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Unsolicited commentary: this is freaking hard


Latkasimka

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So we opened our distillery at the end of 2013, 2 people working full time, six days a week 10 to 12 hour days.. Grain to glass operation from the outset. I read just about everything I could get my hands on in terms of online material from folks who'd started distilleries before, much of it here. A recurring theme was that this business is difficult, won't make money for years, etc. While I believed it, at some level I thought it was a bit of gamesmanship - keep the newbies out by telling them it's not all roses... Well three years later, I'm here to tell you (you being my alternate reality self, heeding my warning) - it's for real. This business is hard! It takes more money than I thought, more time to get going, the works. I still love it, and wouldn't change anything - finally feel like we're getting some momentum - but dang! I officially declare the warnings legitimate.

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Latkasimka, good to hear the momentum is starting to roll for you, As your sales continue to grow a whole new set of hurdles will arrive with staffing challenges and many other roadblocks. In the meantime congrats on things going good!

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I started producing in 2012, and it has been hard as F&*K. I have two plants, two overheads, a place on main street and on. I have developed a business model to alleviate many of the startup issues. But some people still want to make vodka in an industrial park and hope that someone will buy it.

If any newbie could objectionably read and learn from others, they might not loose their collective ass.

It really does take $500k to pull off a professional program, I started with 1/10 of that, but have spent the full $500k to date. I thought I was smarter than everyone else, I knew the Virginia Laws, studied harder and knew what I was doing. It was all good until the agent stated I could not sell liquor as a farm distillery because my county was dry.

Then and only then, did I realize this is gonna suck.

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Yup, $500K is sorta the bottom line, even if you start really small and plan to grow organically, before you can get outta the red.

Can you really get outta the RED. I finally have enough data to do a real P&L. and I really don't know how I am going to do it. Sales have not been that good and the only way to make it is in volume.

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