9+ years of experience brewing beverages, from sweeping floors to gypsy brewing to building 3 sites in Australia. Now doubling in size year after year, having 80 staff members, and in every major bottle shop in the country. (Michael McGovern)

Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this GASB Podcast episode, Troy interviews Michael McGovern. Michael is based in Gold Coast, Australia. You might know him as one of the founding members of Black Hops Brewing in 2014. He started sweeping floors in a brewery, then tried out an innovative beer idea with his friends.

With their honest storytelling and way of marketing, they grew their audience quicker than anticipated, and not long after, they started to build their first brewery. At the start of their brewing career, they utilized different ways to raise funds for a business. Breaking records; in August 2018, raising about $400,000 on the first day, then last year raising $2.5 million a couple of months ago in an hour, and a staggering $14 million in sales.

To achieve the kind of growth Michael experienced, you need to build a sustainable and kickass culture by understanding that people have different currencies, e.g., what motivates them to work for money. That’s why it’s essential to have different rules for everyone rather than sticking to a one-size-fits-all style to please most people most of the time.

This Cast Covers:

• The humble origins of Michael McGovern.
• Several facets of the process of making beer.
• The current progress of Black Hops Brewing.
• How the team assembled to start Black Hops.
• Michael’s unique way of earning trust.
• Different types of raising funds for your startup.
• Helping others start their breweries through consulting.
• Truly understanding who you’re customers are and what they want.
• Developing your staff carefully to have a solid team.
• Prioritizing yourself a little bit more.

Links:

• Michael’s LinkedIn
• Michael’s Company Website

Additional Resources:

• Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game by Dr. Joseph Parent

Quotes:

“In an online world, you don't really have much other than trust.” — Michael McGovern.

“Running a small business is like, you need to be good at finding money. So we would try every option available to us.” — Michael McGovern.

“It's great to have talent, but not when it's too heavily weighted in any one person.” — Michael McGovern.

“Truly understanding who your customers are and what they want.” — Michael McGovern.

“You can get away with making plenty of mistakes if you do it with kindness, and people will allow you the space to grow if you have a kind heart.” — Michael McGovern.