Meet Mark Ruf

We were lucky to catch up with Mark Ruf recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mark, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

My optimism comes from the realization that I have the ability to create. Whether it’s businesses, apps, music, or woodworking projects, I love bringing ideas to life. For a long time, I was afraid of criticism and hesitant to put my work out into the world. But over time, I learned that with a little effort, trial, and error, I was capable of making cool things.

What really shifted my mindset was understanding that there isn’t always a “wrong” way to do things—just different ways of approaching them. That gave me the freedom to experiment and enjoy the process, rather than worrying about getting everything perfect.

I also find optimism in the simple fact that everything we see around us—products, buildings, art, technology—was created by people just like me. Knowing that, and seeing how collaboration helps bring new ideas to life, makes me excited about what’s possible. When we work together, we can create incredible things, and that’s something that keeps me looking forward with optimism.

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 am the founder of NA Beer Club, a non-alcoholic beer-of-the-month subscription service that has helped introduce thousands of people, who are looking to cut down on their alcohol intake, to the growing availability of great-tasting craft non-alcoholic beer.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1) Taking a leap of faith. Just do the thing you want to do and don’t think too hard about it.
2) Luck. I got lucky that I started my journey during the explosion of demand for non-alcoholic beer
3) Trial and error. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, or a lot of decisions that weren’t very good. But I learned from them and can now look back and laugh at them.

My advice would be to just do the things that you want to do. Learn along the way. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Wrong decisions are often better than no decisions.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

My ideal customer is any beer-lover who has recently come to the realization that they need to cut back on their alcohol consumption. For many of these people, drinking beer isn’t just about getting a buzz, but more about social and ritualistic purposes that help them feel better connected to others. Introducing them to non-alcoholic beer helps them keep their sense of connection and community but keeps them healthy at the same time.

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