Month: August 2017
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Leadership – leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses..
By 1980, after years of market dominance by Coors in both Kansas and Oklahoma, it was clear that those states had been targeted by AB. At Coors of Kansas in Wichita, the largest distributor in Kansas, we had a market share of 61+%. There were markets in Oklahoma and western Kansas where Coors had a […]
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It is easy to be brave from a safe distance..
The U.S. beer environment during the 70s and 80s was similar to that of craft beers, in that it is similar to the way wholesalers thirty to forty years ago envisioned the future of imports. Successful European brewers who were importing into the U.S. were, decades ago, highly desirable brands with good margins, despite the […]
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Reincarnation occurs because we decide that we haven’t learned enough lessons..
While the belief is that the beers driving the retro craze are brands that have already died, the reality is, those beers have truly never died, depending on one’s definition of what dead means. A couple of national brands, Pabst and Coors, have experienced growth for years, while Miller High Life is showing some signs […]
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The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
Mike’s Hard Lemonade was founded in 1999 and headquartered in Lakewood Colorado. At the time, it was a Canadian company and the liquid was spirit-based, however, due to U.S. restrictions, Mike’s was malt-based when they opened the U.S. market. It was a very unique product for the time with edgy marketing and the brand quickly […]
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Sales may lead to advertising as much as advertising leads to sales..
“Hire sales people who are really smart problem solvers, but lack courage, hunger, and competitiveness, and your company will go out of business” – Ben Horowitz. Hand held devices, IPads, laptops, cell phones, and computers are all tools of the trade for any beer sales person in today’s market. There is not a major distributor […]