We were lucky to catch up with Jack O’Connell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jack, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
This is something I dealt with for a while when I first opened the brewery up. I was only 28 when we first started, and it made me the youngest person in NJ to own a brewery at the time. I had no real experience in the field, had never run a business before, never brewed a drop of beer. Pretty much every day leading up to the doors swinging open I was asking myself if I had made the right decision quitting my job to start this with my friend Chris. We had hired an amazing brewer, and I had put a TON of time into researching the field and trying to absorb as much information as I could, but even then I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. Day 1 the doors swing open (mind you we opened in Sept. 2020 during the height of Covid) and we had a line around the block. I’ve always waited for the other show to drop and for things to slow down for us, but they never really have. For the first two years even though we had measurable success in purchasing a canning line way before we thought we would have to, putting on a major addition within the first two years, and moving into distribution with a full time sales lead I still never felt like I was truly successful yet or felt like I was not doing the job to the best of my abilities.
It’s funny to think that two years of feeling this way were basically washed away with such little effort I have to laugh looking back on how I felt. I got so caught up in trying to prove that even though I came from no experience, and was the youngest person in my position, what I was doing for a full time career was amazingly impressive to people. I was living other peoples dreams and it took me hearing that to realize how amazing this really was. I was able to see my parents who at first were slightly worried about the new endeavor go from that to bringing a bus of people every year from NY to NJ to visit the brewery and see me. The saying stop and smell the roses seems like such a simple phrase, but I truly think it can go a very long way if you actually do it. The last year of the brewery has been ripe with growth and positive change, and all it took for me to get past feeling like I wasn’t enough was just taking a breath, listening to people, and appreciating what I was doing for myself and the community around me.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I mean lets be honest, the most exciting thing to me is that I get to drink beer and hang out with people for a living. Granted it comes with 60 hour weeks on average, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world at this point. Our mission is to create a beer for everyone. We want to get away from people thinking craft beer is all about the big hops and ABV beers and get back to some amazing other styles we feel get underrepresented in the industry. I want someone to walk in and even if they are used to lite beers or no beers at all, find something they can enjoy!
I love what I do and I especially love giving back what we get. We are known in the area as an animal friendly brewery, and it does happen in part to my partner Chris Torre being a veterinarian and owning several animal hospitals in NJ. WE partner with many local rescues to run fundraisers for them, and a big thing we do is with Helping Paws Rescue. We create a unique beer every season that we sell in and out of house that features information about the rescue as well as some adoptable animals right on the can! Partial proceeds from this beer are donated back to the rescue so they can continue doing the amazing work they do.
Currently right now we are in the process of a major growth expansion that seemed so long in the making even though we are so new. Last year we purchased the lot next door and had huge plans for it. We just finished doubling the size of our production facility, we are in the works creating a large outdoor patio and bar that includes a dog park, we are adding a coffee shop next door, a new restaurant, and revitalizing the yoga studio that previously occupied the space. We want to create new spaces for people to enjoy in the town that we absolutely adore.
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?
To start, adaptability. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if I wasn’t able to change. Right after being opened for the first day,. I shifted things around to make it a more enjoyable experience for others. Even though I love certain styles of beer, I know brewing the other ones for other people is just as, if not more important so everyone can have something to enjoy. If you are afraid to adapt and change in this industry while still being able to maintain who you are at your core, you aren’t able to survive. It’s important to not be afraid of change, and to be able to roll with the punches. My dad always said I could sell water to a drowning man, and I think he might have been talking about beer. I’ve always had great people skills, even though it started out with me getting letters sent home in first grade saying I was a bit “too social”. I really do love what I do because it brings in people from EVERY walk of life through my doors. I’m able to hear stories I would have never been able to before, and meet people who have become some of my closest friends. My advice to those who aren’t huge people persons is not that you have to swing the door wide open, but open it up a crack and you’ll be surprised at some of the things you see and learn.
Last but not least I would say something that has helped me along the way is somewhat a double edged sword. It’s hard for me to sit still and be comfortable with what I’ve done so far. Over the years I’ve learned to turn it more positive than negative. I know I need to take breaths and look at all the brewery has become, but it’s also that lack of wanting to sit still that still drives me to make the product we have better every single time it hits the taps or the stores. For people like this, learn to turn your weakness into a strength. Make sure you balance taking some time out to appreciate the things you do, and know that each time you make that thing even better you can stop again and appreciate it just a bit more.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Well, being called Dr. Brewlittle’s we LOVE collaborating with animal organizations. We’ve run tons of fundraisers for local rescues, as well as partnering with one of the owners animal hospital rescues to provide funding and events so they can keep doing what they do. I also love collaborating with local artists and musicians. We have a great live music scene at the brewery, and I think it’s in part to taking on music the same way I take on our beer. Something for everyone. Even though I can’t stand country music, we have some amazingly talented artists who come in, play country like they were born to, and the taproom loves. it.
We’re always looking for more animal friendly organizations musicians, and artists to collaborate with on a wide variety of projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drbrewlittlesbeer.com
- Instagram: @dr.brewlittles
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrBrewlittles/
- Other: Search for us on UnTappd at @DrBrewlittle’sBeerCo
