The weekly economic development and startup tech webcast took a field trip to the @CigarCityBeer tasting room for a chat with owner Joey Redner.
There are striking similarities between how Joey researched and started his successful brewing business and how startup founders develop new products. He did a great job summing up the key components to building a successful startup business:
a. Frustration with the current market offerings
b. Market experience with what a solution looks (tastes) like
c. Technical expertise & resources to produce and test your idea
d. Perseverance to solve the problem and create a better product
e. A supportive micro-community of people that deeply share your passion (Beer Geeks)
f. HPRCs – Happy Paying Referenceable Customers
Hooray Beer!
Very interesting interview for business owners and beer lovers. I really enjoyed how in-depth the discussion went with some of the beer topics. I think the shift in attitude toward cooperation instead of competition is interesting. Is that just a craft beer industry thing, or is that going on across the board with small businesses and startups?