10 bits of advice for brewers from Sam Adams

Thirty local brewers gathered under Findlay Market’s open-air pavilion earlier this week seeking business advice from representatives of Samuel Adams and other local companies. They moved from table to table, spending 20 minutes at each, speed-dating style.

It was the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program’s first-ever Craft Brewer Speed Coaching event. Company founder Jim Koch, who grew up in Cincinnati, established the program to help brewers who are just starting out to avoid making the same mistakes he did. After all, he managed to overcome those mistakes in a big way: Sam Adams is one of the country’s largest craft breweries and has a 1.2 percent share of the total beer market, according to Koch.

Though the program offers speed coaching for small business owners working in food, beverage and craft brewing about 15 times per year in cities across the country, the gathering marked the first time that an event was devoted solely to craft brewers.

“What we had seen were just an enormous amount of brewers coming,” said Risa Sherman, manager of philanthropy and cause marketing for Sam Adams. Cincinnati was chosen to host the first brewer-only event because of both its strong brewing community and the fact that so many Samuel Adams staff are based here, at the company’s West End brewery, she said.

“One thing we’ve been trying to do more of is get out and be part of the community,” added Todd Agnello, director of brewery operations there, in a speech to kick off the evening.

Agnello was one of about 15 coaches who met with brewers. He shared advice appropriate for the brewing industry, but much of it is wisdom that could apply to other small businesses, too.

Here are 10 things he shared with attendees.

1) “The first advice I have is, have a business plan.”

2) “The hardest part of the job is the people, but it’s also the most rewarding part if you can do it the right way.”

3) “To you, it’s not a job, it’s your life. You want to make sure (your people) understand that.”

4) “Train your people. Jim (Koch) always says that we may spend a lot to train folks, and then they (may) leave. But what if they don’t?”

5) “Listen to your people (who) are experienced. That’s a good management perspective to have.”

6) “It’s important to have a capital plan. What’s your short-term, and what’s your long-term?”

7) “Jim goes every year to visit our suppliers. It’s all about quality and consistency.”

8) “(When deciding where to locate your business,) make sure you’ve done your research about the municipality – what kind of tax incentives they have, how business-friendly they are.”

9) “The other thing you want to look at is your utilities. Water is the big one (for brewing): If you can bring in water that’s clean, you capital investment in water treatment may not be as big.”

10) “You want to make sure you make decisions based on data, not emotion.”