This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features LeAnn Darland, 38, of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Tara Hankinson, 37, of Bronxville, NY. Darland worked in financial operations at Google and Hankinson in customer experience strategy New York Times when they started side hustle homebrewing to be done TALEA Beer Co. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Image Credit: Courtesy of TALEA. LeAnn Darland, left; Tara Hankinson, right.
When you started yours side hustleand where did you find the inspiration for it?
Tara: The summer after my MBA, I worked at a winery and fell in love with the idea of creating that experience – a beautiful space, Instagram flights and a real connection with customers – in the world of beer. I started producing houses while working in management consulting and continued while working at New York Times. I left to join a beer e-commerce startup, where I met LeAnn. That job was one step closer to truly pursuing my passion for beer.
LeAnn: I lived in Coronado, San Diego, during my time at tamarind. I loved the casual, community environment of the breweries, which was such a contrast to my time serving. When I moved to San Francisco, all my friends who visited wanted to visit the wineries. I started thinking about creating a brewery that would appeal to my friends and mom, who loved to dress up and party.
What were some of the first steps you took to get yours side hustle from the ground?
We were both producing homes on opposite coasts (Tara in midtown Manhattan, LeAnn in San Francisco). Tara entered several homebrewing competitions and her beers did well. LeAnn showed off her skills at local breweries, but no one responded to her emails. When we met at the small beer the beginning of e-commercewe soon realized that we wanted to open a brewery together. From the concept in July 2018 to the first product in hand in April 2019, we spent about nine months working in stealth mode.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during your build? side hustleand how did you navigate them?
Home brewing takes a lot of time – about six hours for a day of brewing and almost a month until you have a finished beer. The process is very similar to brewing in a commercial system, except the “storage” was a small apartment refrigerator. As a homebrewer, we spent a lot of time getting beer reviews and trying to figure out the best way to get into an already crowded market.
Once we took the steps to set up our brewery, the biggest challenge was the negotiations and the many process points we had to do alongside our jobs. Liquor license attorneys and brewery managers don't take calls on nights and weekends, so we were constantly juggling the desire to make progress on our brewery project while also being type-A employees who didn't want to jeopardized performance in our daily tasks.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Sydney Applegate / TALEA. Williamsburg Taproom.
How long did it take you to see consistent monthly income? How much did the side hustle earn?
Once we had our first beer in hand, we sold and delivered it for about six months before seeing consistent purchases. We were making $15,000-$20,000 a month, but we weren't profitable. We learned a lot about our customers and adjusted the product mix, packaging format, delivery methods and sales tactics. We were losing money month after month but gaining traction.
You have since returned side hustle in a full-time business. What do growth and revenue look like now?
we are growing income double digits year over year through our wholesale businesses. We are profitable and can decide how best to use our funds now that we are financially stable. We have chosen to grow our team with amazing hires and invest in brewing equipment and processes that have a quick payback period and improve our products.
A key channel that we invest in and have seen tremendous growth in is our own partnerships and experiences. We're resourceful and have had a lot of fun working with other brands we admire to raise awareness – from Fishwife and Olipop to Fly By Jing and Black Seed Bagel. Don't be afraid to be playful and think big.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Alice Gao / TALEA.
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
The people. It's great to see someone enjoying a beer and the experience of sitting in our rooms. Our spaces aren't just about great craft beer; are also about hospitality-front service, beautifully designed lounges and a wide range of drinks and food that make going to a brewery like a experience. To see someone enjoying themselves will never grow old.
What is your advice to others hoping to get started successfully? side hustle or their full-time businesses?
do not allow excellence be the enemy of progress. Sometimes, you have to make a decision, even if it seems like a compromise. We spent several thousand dollars in trademark searches for our name and eventually combined our first two names to create TALEA. It didn't feel perfect, but it was a huge blocker in our progress.
No one will care about your business like you do. We recommend that you be as practical as possible in doing side hustles pivot a success.
This article is part of our continuity Women Entrepreneurs® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman.