2024-11-18
1 小时 4 分钟Bill Shufelt founded Athletic Brewing Company to re-invent non-alcoholic beer, but quickly learned that brewers didn’t want to make it, stores didn’t want to sell it, and potential customers didn’t want to buy it. The NA beer that already existed was outdated and foul-tasting, but Bill was convinced that if he could make a good-tasting brew, it would appeal to a growing cohort of people who wanted to enjoy beer without getting buzzed. For a while, Bill’s wife was the only person who supported him, but he eventually found an innovative brewer, and a winning strategy of sampling the beer at athletic events. Today, the company is valued at $800 million and Bill believes they’re just getting started. This episode was produced by J.C. Howard, with music by Ramtin Arablouei Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Katherine Sypher. You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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So I was basically raising money in a category that didn't exist, had no money.
I wanted to do it in a very capital intensive way.
I didn't have a product to share.
I had already committed to the lease to the brewing equipment with like my life's savings and there was just less than no momentum.
And I remember at one point lying on our kitchen floor, it was one of the very few valleys I've really been in.
And my wife basically immediately and without blinking was like, get off the floor.
That's absolutely silly.
And you've got to keep at it.
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