Funding brewery growth

Remember that nobody has the passion to sell your product like you do. You don’t have to be the best salesman in the world, but you need to be passionate about what you’re selling and know your product. If you’re hopeless at sales then get a friend or colleague who isn’t to come along with you and help.

There are quite a few sharks out there who will promise to do wonders with your business, charge you a fortune, but won’t deliver. If you decide to get external help then don’t pay them up front, pay them when they’ve delivered.

Be careful what you give away to your investors and what control they have, try to keep it on an interest basis rather than giving away equity.

You’ll get most of the retail help and experience you need from organisations such as Business Link – fi nd out if they have a specialist food and beverage advisor in their team and ask them what food network groups operate in your area.

If you’re interested in selling to the supermarkets, contact their head office and speak to their local sourcing department. If you can sell to local pubs, contact their area manager. Some of the larger garden centres often have specialist food shops inside and there are local farm shops too.

Have you looked into the possibility of online selling? Maybe collaborate with/supply an existing online wine/beer seller. Every little helps to build your brand name and reputation.

But before you go chasing the sales, you must be able to deliver. There are usually no second chances with customers so think about how you’ll cope with the growth – what’s the capacity of your current premises and do you need larger machinery or more equipment? Never take your eye off efficiencies because you’ll need every penny.