We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brandi Calhoun a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Brandi with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
When I was 8 years old, my parents divorced. I come from a very small town in Texas that revolves around the oil field. For as long as I can remember, both of my parents worked in the industry in one form or another. My dad worked out in the field and my mom in the offices. From as far back as I can remember, both of my parents worked very hard to give my brother and I what we needed. There was always food on the table and we sometimes had spending money if we went out with frirends, but often times we wore hand-me-down clothes and relied on help from other family members. The oil industry is a roller coaster and it’s great when it’s high, but it’s hard on those that stay and wait it out when it’s low. I really attribute my work ethic to both of my parents for working hard to provide for us in such a chaotic industry, but I have to say that the biggest push for me was my mom. It’s hard being a woman in that type of industry. She did get a small amount of child support for us but she took on so much extra work and several side jobs to be able to give us a somewhat comfortable (lower middle class, I’d say) childhood. On the flip side of that, because of how hard they worked and how abscent they’d be sometimes, I was motivated to not only work hard for our family, but to enjoy the spoils and make an effort to have a healthy work/life balance. I remember coming home from school and my mom would be working from home, doing paperwork and invoices, until it was time for us to go to bed. I always hated that for her, constantly working in and out of the 9-5 hours she was scheduled for.
Please tell our readers about what you do, what you feel is most exciting or special about it, as well as anything else you’d like folks to know about your brand/art/etc. If relevant, please also tell our readers about anything new (events, product/service launches, expansion, etc)
My husband and I were gifted a homebrew kit as an engagement gift in 2013. We quickly realized that we really enjoyed brewing beer and playing with fun flavors, and we decided to make some special brews for our wedding guests. By the end of the night, all of our beer had been consumed and all we had left were packs of Shiner and Miller Lite. For months after that, all we heard from family and friends was “you guys have something here!” and we got so many requests for special batches. We even brewed for friends weddings. I’m learning that’s how we all get started though, by homebrewing. We really believe we have a unique product and palette for craft beer and together, with our experience and expertise, we make the perfect team to not only brew but to run a successful business in the industry. We are still a very new business, just shy of being open for six months, so our current focus is on building up our beer selection and finishing our space. Our plans include building out a large, indoor taproom, renovating our outdoor patios to be able to see the amphitheater next door and the beautiful hill country around us and creating a safe and fun playspace for kids. We are family and pet-friendly and we want to make sure we have a great spot that everyone can comfortably enjoy. Once we’re a little more established, our goal is to find ways to give back to the community. We plan to have a charitable arm of our brand that will allow us to help out community members by doing this like helping to clear teacher’s lists, creating scholarships for local students, being a resource in the event of disasters (like the big Texas freeze years back) and more. We want to position ourselves to be a positive force for those around us in whatever capacity is necessary.
The thing we love most about what we’re doing, aside from being creative, is that we’re doing it as a family. We are creating a legacy for our kids, and we’re getting to spend time together while doing it. We have more freedom to be there for our kids when they need us, and to just be more present in general.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
First, I think the most important quality to have when getting started on any journey is determination (sometimes known as stuborness, like in my case…haha.) There are going to be so many road blocks, so many no’s and so many issues you will encounter. You have to be determined to find the answers and to jump over those hurdles. I think the second most important quality is patience, especially when dealing with city municipalities. There will be times that you’ve done all you physically can and all you can do is wait for someone else to do their job/part. I’ve found that to the most frustraiting part of all this, and it’s taken a lot for me to learn how to be patient. The third is a skill more than a quality. Do your research. If you’re starting a business, research why people in your industry fail. Look for stories of people who have tried to do what you’re trying to do. Research what you’ll need to move forward, like permits, licensing, etc. so you’re ready when the time comes. You’ll be glad you did and you’ll have more confidence when starting out. There is, however, a fourth quality that I think is just as important as these. You have to be self aware. If you know you can’t do something on your own, physically or financially, you have to be willing to ask for help, even if you really wanted to be able to do it yourself. There is nothing wrong with asking for and receiving help.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
We recently opened up to the idea of seeking a partner/s. We would love to work with someone whose passions and goals align with ours. To put it simply, we want to put out a quality product, create a fun and safe space for our community and be able to give back to that community. We care deeply about the families and guests who choose to spend their hard earned money at our location. We can be reached at [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rockabillybrewing.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/rockabillybrewing
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/rockabillybrewing
Image Credits
SBB photography
