The New Year: Looking Back and Stepping Forward

We started off 2013 with an idea, an idea we were talking about for two years straight, but didn’t know how to get there. We had a grand plan to open a brewery. We didn’t know where, what it would be called, nor what size the equipment would be. We didn’t have a business plan and we didn’t have a financial model to prove to ourselves that this idea would work.

2013 was a busy year. We were newlyweds working on a dream together. It was a great year. We started going to LegUP (Livingston Entrepreneurs Group United for Prosperity). From that networking community we were introduced to many business organizations who wanted to see us succeed as much as we did. Thanks to SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives),  MI-SBTDC (Michigan Small Business Technology Development Center), the Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Howell Chamber of Commerce, and LegUP, we had all the networking, business classes, and mentoring we needed to get where we are today.

What was the journey like last year? We spent the first part of the year creating a business plan and financial model. It was a lot of back-and-forth with the wonderful people at the MI-SBTDC. This included many disappointing moments (ie. We don’t have a lot of money to work with) along with many “ah-ha” moments (ie. We finally figured out the system size we could use to make the financial model make sense).

The summer time was spent scouring Livingston County for a location. We had to be conscious of available space, price per square foot, and location. Being from Howell, I knew the area well, but after four months of analyzing maps, driving around, after work meetings, and countless conversations with landlords and real estate agents, I see the Howell-Brighton area in a whole new light!

As fall settled in, we settled on a location that we wanted to pursue. We have layout drawings and we are now trying to start up work on the build-out. You can’t apply for your microbrewery licenses until you have a location. Now that we have signed the lease, all systems are “go”.  

In the coming year we hope to have our space transformed into a microbrewery with multiple taps available for a fun taproom area. It is going to be a crazy year for us. We are so thankful for our friends and family in the area that support our passion.

Happy 2014 everyone!

 

 

The Busy Christmas Season of 2013: What are we doing here?!

This Christmas season felt different than normal. We have been more busy than normal, as you can imagine! We have been working on final layout plans and build-out quotes. We have been filling out the federal and state microbrewery license applications. We have been getting final equipment quotes and preparing orders.

We just updated our website with the new location information since we just signed our lease! We also added some functionality to the website to have this blog imbedded directly. We are not PHP code masters, so we have been figuring out this website coding on the fly. Check out the new look and new information on our website!

It is fun to have the opportunity to work on so many things all at once. This is the kind of work we thrive on. However, we did enjoy a break during our family Christmas celebrations. Family is important and having family close is such a blessing. We shared some beer test batches with the family again this year and watched Christmas movie classics like Die Hard and It’s a Wonderful Life. ;-)

Cheers to 2014! May it be a wonderful year!

The Christmas Shopping Idea

We have been busy! Not only are we both still working day jobs, but we are trying to start this business (we signed for our commercial space last week!), and for the past month we moved our lives from one apartment to another.

So Christmas rolls around and it is the busiest season of all and we have yet to figure out if we will even be settled in our new apartment by the time it is time to put up a Christmas tree. I got thinking about what I am going to do for Mike’s Christmas present and of course I think of beer… again… Then I get thinking about what he will get me in return. My favorite gift that he ever gave me was a shipping box full of every kind of imperial stout he could find at the local liquor stores.

Then it hit me – the idea to top all other Christmas shopping ideas. What if we went to a store together, set ourselves a budget, and then just picked out all kinds of random craft beer?! I asked Mike what he thought of the idea and he was game. This meant we didn’t have to hide a shopping spree, hide a gift, wrap a gift, and we got to go on a mini date while picking out the gifts! I felt like a kid in a candy store. It was a wonderful trip!

Check out the picture of our loot! The worst part is deciding what to try first! Oh, and the store we went to? 8 Degrees Plato in Ferndale. It was quite the drive, and totally worth it. The place is small, but has so many corners full of fun surprises!

The Move

It is time. We are moving. No, our commercial lease space isn’t signed yet, but as some of the readers know, we have been living about 45 minutes away from where we want to set up shop. We have been renting a place close to our current jobs, but since we will need to stick close to our microbrewery as it is built and started, we have been looking for a new place to rent.

We found a place, and we will be official residents of Howell (again) by the end of November! We are excited to be able to be a part of the community again! Wish us luck as we pack up our boxes (some of which were never unpacked) and lug them along I-96. It is an exciting journey, and this is just the beginning!

The Government Shutdown

The federal government is shutdown. :-/  Unfortunately, this means we can’t start our application for our federal brewing license just yet. While yes, this kinda stinks, we are taking this time to work on other things. We have a location in mind, but we are still working out the kinks in the lease. We are also working on a layout in that space and working on equipment quotes for the location. While our checklist continues to grow with roadblocks in-between, we are enjoying the journey. We hope that someday soon we can give you more details and get this show on the road!

 

 

Family Time and the End of Summer

Family time is important. Even though business plans and financials will be floating around in our heads for the next few days – it is time for some good old fashioned family time. What does that mean? Going up to Wildwood Rush Zip Line Canopy Tour in Boyne City, Michigan! We have never done this before and we are excited to check it out (and also at least one local brewery while we are at it!) After zipping through the forest, we will be heading to the UP for some rustic cabin time and 4-wheeling in the wilderness. While we still need to keep in touch with business advisors and partners, we are excited to enjoy the last bits of summer with family at our side.

 

I once had a high school teacher at Howell High School that always said, “Above all other things in life, your faith and your family should always come first.” Here’s hoping that the end of your summer, along with ours, finds balance and perspective. J

 

 

One Year Anniversary Vacation

Mike and I were married on July 28, 2012. We honeymooned up in Traverse City and toured around all of the breweries and beer bars up there. So, it only made sense for us to celebrate our one year anniversary back in Traverse City. We completed the new Traverse City Ale Trail and got our Silipint souvenirs. We visited a couple of new breweries up there and sampled what they had to offer. Guess what? We loved every second of it! Oh yeah, and we did get to spend a little time on the beach as well!

We kind of took a break for the week and enjoyed our time on vacation. I say “kind of” because we did still talk with realtors and answered some important emails. As always, when we visited each establishment we took notes on our favorite beers, the general atmosphere, and talked about which ideas we want to incorporate into our own brewery.

Now we are back. And where does that leave us? We are still working on finding a location and financing. We talked with our financial advisor recently and we are in good spirits about moving forward soon. We just need to find a location that will work for us…

 

 

Follow us on Twitter and/or Facebook to stay up to date with our progress and news in the beer world. We also are working on our website and will keep updating that as we move closer to our opening date!