The GROW phase of a brewery has a billion different possibilities, and every brewery will experience this phase in a different way. Growth can mean an additional fermenter, a grain silo, or maybe your own canning line. In other cases it's additional space in the tap room, more patio space outside, handheld electronic ordering in your tap room for your staff and customers, a new website, a barrel program, or an entirely new location. The options are endless.
The best advice we can give here is to stick with your systems and be diligent about analysis of the day to day operations, always looking for efficiencies and improvements in the quality of the beer + guest experience. This is checklists and double-checks, learning from each little thing and becoming better for it. It's also finding the right people that fit with your team, and investing in them.
The payoff for maintaining accounting systems will be improved financing opportunities. The reward for monitoring your beer quality and the cleanliness of your equipment will be better beer and more consistency for your brand and your customers. Continuity and persistence with marketing and sales will reach exponentially more customers. Offering continuing education and team building for your staff will create a dedicated core of long-term support. Finding your groove and improving on it with every opportunity is a consistent element of success.
As you grow, watch for your initial systems to become obsolete and plan ahead with ways to become more robust. Take the opportunity to meet with a financial consultant or a marketing consultant for an hour or two to ensure that you're on the right track. If you haven't done any distribution, consider limited self-distribution to a few area restaurants, bars or liquor stores. If you're already doing that, be aware of stressing those internal systems and start learning about the options for formal distribution or alternatives like Direct to Consumer (DtC) programs.
And - yes - continue to learn. Read, attend workshops and seminars, consider classes in areas of your business that you feel would be most appropriate. Delegate a little when you can so that this learning can happen and growth can be pursued in a strategic way. (Educational Resources)
When you're ready for the next significant step, you will probably find that the resources and advice back in the PLAN zone will be helpful once again. "Re-evaluate everything" generally does.
Congratulations for reaching this point in your business journey! Kudos for all of your hard work and dedication. The brewing industry is made up of a fantastic group of ambitious and hard working people doing what they love. Therein lies the magic.
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