Brewing Up a Business: Adventures in Entrepreneurship from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

This is the exhilarating success story of a man who really likes beer—so much so that he decided to make a business of it. Starting with nothing but a home brewing kit, Sam Calagione turned his entrepreneurial dream into a foamy reality and built the country's fastest growing brewery—Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Brewing Up a Business is the enlightening and entertaining story of Dogfish and Calagione, of the power of unconventional thinking, and of the hard lessons every entrepreneur learns along the way.

In just a few years, Calagione grew Dogfish from a tiny Delaware-based operation into one of the country's most popular independent brews, distributed in twenty-nine states. Along with creating the fastest growing independent brewery, he has established a successful restaurant featuring wood-grilled food, and expanded his brand to include a line of spirits made at his distillery. Even without the benefit of an advertising and marketing budget, Dogfish's revenues have soared—increasing by more than 100% in 2003 alone. That kind of success might not be normal for most small businesses, but then again, there's nothing normal about Calagione and Dogfish.

From his attention-grabbing publicity stunts, as when he crossed the Delaware River in a homemade boat to introduce his beer to New Jersey, to the creation of such questionable concoctions as peppercorn and lavender flavored beer, doing things differently has been the key to Calagione's success. It hasn't always worked—few people really wanted peppercorn and lavender flavored beer after all—but this fearless entrepreneur learned quickly that you can't reap big rewards without taking big risks.

Straight from Calagione's mouth, Brewing Up a Business offers a real-world look at what entrepreneurship is really like. It's hard work and frustrating to be sure—from exploding fermentation tanks to selling t-shirts at truck stops for gas money, Calagione encountered all the trials and tribulations of starting and running a business—but it's been worth it. With business booming, Calagione could probably stay the course, play it safe, and focus on doing what he's doing. But why would he? As you'll learn in Brewing Up a Business, being an entrepreneur is much more than just a lot of hard work—it's a lot of fun too. There are new beers to brew, restaurants to open, and beer movies to make.

Dogfish is proof that entrepreneurial dreams do come true. And Calagione is proof that you don't need a million dollars in seed money or a Harvard MBA to make your business a reality. For anyone who has a dream, this is all the inspiration and motivation you need to get started brewing up your own business.

-Joe Calloway author of Becoming a Category of One and Indispensable

Starting out with a home brewing kit, Sam Calagione turned his entrepreneurial dream into a reality. Relying on unique brews, lots of loving technique, hard work, and entrepreneurial spirit, Calagione built Dogfish Head Craft Brewery into America's fastest growing brewery. Brewing Up a Business tells an entertaining business story about the value of dreaming big, working hard, and thinking unconventionally.

Entrepreneurial dreams do come true! Starting with nothing more than a home brewing kit, Sam Calagione founded Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and made it America's fastest growing independent beer. This unconventional business story reveals how Calagione found success by dreaming big, working hard, and thinking differently—and how you can do it too.

"Rarely is a book as good as a beer but this one is. It's written with humor, humility, and passion, essential ingredients for any entrepreneur."

—Bob Guccione Jr. founder of Spin magazine and Gear magazine

"Brewing Up a Business will inspire both entrepreneurs and aspiring small business people to have the confidence in following their dreams."

—Jim Davis Chairman and CEO of New Balance

"Sam Calagione embodies the spirit of a true Delaware entrepreneur. Starting out as the smallest brewery in the nation, Sam's ambition, acute business sense, and vision have allowed Dogfish Head Craft Brewery to successfully enter an extremely competitive market as Dogfish Head continues to leave an indelible mark on the beer industry."

—Ruth Ann Minner Governor of Delaware

"Everything you want to know about succeeding in business you can learn from beer. At least you can if it's the remarkable story of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Brewing Up a Business is like a 'how-to' manual for entrepreneurs. With humor, creativity, and wisdom, Sam Calagione has crafted a new kind of business book that's as unique as his great beer!"

—Joe Calloway author of Becoming a Category of One and Indispensable

Sam Calagione is the founder and owner of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware, the nation's fastest growing independent brewery, and Dogfish Head Brewing & Eats in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. His innovative style has earned him a reputation as one of America's most adventurous entrepreneurs and brewers. The Small Business Association has named him Businessman of the Year. He lives in Lewes, Delaware.

Foreword by Michael Jackson.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Chapter 1. The Unconventional Beginnings of an Entrepreneur.

Chapter 2. Business From the Inside Out.

Chapter 3. Keeping Your balance.

Chapter 4. Creating a Business Offering.

Chapter 5. Crafting a Brand in a Cookie-cutter World.

Chapter 6. Marketing on a Small-Business Budget.

Chapter 7. Publicity Stunts (Are Poorly Named).

Chapter 8. Stalking the Killer App.

Chapter 9. Selling Distinction, Specialization, and Variety.

Chapter 10. Cash is King (Well, Sort Of).

Chapter 11. Leadership.

Chapter 12. Effectively Managing Employees.

Chapter 13. Working Toward Irrelevance.

Chapter 14. To Small-Business Success.

Index.