From business projections to everyday financials! Dovetailing nicely with our previous episode, Getting Into the Numbers, Part II recaps a bit of the groundwork prep you’ll need to start generating numbers for your business plan and then hits seasonal projections… before heading into a thorough discussion of best practices and strategies to help new and existing breweries stay in touch with their financials. It comes as no surprise that communication is the #1 culprit in a lot of distressed situations, and our guests get into some ways to tackle that challenge as well. A deep dive with both strategy and actionable elements throughout.

Guests

Audra Gaiziunas, Brewed For Her Ledger

Audra is the owner of Brewed For Her Ledger, LLC. Prior to owning her own company, she served as Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s Controller 2009-2010 and Mother Earth Brewing’s Chief Financial Officer 2011-2014. She has been working exclusively in craft beer for 11+ years and joined the Brewers Association’s Finance Committee in January 2020.

A graduate from the prestigious Kenan-Flagler OneMBA program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Audra possesses over a decade and a half of experience in senior leadership roles in craft brewing, manufacturing, services, non-profits and startups. She earned her undergraduate degree in accounting and business management (double major) from Loras College (Dubuque, IA) in 1997. Her passions include home brewing, mobile marketing, crafting stories from numbers, and paying it forward.

Kary Shumway, Beer Business Finance and Craft Brewery Financial Training

Kary is a CPA, former CFO for a beer distributor and current CFO and Partner of Wormtown Brewery in Worcester, MA. He has spent the last 20 years using finance to help improve financial results in our businesses. Now, he’s helping other breweries, wholesalers and cideries to do the same. His financial training programs have been developed on a new learning platform in order to deliver the best experience. The programs are designed specifically for non-financial people who have the responsibility of either managing or contributing to the success of business.  

About StartABrewery

StartABrewery is a collaboration amongst a fun group of craft beer industry veterans who are often invited to speak at beer business / brewing education programs. Each has offered to share their knowledge and experience to support the craft beer community as a whole by helping fledgling breweries in planning.

Conceived and coordinated by Candace L. Moon, The Craft Beer Attorney, and Laura Lodge of  Customized Craft Beer Programs, StartABrewery is provided as an educational resource for those dreaming of opening a brewery, those who are taking steps to make their dream a reality, and those who are opening their brewery doors and living it.