We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cody Beebe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Cody , thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
Early in life, I did everything by the book and as a result, I ended up with a full-ride scholarship to a university, headed down the path to become a civil engineer. It was a safe choice. It was extremely hard work and although I graduated college with a degree that was a solid fallback plan, it just didn’t make me happy. So, I was faced with the decision to risk it all and follow my passion in music, or perhaps the bigger risk of just doing the safe bet and following a career path that would look good on paper, but not in my heart. So, I put the diploma in the bottom drawer and started booking barroom gigs for myself and my band.
The next few years were full of risk. Every gig we booked, every tour we went on, all had the potential of failure. But, I was happy. I was grinding. And while we weren’t making a ton of money, we were building a fanbase, a group of people who not only liked our music, but believed in us as people. So, enter second big risk. We decided to take all of our tour earnings and start a music festival. Year one, we almost broke even. And now, in year 12, we are still taking that risk on a yearly bases to produce Chinook Fest and slowly but surely, we’re building an even bigger network.
As we started to slow our tour schedule down, myself and my bass player started Digital Vendetta, a video company to provide video storytelling for businesses across the Northwest. While any business is a risk, this one has proven to be solid and has created a foundation for the rest of my entrepreneurial endeavors.
In 2019, I took perhaps the biggest risk of all and invested in a new restaurant and brewery in my hometown. And then Covid hit. Luckily, we had waited to start construction until after the main waves of the virus, so we broke ground on The Outskirts in 2022 and opened our doors in May of last year. Dealing with the ups and downs of the restaurant business post-Covid has been full of challenges and we are still grinding every day to make it work, while also keeping some show performances for my band on the books, raising a family, managing our video team, running the festival, etc. I am incredibly proud of what we’ve built, and the Outskirts has become a physical brick and mortar version of the culture and fanbase we have been building ever since leaving college and taking that first big risk.
Life is full of risks. If I hadn’t taken that first one, I might have a ton more money in the bank and a successful engineering career, but I just don’t think my soul would be fulfilled. So, I suppose I’ll take the stress and day to day challenges and find the gratitude in the fact that I have been able to carve this path with the help of a tribe of supportive people along the way.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I suppose my job title would be best described as a serial entrepreneur. It all started with the love of music and the willingness and drive to throw myself out there and use music as a way to travel, meet people, and see the world. Through my band, Cody Beebe & The Crooks, we’ve played in over 30 states and 8 European countries, building a fanbase along the way. In the past few years, I’ve started a family and now focus my attention primarily on my other endeavors, while still utilizing music as a way to share my passion and also to market myself as a brand.
The other companies I’ve built and manage are Digital Vendetta Productions, Chinook Entertainment, and The Outskirts Brewing Company. Digital Vendetta is my day-to-day focus, running a small and talented team of eight creatives to produce business to business story content for agriculture and technology companies in the Northwest. While I may still prefer to spend my time on stage, this is a great creative outlet that lets us bring visuals and music together to serve our customers which I love. What sets us apart is our focus on authenticity in the storytelling. We also go about this business much differently than many production houses. As a result, we have longstanding relationships with some of the largest agricultural and tech companies in the world. I love diving into a project and learning about different industries along the way. Want to know how hops are harvested for beer? Or how 5G technologies are helping efficiencies in major ports? While they don’t necessarily relate, the basics of a strong story are the same and we’re lucky to help our clients strengthen their brand presence through this storytelling.
With Chinook Entertainment, we put on a music festival called Chinook Fest each year, as well as providing booking and talent buying for other venues and events. Again, while I might not be the one on stage, I love how this keeps me engaged in the music business and allows me to provide opportunities to other artists who are chasing their dreams. While a music festival may only happen a few days a year, it takes consistent focus throughout the year to manage logistics, planning, and keep a finger on the pulse of the music industry. We are going on our 12th year as a festival and have built something we’re extremely proud of in our little corner of the world.
With music and the festival, it’s always a lot of build up to an event and then afterward, what’s next? So a few years ago I invested in a new brewery in my hometown called The Outskirts. Finally something that is open every day of the year where we can share music and bring culture and people together in a gathering place. While this seemed like a great idea at the start, turns out it’s a ton of work! We have been open almost a year now and we’re really finding our stride, being nominated by USA Today as one of the best new breweries in the country and winning some prestigious awards for our beer right out of the gate. We still have a lot to learn and a long way to go, but we’re getting there day by day, one foot in front of the other.
I’m so lucky to be able to put my energy into endeavors that fulfill my passions and add value for other people along the way. I love bringing good people together. And while the companies I mentioned above might not all seem like they relate, they all play off of each other in one way or another. Digital Vendetta does the marketing and video/photo production for Chinook Fest and The Outskirts; The Outskirts serves our beer at Chinook Fest; Chinook Fest provides the talent booking for The Outskirts, etc.
But perhaps the best part of my day is returning home to my wife and two kids. If you could get paid to be a Dad, I’d stay home all day and just be with them. I’m fortunate that when I have to leave, I get to go do things I love and teach them to follow their passion and work hard.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
It seems like it all comes down to the quality in your product or service and the trust you can build with your clients. But if I was to put an emphasis on one over the other, trust. I am fortunate that my music career allowed me to build a personal brand in my region and my network then led to building out my other businesses, especially my video company. We have been able to build our customer base naturally through connections and are so lucky to not have to cold call, at least up until this point. If people can trust your personal brand, they tend to trust your company’s brand as well. So, we try to live by a corporate “golden rule” and treat others with the service and quality with which we also like to be treated. This goes a long way. In our primary region, we work with a lot of farmers and blue-collar folks and they still trust and appreciate a hand shake. While the world is automating and things are becoming less personal, keeping an emphasis on the personal connection and becoming friends with your clients goes a long way, then leading to more referrals and future business.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Our video production company bases a lot of our storytelling on Donald Miller’s “Building a Storybrand.” This book has changed the way we think about marketing as a whole and has thus impacted all of my entrepreneurial endeavors. Secondly, Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why” has helped clarify and solidify our marketing and strategy across the board.
Contact Info:
- Website: digitalvendetta.com, chinookfest.com, outskirtsbrewingco.com
- Instagram: @codybeebemusic, @digitalvendetta, @chinookfest, @outskirtsbrewingco, @beebefamilyfarm
- Facebook: @codybeebeandthecrooks, @digitalvendetta, @chinookfest, @outskirtsbrewingco