Write Your Business Plan
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Carefully planning out your business model, budget, and fundraising structure is necessary to put your company on solid footing. This is where you pull out your personal calendar and start putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). When you close your eyes, you probably already have a vision of what your brewery will look like. Now it is time to come up with a plan make your vision a reality.
Early business model decisions include deciding whether you will be a brewpub or a production brewery, whether you will serve food, and whether you plan to distribute immediately or wait until you have exhausted the local demand for on-site sales.
Early budgetary decisions will include deciding how much money you want to dedicate toward rent, your build-out, equipment, and hiring a professional to help with your various legal needs. Also, it will be important to realistically estimate revenue and expenses after opening, and goals at various checkpoints going forward.
There are plenty of business plan templates out there. If you are friendly with another brewery owner, you could ask them for a copy of theirs to serve as a template. The federal government’s Small Business Association has a great free tool for creating a business plan. Here is a helpful article from our friends at Craft Brewing Business with more tips on writing you business plan. Also, most municipalities have local organizations that offer courses on creating a business plan.
