Many people dream about quitting their job to open a craft beer brewery where so they can put their time and effort into doing something they love; however, opening a brewery doesn’t have to be a pipe dream. The market for craft beer is growing and with a little help and a lot of hard work it’s possible to make that dream a reality. According to both business experts and brewery owners there are 3 important things that people who want to open a craft brewery should know before enduring on the journey.
There Will Be Bumps in The Road
Even if you have a great business plan and all the up front financing that you need, you will run into expected delays. Equipment will be delayed, vendors will take longer than you expect, even getting the high quality ingredients you need can take longer than you think. If you’re using small batch or hard to find ingredients in your beer make sure that you count on delays in getting your orders. The smartest thing that you can do when you’re opening a brewery is to build delays into your timeframe so that you won’t be left scrambling when a delay happens because inevitably you will face them when you least expect.
What Your Budget, Double It
Nailing down the numbers on the cost of opening a craft beer brewery can be tough, so it’s important to leave yourself a good financial cushion by making sure your budget has some extra money built into it. Your reserve fund will cover all the extra costs that are going to pop up. When you feel like you have a healthy budget that covers all of your startup and operating expenses, double that number to make sure you have enough cushion to cover unexpected costs and possible startup mistakes.
Focus on Quality
Gimmicks and flash don’t work when it comes to starting a successful craft beer brewery. Your target niche knows good craft beer, and they will support the breweries that deliver it. Focus your money, time, and energy on making good beer and let the rest of the business build around that. Making the best beer that you can is what will make your brewery unique and build a loyal customer base.
