Don't go changing...or maybe change is good for you!

Trust yourself and just jump

    When we were introducing ourselves, I was intrigued by Audrey's hobby of touring breweries.  I had visited a few wineries in Napa and Pennsylvania but never visited a brewery.  It had never occurred to me that breweries would offer tours and tastings.  What really excited me about Audrey's business idea was combining her love of breweries with her unique perspective and bringing a brewery tour to Boston.  Working in the Boston tourism industry for the past 13 years, I knew food and wine tours were a recent trend along with sustainability and experiential.  The market could sustain a tour like this even though one already existed.  As we learned in CIE, entrepreneurship is taking an existing idea, tweaking it to suit the marketplace and launching it.

    Every time I put an idea or plan to paper about my yoga studio, I found myself wishing Audrey's idea was mine.  I had several ideas for her to expand her plan but couldn't think of many for my own business.  I felt out of sorts so I approached Professor Nelson about changing my idea and it was her that suggested working with Audrey.  I approached Audrey about the idea of a partnership and was thrilled when she agreed.  I really think that my experience in the tourism industry combined with her love for breweries, will make for a great partnership and business plan.

    Now that Audrey and I are partners, we need to establish the parameters of our partnership.  Neither one of us has much experience with this so I did some research on establishing partnerships in Massachusetts.  The website I read was http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/how-form-partnership-massachusetts.html and it defined  a partnership as "created when two or more people agree to do business together for profit even if there is no intent to form a partnership."  It further counseled us to do the following:

1.  Choose a business name. 
2.  File an assume business name. 
3.  Draft and sign a partnership agreement. 
4.  Obtain licenses, permits, and zoning clearance. 
5.  Obtain an Employer Identification Number.

Out of these five steps, I think number one should be a priority for us.  Finding a name that fits us and Audrey's vision will be a challenging but fun experience!  

    I approached Cindy Brown, CEO and Owner of the Boston Duck Tours for a meeting to briefly touch on the idea of a brewery tour run by women.  Cindy is the Chairperson of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitor's Bureau group tour committee and a good person to run new ideas by when pertaining to tourism in Boston.  I wanted to get her feedback on opening a new tour in Boston, what she thought the market could sustain, and in general, what she thought of the idea.  I was thrilled when she told me she would meet with Audrey and I and hear us out!  Audrey and I will have to develop interview questions for Cindy - not only for the brewery tour but for being an entrepreneur!  Cindy just opened her second business partnership, the Frost Ice Bar, so I know she will be a wealth of knowledge for Audrey and I.

     Audrey had the idea of having couples create their own wedding brew so I took this idea to my Marketing to the High End Bride's networking breakfast a few week's ago.  During the networking portion of this event, I talked with a few wedding planners about what the clients are looking for. I asked what favors were being offered and was told couples were looking for unique ideas.  I think Audrey's idea of a wedding brew could definitely work given what I heard.  I also think a fun market for this tour would be bachelor/bachelorette parties and I wanted to get an idea of what their brides were doing for these parties.  None of the planners mentioned brewery tours but they did say that their couples were trending towards joint parties so this may be a good market for our tour.  I mentioned the brewery tour to them and asked if they would be willing to talk with Audrey and I further about their client needs and they agreed.

  As we learned in CIE, it's all about the process and I'm really looking forward to this journey!

Until next time,

Deb