Meet Drew Liebner

We recently connected with Drew Liebner and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Drew, appreciate you sitting with us today. Maybe we can start with a topic that we care deeply about because it’s something we’ve found really sets folks apart and can make all the difference in whether someone reaches their goals. Self discipline seems to have an outsized impact on how someone’s life plays out and so we’d love to hear about how you developed yours?

I had the unique experience of growing up in an entrepreneurial household. My dad owned a small food manufacturing business, which I am now privileged to own with my two brothers. To this day, the company is a small operation, but with an incredible 100+ year history always owned and operated by our family. My dad, the traditional breadwinner, made a great team with my mom, the traditional stay-at-home mom. Because they were a single-income household and my dad’s income came from his small food manufacturing business, they were never positioned to spend frivolously. They had to stretch every dollar to ensure they could cover their top priorities: supporting our church, putting me and my three siblings through Christian schooling, keeping a roof over our heads, food on the table, and clothes on our backs. While their friends might have enjoyed the “finer things in life” such as eating out regularly, driving newer cars, or taking vacations, my parents chose to be different. They made meals at home, drove older cars, and didn’t vacation. They showed us how to avoid short-term gratification and that making wise decisions in the short-term will lead to positive long-term results. In the end, my dad was blessed to retire comfortably at the age of 59 as a result of their self-discipline.

I think what often makes self-discipline difficult is the human nature to seek other people’s approval. We want people to like us and think that our lives are great with new cars, big houses, fancy meals, frequent vacations, and so on. The perception of others’ highlight reels through social media has only made this worse. It’s perceived as “not cool” to drive an older car and live in the average house. But, do you know what is cool? The freedom that comes with caring more about what God, your family, and yourself think about you than your old high school classmates or neighbors, for example.

Self-discipline is like a muscle. You need to use it regularly or it becomes weak but the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. As it becomes stronger, decision-making becomes easier and the anxiety and stress of unresolved decisions begin to fade. You start to get faster at determining if something will bring you short or long-term results. Like interest, decisions compound. One good decision will compound and yield several good results. Unfortunately, bad decisions compound also.

If you can remember to block out human nature’s way of seeking others’ approval and to remain focused on the long-term when faced with your next decision, watch how your burden is reduced and life transforms.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I had the privilege of formally learning my family’s pickled food manufacturing business from my dad over an eight-year period. In reality, learning the business has been a lifelong process since I was a kid. What made this extra special was learning it alongside my brothers and continuing the legacy our family has built over 100 years. As a small business owner, I oversee the company’s sales, marketing, finances, operations, logistics, purchasing, accounting, and regulatory requirements. We manufacture a variety of pickled products, including pickled eggs, pickled sausage, pickled pork, pickled herring, and most recently, pickled ham.

We are excited to partner with Badger Boiled Ham, a local ham manufacturer that is also a small, family-owned business. In Wisconsin, Badger is known as the gold standard of ham. We have taken their exceptional ham and applied our family’s pickling recipes to deliver a uniquely delicious version of their ham complemented by a tangy vinegar flavor and hints of black pepper and cardamom.

We are constantly working to add our products to new retailers for the privilege of serving more customers. Our goal is to deliver the highest quality pickled products at a value-driven price point.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The most important part of any business is sales. Without them, you can have the greatest product or service in the world and it won’t matter. Getting someone to give you their hard-earned money in exchange for your product is amazingly difficult, especially on a repeat basis. It’s frustrating to be told no or hear negative feedback on your product but it’s inevitable. You must get comfortable with explaining to people why your product adds value to their life. Early on, you will stumble through your pitch or not be able to answer their questions. You need to practice this and the best practice comes from “gametime” experience. You need to talk to your customers to understand what you can do to serve them better. Then, improve your product or service to satisfy more customers.

One of the most important skills as a business owner or leader in your organization is conflict resolution. Issues can and will arise with suppliers, customers, employees, or business partners. All of these people are important to your business’s success and you must maintain good relationships with each of these parties. When you identify the first seed of a problem, it needs to be addressed with respectful and open dialogue. If left unchecked, that little problem will quickly grow into a big one that could have been avoided had you addressed it early on.

To grow your business, you will need to learn how to delegate. Some might think that means telling others what to do and your job is done. That’s wrong. To delegate properly, you must first learn the task yourself. Once you have learned it, you must find a candidate who can reasonably handle the task. You will need to work closely with them and train them to perform the task at a high level. Once you feel comfortable they can manage the task, let them run with it. But, your job isn’t done yet. Set clear expectations that tell the individual whether they are performing the task at a high enough level. Rinse and repeat with other tasks in your organization.

Mastering the art of sales, conflict resolution, and delegation all take time, and are incredibly difficult to do, but when done well, will make your business thrive.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

We look to work with people who have high integrity and conduct business in a way that is honest, transparent, and ethical while communicating clearly. This is the person who does the right thing when they think nobody is watching. You never have to worry about them having ill intent or that they will take advantage of you. These people are much easier to work with and allow you to build successful businesses together. This is the type of business person we strive to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bayviewpacking.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bayviewpacking_/?next=%2Favaferferii%2Ffeed%2F&locale=en_US%2Cen_US
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BayViewPacking/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bay-view-packing-co/about/