What is the BA doing or capable of doing to help shift this perception? I have no doubt the feedback is both candid and tongue in cheek - but I have a feeling it is mostly candid... yikes! I think the OP's question remains unanswered, even if the answer of "DON'T!" is genuine - why is that the case? And more importantly how can it be mitigated/corrected? Long hours, bureaucratic red tape, impossible deadlines, razor thin margins (if there are positive margins). Not cool! What is the solution?
Oh God, RELAX already.
#1 mistake is opening a brewery to begin with! Most places are already saturated with breweries with few exceptions. You will need a VERY active tap room to survive because most breweries can not subsist on production and distribution alone, and shelf space in grocery stores are extremely competitive. You have no idea how hard it is to get on a corporate grocery store shelf. Most likely that ain't happenin' until you have been in business for a while.
So ask yourself why you want to open a brewery? Is it to create a viable business or just a vanity project? Which is directly related to the next mistake....
#2 is expecting to make any money doing this. I worked 5 years before I made a semi decent paycheck. Lucky to have had a supportive wife who made good money. Margins are razor thin in this business and equipment is super expensive and you never have enough equipment when you are starting out.
#3 Is not starting with enough funding. I'm 8.5 years in and I still need more money to expand. If you plan on being a small tasting room only you can probably subsist on a 3 bbl brew house but you better have a fantastic business plan and charge accordingly. As an aside I brew 3 barrel tasting room only batches that can be gone completely over a busy weekend. So make sure you have enough tanks and have enough beer.
#4 Mistake is not really understanding commercial brewing processes and all the hurdles that go with it. Too many think opening a brewery is just like homebrewing only on a larger scale you are going to seriously struggle. You need to be a chemist, a microbiologist, an engineer, a marketer, a graphic designer, a production manager, a safety engineer ... if you plan to have a tasting room then a bar manager, a bartender ... and a brewer. And janitor. Or be prepared to hire folks that do all that (and lets not forget plumber, electrician, welder, HVAC.)
#5 Mistake is not having a genuine business mind. The business part is every bit as hard as the brewing part ... maybe harder. A genuine business minded person can succeed in this business but in most cases that job is way too complex to be both the brewer and the business manager. The two are full time jobs and you can't have a brewery without both. So if you are opening a brewery and plan on being the brewer you are going to need the business manager there as well.
I could go on but that's enough to start with.
