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Who says you can’t do what you love?
For anyone who argues that it’s not possible to do work you love, Ashley Rose Salvitti would beg to differ. She’s here to tell her story about following her passion for all things beer, buying a short bus and starting a craft beer tour company from scratch.
Three years ago Ashley Rose Salvitti decided that Portland was in need of a better way of getting both tourists and locals around the city’s best breweries and brewpubs. Beginning with just an idea and a lot of determination, Ashley started her business from nothing and quickly grew it to become the ultimate craft beer tour experience.
Now three years later, BREWVANA has a fleet of three buses, several employees, and a growing business that puts a smile on Ashley’s face every day.
Ashley joins me from Brewvana HQ for a fantastic discussion about what it takes to bootstrap a business from the ground up and serve your customers like nobody’s business.
Listen in as Ashley shares her story about chasing a dream, building a small company and moving forward in the face of uncertainty and doubt.
Here are some of Ashley’s favorite things:
Most Influential Book
- Oh The Paces You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
Best Conference or Industry Event
Most Effective Strategy For Growing Your Business
- Branding and reputation
Favorite Business Tool or Resource
- Google Docs
Most Recent Exciting Adventure
- Ashley traveled to New York City for Travel Portland’s tap into PDX beer tasting event for the media where she introduced herself to several beer and travel writers. In her words it was “Epic.”
Show Highlights
- Ashley shares her favorite story ever…the story of how Brewvana was born.
- How Ashley studied her competitors and created a unique solution that fit a gap in the market.
- Ashley talks about pursuing her dream even though some were telling her it wasn’t a good idea.
- The satisfaction of starting a business you love, seeing it grow, and providing great people with good jobs.
- Ashley talks about how her role has evolved over the course of three years and why it’s so important to delegate responsibilities to others.
- Knowing when to hire support, even when it feels like you can’t afford to do it.
- The importance of building your business foundation first and then adding on other profitable elements later.
- Why it’s so important to stay true to your mission and focus on what you do best.
- The story behind The Money $hit tracking system and why it’s so important to track the financial health of your business in a way that works for you.
- Why it’s imperative to associate with people that can provide guidance on taking your business to the next level.
- Ashley talks about her passion for exceeding her customer’s expectations and how her company now does this.
- Why image is everything and how Brewvana has been consistent with creating their brand.
- Ashley’s advice for anyone that has a great idea but they’re just scared to move forward with it.
Enjoy!
Interview Links for Ashley:
- ExperienceBrewvana.com – Check out the Brewvana site. It has all the information on brewery tours as well as fun photos, videos, company history and more.
- Brewvana short documentary – ‘Well Then… Don’t Give Up’ is a fantastic short documentary about Ashley’s journey of starting her business and experiencing the highs and lows of getting it off the ground. It’s definitely worth the watch! Film credit goes to Mike Vraneza of MGV Photography and Mike Biewer of MikeBiewer.com.
- Say hello to Ashley on Facebook Twitter Instagram Google+
Mentioned in this show:
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Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.
