We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrew Clinkscale a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrew, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I founded PourForce after witnessing a recurring problem during my time in the spirits industry. I was working with a premium tequila brand that had just expanded into fa few new markets, and despite significant investment in distribution and marketing, sales were disappointing.

When I visited accounts in these new markets, I discovered our beautiful bottles gathering dust on bottom shelves, bartenders who couldn’t pronounce the name, and some venues that didn’t even know they carried us. We had a distribution presence but no actual field representation – no one ensuring our product was properly displayed, staff was educated, or consumers could try it.

Here was this incredible product that people would love if they knew about it, but without eyes and ears in these markets, we were essentially invisible.

As I began consulting with more spirits brands, I discovered this wasn’t an isolated issue. Brand after brand shared the same challenge – they were stuck, unable to expand because of geographical and financial constraints. They had the distribution, the product quality, and the branding, but lacked the physical presence in new markets to ensure proper execution.
These brands faced an impossible choice: either invest hundreds of thousands in hiring full-time field staff across multiple markets (which most couldn’t afford) or expand without proper representation and hope for the best (which rarely worked). The frustration from brand owners was palpable – they’d poured everything into creating exceptional products but couldn’t overcome this final hurdle to growth.

What excited me most about PourForce was creating a solution that democratized market expansion. By providing on-demand field representatives at a fraction of the cost of full-time staff, we could help these passionate brand creators overcome the geographical and financial barriers that were holding them back. They could finally have professional “boots on the ground” in any market, exactly when and where they needed them.

Andrew, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a former foster kid, which fundamentally shaped my perspective on life and business. When you grow up in the system, you develop an innate ability to adapt, problem-solve, and find your way forward no matter the circumstances. I’ve always had to figure things out, often without a roadmap or safety net.

My background is actually in the arts—television and stage—which might seem disconnected from the spirits industry. But throughout my life, I was surrounded by entrepreneurs who showed me different ways of viewing challenges and opportunities. This intersection of creative thinking and business acumen has informed how I approach everything.

I found my way into the spirits industry almost accidentally, but immediately fell in love with its unique blend of craftsmanship, storytelling, and relationship-building. Working with various brands, I kept encountering the same frustrating limitation: incredible products were struggling to expand because they couldn’t afford full-time representation in new markets, yet they desperately needed boots on the ground to succeed.

That’s where PourForce comes in. We provide on-demand field representatives for spirits brands nationwide. Think of us like Uber, but for your brand’s market presence. Our Force members conduct account visits, tastings, staff trainings, and brand activations in markets where brands don’t have full-time staff—delivering professional representation exactly when and where it’s needed.

What sets us apart is our focus on the spirits industry. Our Force members understand the unique compliance requirements, consumer education needs, and retail environments specific to alcohol brands.
We’re not a general staffing agency trying to be everything to everyone; we’re specialists who deeply understand this particular ecosystem.

I’m most proud of how PourForce democratizes market expansion while simultaneously creating well-paying, flexible employment opportunities. Having worked countless gig jobs myself in the past, I built PourForce to be what I believe gig work should be—professional, fairly compensated, and respectful of people’s time and expertise.

Our Force members can self-schedule assignments that fit their lives, earn professional rates for skilled work, and build valuable experience in the spirits industry. Unlike many gig platforms that race to the bottom on wages or treat workers as disposable, we’re creating opportunities that actually enhance people’s careers and financial stability.

This dual mission drives everything we do: helping craft and emerging brands compete against industry giants while creating meaningful work opportunities in communities across the country. It’s about building a more equitable ecosystem for both the brands creating exceptional products and the professionals representing them in the field.

My foster care experience taught me to build my own systems when existing ones don’t work. That’s exactly what PourForce is—a new system for spirits brands to expand without the traditional limitations of geography and budget.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I bootstrapped PourForce entirely.

Starting without external capital meant making extremely strategic choices about where to invest limited resources—focusing on the essential foundation of a professional website, basic scheduling system, and initial marketing materials.

This instilled a discipline that has ultimately strengthened the business. Each dollar spent had to demonstrate clear value, which kept me laser-focused on solving core client problems rather than chasing growth for its own sake.

While this path comes with challenges around expansion pace, maintaining complete ownership allows me to prioritize quality service and fair compensation for Force members without external pressure for short-term profits.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting from my television career to becoming a founder was one of the most challenging transitions I’ve navigated. There’s something particularly difficult about “starting over” in a field where you have no established reputation or credibility. People knew me as the TV guy, not as a spirits industry entrepreneur, and the disconnect between those identities created both external skepticism and internal doubt.

What made it especially challenging was swimming against the current of others’ expectations. Friends, colleagues, and family had a clear image of who I was and what I “should” be doing with my career. Every conversation seemed to start with “So, what happened with your TV work?” rather than genuine interest in my new venture. I found myself constantly justifying my choice rather than celebrating it.

The pivot required embracing discomfort and accepting that I was temporarily sacrificing the status and recognition I’d built in one field to start at square one in another. But this transition also felt authentic in a way that’s hard to articulate – like finally aligning my work with a deeper understanding of the impact I wanted to have. PourForce represents not just a business opportunity, but a chance to create the type of opportunities I wish had existed during my own gig work days.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pourforce.com
• Instagram: Hostedby_AndrewTyree
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-tyree-clinkscale-9238778a/