Non-Production Books for Craft Beverage Professionals
There’s a section in Sam Caligione’s book, “Brewing Up A Business,” where he suggests that brewery owners and really anyone in the business of beer should look outside of their own industry for knowledge. There’s a ton to learn outside of just production-focused textbooks, style guides, and recipe lists. To survive in today’s challenging beverage market, you’ve got to have business chops and a full understanding of people in general, and the best way to develop professionally (and personally) is to read and learn from those not necessarily in the beverage world.
Quarter 4 is a great time to work on personal and professional development, so here’s a list of books that will help you level up your knowledge base. These titles are beneficial for owners, operators, and employees. I’m not telling you to stop reading about fermentation science, but I guarantee it will be invaluable to you to seek knowledge outside the confines of the liquid. This is not by any means an exhaustive list of must-reads but it will get you started on the path to a better understanding of sales, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, human resources, and building an equitable company culture.
The E-Myth By Michael Gerber
Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller
Rework by Jason Fried
FANtastic Sales by Meredith Oliver
Never Split The Difference by Chip Voss
Distribution Insight for the Craft Brewer by Laura Lodge
Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Beer Business Finance by Kary Shumway
Traction by Gino Wickman
Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
Made to Stick by Chip Heath
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
Beyond Entrepreneurship by Jim Collins
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
Beer and Racism: How Beer Became White, Why It Matters, and the Movements to Change It by Nathaniel G. Chapman and David L Brunsma
Blind Spot by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
Adaptive Leadership by Ronald Heifetz, Marty Linsky, and Alexander Grashow
Feminism: A Key Idea For Business and Society by C.V. Harquail
Impact Players by Liz Wiseman
You can find most of these books and more on my shop page at Bookshop.org, which helps support local and independent book stores near you. To find Laura’s book on Distribution Insight, please visit this Amazon page. To find Kary’s book on Beer Business Finance, please visit his website here. And to purchase C.V.’s book on Feminism for business, please visit her website here.