Creating a small business of any kind is a fantastic accomplishment that is potentially financially rewarding. For beer lovers, creating a brewery of their own is a dream career, and selling their very own brew is the ultimate goal. If you want to open up a suds store, check out these tips for how to quickly start your own brewery business.
Register Your Business
Becoming an official brewery involves getting standard business registration for liability and tax reasons. There are three common business structure variants to choose from when registering:
- Sole Proprietorship – an unincorporated business that’s legally attached to the owner. Sole proprietorships mean owners take 100% of the risks but 100% of the profits.
- Partnership Limited Liability Company (LLC) – the business is owned by multiple people who aren’t formally organized. The partners share any and all liabilities, risks, and profits.
- Corporation – a business owned by shareholders and run by a board. Corporations share similar rights to individuals, and this structure type is more appealing to investors. Overall, corps involve a minor amount of liability for the owners.
If you’re creating a small brewery business, you’ll probably register as either a sole proprietorship or LLC. You’ll want to become official to avoid lawsuits that will hold you personally liable. During this process, you’ll register the official business name and all facets of your brewery.
Get the Proper Permits
Breweries require all standard business permits from local government bodies and specific food and alcohol paperwork. Here are the proper licenses for opening a brewery business:
- Company Registration
- Waster Water Disposal Certificate
- Water Quality Testing Certificate
- Land Registration
- Commercial Electricity Line
- State Liquor License
- Food License
Many of these permits vary from state to state, so research the location-specific ones required for proper operation. There are also some regulations for the promotion of micro/craft breweries. You’ll determine which extra certificates are necessary for your company during your business registration.
Create a Business Plan
Every great business needs a solid plan that extensively covers costs, sales, market trends, advertising, employment, taxes, and standard operations, just to name a few. Lenders require comprehensive business plans when considering loan-outs for small companies, especially with a service-industry business like a brewery. Because of this, you must dedicate time and attention towards creating the most precise blueprint for your company and ensure that your goals and steps are profitable while also realistic.
Discover Your Signature Beer
This is the most fun aspect of creating a distillery business – creating a unique and tasty brew for sale. Chances are you already have experience in brewing and have products already ready for consumers. However, you must truly explore your signature drinks when stocking them behind the bar.
Create a distinct brand to adorn your cans with and attach a mission statement to show your patrons what your brewery is all about. Constantly improve the quality and taste of your brew as your business grows. Having a fan-favorite beer is what really attracts customers to your distillery or brewery.
Now that you know how to easily start your own brewery business, you can reap the benefits of running a beer wonderland.