The brew they began making in a Brooklyn brownstone over twenty years ago is now sold around the world. Their story, recounting the fears and obstacles they faced and the decisions and successes they shared, will inspire you. Like discovering the perfect brew or starting a business, reading this book is a heady experience. Cheers! Publishers Weekly This winning tale of the rise of the Brooklyn Brewery follows the basic pattern of every entrepreneur's memoir: a restless visionary sets out to accomplish a dream, barely survives a series of setbacks, emerges victorious-and ready to tell readers how they can do the same. But this account serves up more than the usual suds and foam-its counsel is sound and its prose lively, and it should appeal to both wannabe industrialists and beer drinkers, not that those categories are mutually exclusive. In fact, the authors, foreign correspondent Hindy and banker Potter, decided to found their New York brewery, now 17 years in business and among the top 40 in the U.S. in sales, after consuming many bottles of Hindy's homebrew. The longtime partners tell their story in engaging, candid voices, delivering cautionary anecdotes, reflections on longstanding disagreements and lingering resentments, and brutally frank self-assessments. It helps the story immeasurably that beer is a more colorful subject than, say, spreadsheet software, a fact that gets the reader past the inevitable chapter on financing. Though Hindy and Potter may not help the aspiring entrepreneur strike gold, they offer a compelling model and a heartening story. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Foreword. Preface Steve and Tom Introduce the Brooklyn Brewery. Acknowledgments. Chapter 1. Steve Tells How Choosing a Partner Is Like a Second Marriage.Lesson One: Even a Dog Can Shake Hands. Chapter 2. Steve Discusses the Importance of Building a Solid Team.Lesson Two: Is It a Business or a Family Business? Chapter 3. Tom Talks about Creating the Business Plan: A Money-Raising Tool and More.Lesson Three: The Business Plan Won’t Be Graded on a Curve. Chapter 4. Tom Asks, “What’s the True Mission of the Business?”Lesson Four: Being Flexible If the Mission Statement Becomes “Mission Impossible”. Chapter 5. Steve Discusses the Keys to Successfully Motivating Employees.Lesson Five: Feeling Good Is No Substitute for Prudent Controls. Chapter 6. Tom Tells the Story of Their Dot-Com Revolution: Fishing for Finance and Failing.Lesson Six: Chasing Money Is Not a Business Strategy. Chapter 7. Steve Talks about Building a Brewery in Brooklyn.Lesson Seven: Sometimes You Stand Alone. Chapter 8. Steve Discusses Publicity: The Press Wants You!Lesson Eight: A News Release Can Go a Long Way. Chapter 9. Steve Reveals How the Revolution Kills Its Leaders First.Lesson Nine: Hiring and Firing. Chapter 10. Tom Talks about Cashing Out and Reinventing the Business, Again.Lesson Ten: Only You Will Know When It’s Time to Sell. Chapter 11. Tom Wants to Know If You Have What It Takes.Lesson Eleven: There Are No Entrance Exams for Entrepreneurs. Timeline. Index.
