The Beverage Issue 2018

Coming together is a beginning;  keeping together is progress;  working together is success.” ― Henry Ford 

Building a business from dream to reality takes an unbelievable amount of time, energy and hard work. It is the ultimate endurance test, especially if the endeavor involves going into business with family and/or friends. 

I’d like to raise a glass and dedicate this Beverage issue to the dreamers who fill these pages, many of whose businesses have been built in partnership with family and/or friends. 

While we’ve all heard the cautionary tales of family/friend business disasters, there can be countless benefits of working with the people we know the best. The personal connection creates a natural team, bolstered by trust and loyalty, which can help decisions get made more quickly, and ideas, products and services get delivered faster. Office politics can be harsh, and while disagreements happen within families too, there’s a solidarity that tends to win out and propel agendas forward. 

I’ve heard time and again from family/friend business owners that the key is to stay positive, to laugh instead of cry and to expect that the plan won’t turn out the way you expected. Often the outcome may be different, but even better than what you had planned. Sometimes the greatest discouragements come just before a breakthrough. This sage advice applies to all of us, doesn’t it? 

These personal connections help partners know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and can work together to help each other shine. Most importantly, bonds of love and friendship can encourage collaboration, and help create productive working environments that are energetic and fun. 

Whether you like your drink mixed or muddled, shaken or stirred, raise it up as you read the stories of these dreamers, and thank them the next time you buy their products and visit their establishments. 

Cheers or, as the French say, À votre santé (“To your health!”) 

Ann Curtis, Managing Editor 

Featured in The Beverage Issue, 2018: