A journalist and a banker share the life and business lessons they learned while building a successful brewery in New York City

"A great city should have great beer. New York finally has, thanks to Brooklyn. Steve Hindy and Tom Potter provided it. Beer School explains how they did it: their mistakes as well as their triumphs."

—Michael Jackson, The Beer Hunter®

"This account serves up more than the usual suds and foam—its counsel is sound and its prose lively, and it should appeal to both wannabe industrialists and beer drinkers, not that those categories are mutually exclusive."

—Publishers Weekly

"Great lessons on what every first-time entrepreneur will experience. Being down the block from the Brooklyn Brewery, I had firsthand witness to their positive impact on our community. I give Steve and Tom's book an A++!"

—Norm Brodsky, Senior Contributing Editor, Inc. magazine

"Steve Hindy and Tom Potter's Beer School may be the first business book ever that could set the cold heart of a Hollywood producer racing. This one has it all, Mr. DeMille, and if I owned the rights, I'd already have my people on the line with your people."

—Jack Curtin, Celebrator Beer News

"Beer School is a useful and entertaining book. In essence, this is the story of starting a beer business from scratch in New York City. The product is one readers can relate to, and the market is as tough as they get. What a fun challenge! The book can help not only those entrepreneurs who are starting a business but also those trying to grow one once it is established."

—Michael Preston, Adjunct Professor, Lang Center for Entrepreneurship, Columbia Business School, and coauthor of The Road to Success: How to Manage Growth

"The revealing story Steve and Tom tell about two partners entering a business out of passion, in an industry they knew little about, being seriously undercapitalized, with an overly naive business plan, and their ultimate success, is an inspiring tale."

—Ken Grossman, founder, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

STEVE HINDYis President and cofounder of The Brooklyn Brewery. A former Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, he is currently a director of Brooklyn's Prospect Park Alliance and the Brewers Association. Hindy has a master's degree in teaching English from Cornell.

TOM POTTERcofounded the Brooklyn Brewery in 1987. He served as its CEO and chairman until his retirement in 2004. Previously, he was an assistant vice president at Chemical Bank, where he financed the acquisition of assets valued in excess of $1.5 billion. Potter graduated from Yale and has an MBA from Columbia.

Foreword.

Preface Steve and Tom Introduce the Brooklyn Brewery.

Acknowledgments.

Chapter 1. Steve Tells How Choosing a Partner Is Like a Second Marriage.

Lesson One: Even a Dog Can Shake Hands.

Chapter 2. Steve Discusses the Importance of Building a Solid Team.

Lesson Two: Is It a Business or a FamilyBusiness?

Chapter 3. Tom Talks about Creating the Business Plan: A Money-Raising Tool and More.

Lesson Three: The Business Plan Won’t Be Graded on a Curve.

Chapter 4. Tom Asks, “What’s the True Mission of the Business?”

Lesson Four: Being Flexible If the Mission Statement Becomes “Mission Impossible”.

Chapter 5. Steve Discusses the Keys to Successfully Motivating Employees.

Lesson Five: Feeling Good Is No Substitute for Prudent Controls.

Chapter 6. Tom Tells the Story of Their Dot-Com Revolution: Fishing for Finance and Failing.

Lesson Six: Chasing Money Is Not a Business Strategy.

Chapter 7. Steve Talks about Building a Brewery in Brooklyn.

Lesson Seven: Sometimes You Stand Alone.

Chapter 8. Steve Discusses Publicity: The Press Wants You!

Lesson Eight: A News Release Can Go a Long Way.

Chapter 9. Steve Reveals How the Revolution Kills Its Leaders First.

Lesson Nine: Hiring and Firing.

Chapter 10. Tom Talks about Cashing Out and Reinventing the Business, Again.

Lesson Ten: Only You Will Know When It’s Time to Sell.

Chapter 11. Tom Wants to Know If You Have What It Takes.

Lesson Eleven: There Are No Entrance Exams for Entrepreneurs.

Timeline.

Index.