Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jill Pavlak, co-founder of Urban Growler Brewing Company, located in St. Paul, MN, USA.

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

Urban Growler Brewing is the first women-owned microbrewery in Minnesota! It is our mission to bring people together. We don‘t care how you vote, who you love, or how you identify… ALL are welcome at Urban Growler Brewing.

Tell us about yourself

My partner in life and business, Deb Loch, and I wanted to go into business together. Deb has been a home brewer since the ’90s. We would sit and drink her delicious beer and dream about - what could we do together? Here it was right in our hands! Let‘s open a brewery. We were six years in the planning. We moved to Davis, California so that Deb could attend the Master's Brewers Program.

While Deb pursued brewing education and experience, I worked at restaurants and liquor stores to learn why they carry the beer they sell. The more we submersed ourselves in the industry, the more we learned women are underrepresented. We are motivated every day to make our family, friends, LGBTQ community, and surrounding neighborhood proud of Urban Growler. We may not be a “destination” brewery, given our size, but our mission is to bring people together.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Getting OPEN! Despite the fact that we won a national award for our business plan through Palo Alto Software, we had an award-winning IPA from the MN State Fair, six years of industry experience, and no debt… we were denied by 12 banks. We heard sexist, homophobic, and ageist comments.

For example, “How will you girls carry those big heavy bags of grain?” Really? We are not petite little flowers! And have you heard of adaptive devices? ”You‘re not in your twenties, how will you keep those late night hours?“ I worked restaurant shifts until 2:00 am and worked two jobs during our brewery in planning days. Deb worked overnight brewing shifts at a large regional brewery. At the time, we were in our 40‘s - not dead! ”You two are married? What if you get divorced?“ Would you ask this question to a heterosexual couple? Anywho, we did not give up! We finally received our loan from Pioneer Bank out of Mankato, MN - a small farmers' bank 2 hours away. Apparently, we were less risky than a farm.

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

Reviews! Thanks to our stellar team of good humans, we have great ratings. On occasion, we will receive less than a 5-star review. It hurts. Your business is your baby. It’s like hearing your baby is ugly. We received a 3-star after months of consistent 5-star reviews. The comment had to do with the bathroom being damp. We had a seal break on the toilet, so the floor was wet. The plumber was contacted immediately. Unfortunately, the part could not be sourced until the next day. My point is - stuff happens. People will comment. All you can do is do your best.

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

  1. Have some type of Entrepreneur Operating System in place. It is important to have goals, make sure they are measurable, and hold yourself accountable to meet them.
  2. Find a group of fellow business owners - CEO roundtables. This is a great place to share ideas, vent, learn, and connect. The best thing Deb did for our brewery, so we don‘t feel like an island.
  3. Stay true to your values. When we make decisions, we cross-check with our list of core values and make sure the decision is aligned with our values.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

When it came to opening our business, we were told no more times than we care to remember. We didn‘t curl up in the fetal position and give up. We kept going. We turned the negatives we heard into fuel for our fires. You will hear no. Will you let it stop you? If you feel passionate about what you want to gift to this world, you will keep going.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.urbangrowlerbrewing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UrbanGrowlerBrewingCompany
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbangrowler/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UrbanGrowlerMN
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/urban-growler-brewing-company/

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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