Just making great beer not enough for Odd13

When your goal is to be known as one of the most creative and innovative businesses in your industry, creating a strategic plan and following through with it ranks high.

As a craft brewer in Colorado, the third-ranked state for breweries per capita, Kristin Scott believes that making great beer isn’t enough to meet the goal.

Along with Odd13 Brewing co-owner Ryan Scott, she credits their success to date and into the future with consistently making great beer as well as focusing on four foundations: maintaining a healthy culture, being innovative and quality-focused, keeping the company’s message clear and consistent and making data-driven decisions.

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The Scotts concentrate on building and supporting a healthy culture by treating employees as assets rather than expenses. They offer flexible time off, good benefits and an environment where working hard and playing hard go hand in hand.

“Ryan and I both come from corporate backgrounds, and we have worked for companies that really focus on life-work balance,” she said. “Having teams that work well together and on the same page makes everyone happier and more productive.”

In the innovation and quality category, Odd13 Brewery makes evolving recipes and processes a top priority. An investment early on in lab equipment verifies quality control and quality assurance. Date coding beer, so that out of date means off the shelf, makes sure that customers keep coming back for more.

“We have invested a lot of time and money into the way our brand looks on the shelf,” Kristin Scott said, referring to the thought they put into marketing materials such as artwork and label designs. Choosing names for the beers gets the same kind of attention as consistent messaging.

Even though drinking good beer can increase good feelings, the Scotts put a high value on going beyond gut feelings when making decisions for their brewery. Instead, they rely on data and financial models.

Kristin Scott stressed the need to know daily tasks as a means of developing a successful business.

“Throughout the first 2½ years, Ryan and I worked in virtually every role in the brewery, which I think is important to grow and manage a brewery in the long term” she said. “Understanding the ins and outs of the day-to-day business is critical before growing the business and adding employees.”

As a leader, Kristin Scott makes a point of modeling a positive attitude, especially through growth phases, as a critical tool for retaining employees and keeping morale high. Meeting in-person with employees on a regular schedule and recognizing their accomplishments with positive feedback, annual raises and appreciating days helps as well.

“We have two kids, so we aren’t always at the brewery,” she said, “but staying connected and tackling issues as they arise is important.”