I’m going to make a different kind of beer.”
And he said, “Well, you’ll never be very big, but you’ll probably stay out of the welfare line.”
And then he helped me. He gave me the family recipe, and we worked together for about a year to perfect it. And that was the recipe I used to start Samuel Adams.
How did you launch Samuel Adams?
I started with a briefcase full of beer, a recipe, and a dream.
Starting a brewery was really hard. I had two employees: me and my secretary. I was doing everything, from brewing the beer to delivering it in my car to knocking on bar doors in Boston.
Every day, I’d go around with a briefcase with seven beers, two ice packs, and a couple of cups. I’d say to the bartender, “Would you like to try my beer?”
And they’d say, “Who are you?”
And I’d say, “I’m Jim Koch, and I make this beer. It’s called Samuel Adams. Would you like to try it?”
Most of them said no. But I probably got about a 5% success rate, so every day I could make 20 calls, and I’d get one new account. And we grew from there, one account at a time.
Today, we’re a $3 billion company, but we started with a briefcase full of beer.
What sets Samuel Adams apart from other beers?
We have always been about making great beer. There’s a quote I like: “The best beer you can drink is the one you like the best.”
We’ve always been about quality, passion, and innovation. We were the first to put the alcohol content on the label, the first to put the ingredients on the label, and the first to brew a beer that was over 20% alcohol by volume.
It’s always been about brewing the best beer possible, and that’s what’s set us apart.
What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
First, have a passion for what you’re doing. If you don’t have a passion for what you’re doing, it’s going to be really hard to succeed.
Second, be prepared to work hard. Starting a business is not easy. It’s going to take a lot of time, effort, and dedication.
And finally, be willing to take risks. Starting a business is risky, but if you believe in what you’re doing, it’s worth it.
And remember, success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, patience, and perseverance. But if you’re willing to put in the work, it can be incredibly rewarding.
Overall, my advice is to follow your passion, work hard, take risks, and never give up. If you do that, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
And don’t forget to enjoy a good beer along the way.
Well, we did a million-and-two dollars in sales in our second year. We were 70 people, and we never plateaued. So, I was absolutely dead wrong about how big our company could be. But I was right about one thing: we never compromised on quality. We never cut corners. We never did anything to hurt the beer. We never did anything to hurt the customer. We never did anything to hurt the reputation of the brand. We never did anything to hurt the reputation of the company. And that’s why we’ve grown and why we’re still here 37 years later.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is very simple: You’re going to fail a lot. Everybody fails. The only thing that’s different between people who are successful and people who are not successful is how they react when they fail. I’ve failed more times than I can count. The only way you’re going to be successful is if you learn from your failures. It’s not the person that never fails that’s successful, it’s the person who learns from their failures and doesn’t make the same mistake twice.
Also, remember that selling is really important. You can have the best product in the world, but if you can’t sell it, nobody’s going to buy it. So learn how to sell, learn how to market, and learn how to communicate. Those are the three most important skills for any entrepreneur.
Finally, never compromise on quality. Never cut corners. Always do the right thing for your customers, for your employees, and for your company. That’s the only way you’re going to be successful in the long run.
Han pasado 40 años y no estamos en un millón doscientos mil dólares en ventas, estamos por encima de los 2 mil millones de dólares. No somos ocho personas, somos 2,800 personas. Seguimos innovando, sacando nuevos productos y creciendo.
¿Cuál es el mejor consejo empresarial que has recibido?
Me lo dio mi abuela, que era esta especie de mujer de granja de Ohio al estilo Norman Rockwell. Esto fue cuando entré por primera vez a Harvard y me iba a ir a esta escuela de la Ivy League. Ella me recordó: “Jim, recuerda, la humildad es una virtud”.
Creo que si abordas los negocios con humildad y gratitud por el éxito que tienes, tendrás una vida feliz y gratificante.
También me dijo: “Jim, recuerda, la mitad del mundo está por debajo del promedio y tú vas a ir a Harvard, y nunca verás esa mitad, pero te puedo garantizar, no soy matemática, pero sé que la mitad del mundo está por debajo del promedio. Y cuando la gente reza a Dios, ¿crees que escucha primero las oraciones de los ricos y bien nacidos? ¿O crees que escucha primero las oraciones de la otra mitad?”
Si pudieras tomar una cerveza con cualquier CEO, vivo o fallecido, ¿a quién elegirías?
Si pudiera tomar una cerveza con cualquier CEO vivo o fallecido, tendría que ser Steve Jobs. Él creó una revolución, una grande. Yo solo hice cerveza.