Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jason Ufema, Co-Owner of Shy Bear Brewing, located in Lewistown, PA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My family owns Shy Bear Brewing and Rich Coast Coffee. I spent most of my time cultivating our brewery endeavor. Our customer base for Shy Bear is craft beer enthusiasts, beyond the standard pub fare food lovers and live music crowd with a median age of late 40s.

Tell us about yourself

I have had an incredibly diverse subset of work experiences which has led me to today. My first job in high school was working at our local sub shop, taking phone orders and making subs. Eventually, once I got my driver's license, I was able to deliver orders and had my first experience of getting TIPS! After graduating from the University of Delaware in 1996, I took a job in Atlanta working for Anheuser Busch during the Olympic games and really got a taste of big beer (literally and figuratively), massive marketing initiatives, and full throttle approach to customer satisfaction.

Instead of moving to St Louis at the time to continue with the company, I decided to move back to Central Pennsylvania to work for my father at Rich Coast Coffee which he founded in 1978. After losing a very large client in 1998, I decided it was a good time for me to test the waters as a drummer professionally for a while in a traveling Southern rock band based out of Charlotte, NC, and while doing so, to make ends meet, I started working at the 2nd microbrewery that had opened in the area.

Charlotte's craft beer scene at the time was not prepared for flavorful fermented beverages, let alone a progressive music scene, so I moved to Washington DC and found a more stable original band that I joined for three years and worked in fine dining and then finally moved to PF Chang's at the 2nd highest grossing restaurant in the country where I learned the most about food/beverage pairings and management principles of the restaurant industry.

My father expressed his need to step down from day-to-day operations in 2003, and then that's when I moved back to Lewistown to run Rich Coast and subsequently always had it in my heart to convert our farmland from commercial coffee distribution space to the destination brewpub it has become in Shy Bear Brewing.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Supporting the families of the employees that have joined our extended family since our inception.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

When to shut it off! There are always things that can be done, and the ability to know when is enough any one day to step away from the computer, social media, and the day-to-day churn of it all is tough.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Know yourself and your skills. If you thoroughly enjoy the products and services that your business sells, it genuinely helps your ability to sell it, but it doesn't mean that you have the personality to sell it. Find those who complement your goals and find the space where your skills fit the best in the business.
  2. Have a good accountant. Sort of plays into tip #1, but if you don't like doing the books, you're never going to have accurate budgets or financial goals... and without those, you're toast!
  3. Always promote from within. A business owner should be concerned first and foremost with the culture of the business they create. Lead by example, and those who appreciate what you put into the business will show they want to take the ride with you through good times and bad. There's nothing more discouraging to those who have been with the company for a while than hiring someone from the outside that hasn't taken that ride to be promoted without knowing the company culture first.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We are opening a new taproom in Altoona, PA, and our latest farmer's market location will be in Hershey, PA. Both locations plan to open next month.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.shybearbrewing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shybearbrewing
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shybearbrewing/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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