Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aaron Gore. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aaron, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

When COVID first began to spread and trigger lockdown protocols across the country, it was as close to apocalyptic as I can remember within the beverage industry. Bars and restaurants, our biggest customers, were closed for months in some cases, and our own taprooms were in a similar situation. Revenue dropped through the floor, but the overhead of so many businesses remained just as high as it always had been.

I was a consultant at the time, and for the better part of a year I found myself surrounded by clients, friends, and colleagues who were unsure of how to respond to these new challenges. They were frightened, and understandably so.

I was fortunate enough to have a bit of a nest egg saved, and so I made the decision to offer my services pro bono for the better part of the year. I’m proud to have helped more than a dozen breweries and cideries across the United States and Europe to keep their doors open, manage their finances, and remain in business.

The beer industry is truly unique. It’s a culture as much as a beverage, and the people who make it up are the reason for its existence, well beyond the dollars and cents and pints and kegs. Being able to help, and to play even a small role in letting people worry less about their businesses and more about their families and lives is something I am proud to have done. Community is what craft is all about.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was laid off from an IT project management job in corporate America in my early twenties. I realized almost immediately that I never wanted to go back to an environment like that again. I found beer almost by chance, seeing a position in sales available on Craigslist and lucking into the role. It’s been the best choice that I’ve ever made.

In the last dozen years or so, I’ve been fortunate enough to have done almost every role or position there is in beer, and I continue to learn new things every single day. At present, I run Partnerships for a software company the designs solutions for the beverage industry, and it’s a privilege to be able to use my experience to help guide development toward solving challenges that are endemic to the entire industry.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Every business, and every industry, is made up of people. That sounds obvious at first, but it is absolutely core to success. Building a network, connecting other experts with those in need of help, and giving as freely of your time and attention as you can manage has been my approach since day one. I’ve since built that into a reputation as a connector and facilitator around the beer industry. I’m not the smartest person in any room I am in. Far from it, in fact. And I prefer it that way. Being able to connect brilliant, passionate people with each other is how we all become better, because it truly does take a village.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Honesty and accountability are the two pillars of team management. And that word “team” is important, because too often we use the word “family” for our colleagues, especially in smaller industries like beer. But a family is stuck together, and may have completely different goals and aspirations. A team is focused on a shared goal, but also recognizes that every team member may not be the right fit for every stage of the company, and every company might not be a fit for every stage of that employee’s career.

Accountability and honesty are flip sides of the same coin. Trust is built, but all of us need systems to help prevent mistakes, even simple or honest ones. Building systems not to punish, but to guide and support, is critical. That honesty needs to be reciprocal, however, and your team needs to know that even if you can’t tell them every detail of certain facets of the business, that their trust is never being broken or manipulated.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alechaser.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alechaser
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alechaser
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-mj-gore/
• Twitter: https://x.com/ale_chaser