Thank you, Logan Bartlett, for sharing our story! Check out the full interview with Co-Founder Bill Shufelt below 👇
Since 2017, Bill Shufelt (CEO, Athletic Brewing Co.) went from hedge fund trader to the CEO of the leading producer of non-alcoholic craft beer. Unlike my typical tech-focused chats this one centers around a product I personally love. In the conversation, Bill tells stories of the unscalable but crucial strategies he used to build a brand, push past rejection, and redefine the non-alcoholic beer industry. → The unscalable activities that made Athletic a household name Athletic Brewing’s brand was built on unscalable activities, like handing out samples at races. Now, Bill often runs into high LTV customers at races he hasn’t attended in years when they say things like, “I met you in 2018 and my fridge has been full of your beer ever since.” While each sampling felt minor in the moment, Athletic has now activated thousands of events, and the long-term impacts accumulate. → How rejection helped Athletic build a competitive advantage Facing initial rejections from every contract brewer in the US, Bill took a bold step in building their own brewery. In hindsight, it allowed them unparalleled control over every aspect of production, from ingredient quality to rigorous testing of each batch. By handling everything in-house, Athletic also gains the flexibility to innovate and respond to market demands quickly—benefits that would have been unattainable had they relied on external partners. → Bill’s genius sales tactic Bill personally signed 300 deals with retail stores using clever tactics. Before pitching a buyer at a store, Bill would recruit a random grocery store shopper to pretend that they were super interested in the beer while Bill was pitching the deal. This approach helped break initial skepticism and build early buzz around their offerings, which helped Athletic secured shelf space and propel forward. For more stories and lessons from Bill, check out the full episode at: https://lnkd.in/gJjHJz_w
How Bill Shufelt Built Athletic Brewing - Every Plot Twist Along The Way
https://www.youtube.com/
It's been awesome to witness Athletic's meteoric growth over the last few years!
Appreciate you all making it work!
GREAT success story, EXCELLENT product, and UNSTOPPABLE momentum! 👏👏👏
Regional Director - Mast Jagermeister US
2moSounds a lot like when I first started out as a Gallo rep and always had my mom go to the store managers and ask for a new product we were launching. One store manager finally caught on!