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

Lindsay, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Coming up with the idea for the business really began years ago in the early years of marriage to my husband, Matt. We often talked about what our future might look like and set goals both big and small of things we would like to achieve along the way. I remember countless conversations about different types of small businesses we thought might work for us, but those ideas would come and go. We continued to dream during those years while Matt served in the Unites States Marine Corps which eventually led us to the idea to start our own brewery. While stationed in Southern CA, where the craft beer scene was booming, we began to put together a business plan. For two years we planned and discussed all the what ifs, we visited countless breweries, and talked to as many of the owners that would give us a few minutes of their time. Matt continued perfecting his homebrew during this time and I began a marketing campaign to follow our family as we began our journey back east to Coastal NC, where the craft beer scene was almost non existent. We had seen first hand how the craft beer movement was changing communities, and in many cases revitalizing downtown areas, and that is what we set out to accomplish.

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 co-own Shortway Brewing Co. with my husband, Matt. We initially got into the craft beer industry because it aligned with our personal goals and educational backgrounds. But if you asked us today why we do it, it’s all about the community we serve. Owning a small business has allowed us to do so much more than sell craft beer. While we both love beer & enjoy having a pint with friends and family, the heart of this business goes much deeper. Our business has provided a place for our community to come together in good times and in bad. We have come together on countless occasions to raise funds for various needs, gathered after enduring hurricanes, celebrated the achievements of our local military families, and we continue to host a church group every Sunday. These are the things that we are most proud of, but in the process we get to make beer! Speaking of beer, we specialize in American ales brewed at two locations. Our Newport location is female led, by Amanda Fulford. She is the only team member that has been with us since the beginning. Amanda specializes in brewing our limited releases/pilot beers and works to perfect them to get them to the canning line. Our Trenton team focuses on the production of our core beers and high volume seasonal ales. We do all of our canning at this facility and it is also our distribution hub. We currently self distribute up and down Coastal NC.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My best piece of advice when starting to build your social is that is it never too early to get started! People love a story. They want to know what’s going to happen next and what’s going on behind the scenes. It doesn’t have to be pretty or perfect. Show them the good, bad, and ugly! It will keep them coming back for more.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Managing a team is challenging. I would imagine it is different for every business and changes with the size of the company. For us, we are small. I look at our team like an extension of my family. Check in with your them regularly, be kind, encouraging, and show your appreciation. We do team building outings a couple of times a year to take a break from the day to day and have a good time together. Team meetings can also be great for building morale. Try adding in an activity that promotes team work and reward them with prizes, food, drinks, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shortwaybrewing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shortwaybrewing
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shortwaybrewing