In today's podcast we cover the basics of brewery budgeting, keys to success and 3 simple steps to get started building your plan today.

Key Topics

• Budget questions: Who, what, where, why, when and how
• Common obstacles and how to overcome them
• Budget quick-start guide
• The details: How to build the plan, models, tools and templates
• Financial cadence: How to use the plan every day

Resources

• Get the brewery profit brief - tips, tactics, and strategies to build a more profitable beer business

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

Today, I sit down with Sean Lawson the founder behind Sip of Sunshine to unpack how careful planning, advisory boards, and a purpose-first mindset can carry a brewery through hypergrowth, supply shocks, and a once-in-a-century pandemic.

Sean walks us through the early days of homebrewing, the decision to contract brew at Two Roads to meet demand without giving up ownership, and the leap to a state-of-the-art Vermont facility just 16 months before lockdowns.

We explore how a high share of packaged product, strong retail relationships, and authentic brand loyalty kept the business resilient. As a certified B Corp, Lawson’s and has contributed millions to nonprofits focused on healthy communities—proving that purpose can be a growth engine, not a side note.

On the operational side, Sean opens the playbook: annual planning with monthly and quarterly reviews, KPI dashboards that spotlight cash, gross margin, COGS, and velocity, and a quarterly advisory board that challenges assumptions without dictating decisions.

We dig into the hard lessons from overcommitting on hops and preprinted cans, why vendor relationships matter when renegotiating contracts, and how to make tough people decisions while staying transparent and fair.

If you’re scaling a craft brand you’ll leave with practical tactics for forecasting, budgeting, negotiating, and building a cadence that turns numbers into action.

Grab the free Brewery Profit Brief - financial tips, tactics and strategies to build a more profitable brewery.

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

What does it take to scale from a bold idea to a beverage category leader?

We sit down with Athletic Brewing’s CFO Evan Zawatsky and communications leader Chris Furnari to dig into the decisions that powered Athletic’s rise: owning production, investing in quality, and building a marketing engine that turns awareness into velocity.

Evan opens the playbook on why Athletic poured serious CapEx into state-of-the-art breweries in Connecticut and San Diego.

That move secured quality control, unlocked flavor innovation, improved margins, and gave the team agility to grow without supply constraints.

Chris explains how the brand story evolved from convincing people to try non-alcoholic beer to showing who it’s for: active, balance-minded drinkers who want great beer flavors throughout the week.

Together, they share how “cans in hands” at race finish lines and community events are key to brand building, how partnerships and earned media create the surround sound needed to convert trial into repeat purchase.

If you care about brewery finance, brand strategy, or the surge in non-alcoholic beer, this podcast is packed with practical and clear frameworks you can apply at any scale.

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.