Craft Brewery Financial Training Podcast

In today's podcast we hear from Lester Jones, chief economist for the National Beer Wholesalers Association.Lester provides a recap of 2021 and his outlook for the beer industry in the year ahead.In our conversation we dig deep into the data and review the key topics for beer wholesaler owners and managers:Total beer consumption in the USPackaging trends, and the outlook for cans, bottles and draftForecast for on-premise businessPast, present and future of seltzersLester also shares his favorite beer industry reads, and provides tips to use US Census data, labor statistics, and TTB reporting to better analyze your market.Subscribe Free to the weekly Craft Brewery Financial NewsletterReady to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

Today we talk brewery financing and get an update on the state of the lending industry with Jason Sleeman, VP of Craft Beverage Lending for United Community Bank. Jason shares his perspective on the current state of the market,  financial relief packages, and the inner workings of how the loan process works. Key TopicsBanking behind the scenes: What you really need in order to get a loanLoan processing times: 45 days to 14 months...tips to get approved fasterHow to build your team of brewery professionals (insurance, legal, accounting, banking)An update on mergers in craft beerJason's favorite sources for beer news and informationResourcesPodcast: Expansion Financing Learn more about United Community BankSign Up for the FREE and World Famous Craft Brewery Financial Training NewsletterReady to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast you'll hear the audio version of the Taproom Success Membership monthly Q&A call.  In this discussion, Andrew Coplon and I talk about a wide variety of topics ranging from contingency planning for taprooms to how to build relationships among your front/back of house taproom staff. Key TopicsHow to reward and motivate your taproom employees Team building tactics to help drive more revenue through your taproomHow to use accountability and a proven system to build your financial planResourcesCraft Brewery Professionals Live Event: Feb 2022Learn more about the Taproom Success MembershipSign Up for the World Famous (and FREE) Craft Brewery Financial Training NewsletterReady to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

Today we are going to talk about goal setting and New Year's Resolutions. We'll talk about a framework you can use to create goals that stick. We'll look at systems, models, and techniques you can use to set your goals and achieve them in 2022. Key TopicsBusiness Plan Goals...Start with your Core Values (what do you stand for?)Financial Plan GoalsSWOT AnalysisProcess vs. Outcome GoalsThe 3 Step Secret Weapon for 2022 (Eliminate, Automate, Delegate)ResourcesLearn more about the book Re-Work by Jason Fried from BasecampTim Ferriss on a technique to become more productive in 2022Learn more about the Craft Brewery Business Plan courseSign up for the FREE and World Famous Craft Brewery Financial Training NewsletterReady to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast we hear from Kim McKinnish, CFO and SVP of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).Kim and I talk about a wide range of topics including the mission of the NBWA, membership benefits,  NBWA's Next Generation Leadership Group, and the newly launched BREW initiative, Building Relationships and Empowering Women.We also discuss the current state of the beer industry, best practices and business lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key TopicsHow wholesalers can use financial skills to navigate challenges in the marketThe BREW Initiative: Building Relationships and Empowering WomenIndustry consolidation: Key factors behind wholesaler acquisitionsResourcesLearn more about the BREW InitiativeNBWA Membership BenefitsNex Gen Leadership ConferenceSign Up for the World Famous (and FREE) Beer Business Finance NewsletterReady to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

Preston Andreini is a firefighter, first responder and now he's opening up his own brewery: Red Engine Brewing. And if that's not enough, he's started his own podcast to share lessons learned with others who may want to start their own brewery. In this podcast, Preston and I walk through the details of creating a startup brewery financial plan. Preston talks through the obstacles he faced while creating his plan, and shares how he overcame these challenges. Key TopicsUsing "Knowns and Assumptions" when starting your planThe simple magic of the "Sources and Uses" scheduleA tactical approach to build up your sales, margin, and operating expensesResourcesLearn more about Red Engine BrewingCheck out Preston's podcast: Built and BrewedSign Up for the Free and World Famous Craft Brewery Financial Training NewsletterReady to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

What if there was a place where you could learn everything about starting a new brewery? And what if that place was online, accessible to anyone, and totally free?No need to think about the 'what ifs' because Laura Lodge and attorney Candace Moon have built such a place, and they call it StartABrewery.com. In today's podcast you'll hear from Laura Lodge about why she co-founded StartABrewery.com, who the site is for, and what resources you'll find there.  Key Topics CoveredTips on where to begin: Starting points for starting a breweryThe four stages of StartABrewery.com: Plan, Act, Open, GrowFundamental principles for your distribution contracts and relationshipsResourcesLearn more about StartABrewery.comCheck out Laura's book Distribution Insight for the Craft BrewerNeed a REAL business plan for your brewery? Check out the Brewery Business Plan courseSign Up for the FREE and World Famous Craft Brewery Financial Training NewsletterReady to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast we hear from Josh Lance, founder of Lance CPA Group. Josh's firm specializes in breweries, with a focus on bookkeeping services, tax planning and preparation, and small business advisory services. Josh and I talk about a number of issues facing brewery operators these days: year end planning strategies, cash management tools, and how to make sure you're in compliance with all the rules surrounding PPP, ERTC, RRF and other stimulus packages.  Key TopicsMost common financial questions brewery owners are asking these daysKey considerations when buying new brewery assets (calculate the return on investment, estimate additional costs associated with getting the asset into service)Brewery cash management tools: Fathom, Float and Helm First steps to build a brewery cash forecastResourcesLearn more about Lance CPAsPodcast: The Ultimate Brewery Software StackCheck out the online course How to Build a Brewery Profit PlanSign Up for the Free and World Famous Craft Brewery Financial Training NewsletterReady to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast we talk about legal year end planning tactics with attorney John Szymankiewicz from the Beer Law Center. The Beer Law Center provides legal solutions to the craft beverage industry, and John provides tips that brewers need to know right now.Key TopicsBest practices, tips and checklists for legal planningHow John is guiding his brewery clients with year end planningWhat you need to know about: Contract reviews, lease reviews, and trademarksWatch out for these legal areas that are overlooked (and what usually goes wrong)ResourcesLearn more about the Beer Law CenterLearn more about John's book Beer Law: What Brewer's Need to KnowCheck out the Brewery Business Plan courseSign up for the FREE and World Famous Craft Brewery Financial Training NewsletterReady to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

Today we review year end planning tips and strategies with Chris Farmand, founder and CEO of Small Batch Standard. We cover the most common questions, concerns and obstacles that brewery owners are facing these days, and provide resources to help solve these challenges. Topics CoveredPlanning tactics for PPP, ERC, and EIDLBenchmarking tools for breweriesAccounting technology: Chris' favorite software stack for breweriesRules of thumb for when you need a brewery software toolTop benefits of working with a brewery-specialized CPA firmResourcesLearn more about Small Batch StandardCheck out the Brewery Business Plan CourseSign Up for the World Famous and FREE Craft Brewery Financial Training NewsletterReady to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.