DME would be stocked and LME is still being looked at.

Yeast would be tough too. It'd have to be fresh.

Would it be worth starting a thread where we'd list 3 pros we look for in a supplier and maybe 3 turn off from a supplier? Maybe it would give some insight....

P.S.

You launch, I'm buying... at least once. Count it!!

As of today I am only 50-50% if we do this. I am looking into what the cost would be on designing a website. The cost of the grain and yeast isn't that big of a deal. Hosting the site isn't that big of a deal either. If we can do this for 5k at the beginning I think we will do it.

I have started looking into what malts to start off with. I want to keep the number under 30 to start off. Any suggestions?

I read your post about making <$40k, I most days have a love/hate relationship with my job. I will tell you that as much as you love to brew it would be cool to do the "buy this kit and make this beer here" thing. If you can make money doing something you love it is worth it, and if not you would have the stuff you better call poodie about renting the conical

Unless you can start with some sort of turnkey ecommerce site, I don't think 5K will be able to get you a website set up, unless you could find somebody who would work in exchange for a share of the company.

If I were you if look at hosting sites that have package deals. An inexpensive hosting site is 1&1. I don't think they get good reviews, but they're inexpensive, so it might be an option to start with them and switch later.

I have several guys who I know that are computer programmers, and I have helped them buy letting them in my group grain buys. I will try to see what they say about what it would take to get this done.

The buddy who would be in this with me is a former mortgage broker and is in school getting his business management degree. He may be getting a professional brewing job real soon. If he gets the brewing job I will have to look for a different partner and I think I would have a couple to pick from, but his business management degree would be very helpful going forward.

Beer Warrior, never and I mean never go into business with
anyone not even your best friend. It always ends at some point
and it's never pretty. Ex wives and lawyers get involved and it's
a bad deal.
Go it alone but ask for help. Friends will always help you out
especially if beer is involved. Go into business with one and
you could end up doing most of the work while they expect a
check in the mail. A friend of mine started a brewery a few
years back with a rich guy who fronted most of the money.
Another partner was a local bar owner and the other was a good
old boy homebrewer who claimed to be an accountant.
The rich guy never showed up but always wanted a cut. The bar
owner who was supposed to help out with electronics never lifted
a finger and pulled the beer out of his bar when confronted with
lack of effort. The good old boy accountant left his wife and
moved in the brewery with his pregnant girlfriend.
All the while my buddy and his wife did 99% of the work. Ended
up with lawyers involved and a nasty brewery divorce.
All these guys were tight just a few years prior.

I had a similar situation with two friends back in the 80's
in a business we started. Business was good but they only
wanted to be around when it was time for a dividend check.

Just last year my business had to buy out a friends ex wife
who fell into our business through a divorce. Cost us 60,000
to get rid of her not including 15 years of shareholder checks
sent to her. She never worked a day in the store.

I'm glad HatchetJack broke the ice. I have seen too many partners end up in lawsuits or bankrupt. When it gets going/tough one person always perceives the other as working more or less or something comes up in the partners life... At the minimum I would clearly define responsibilities for each person.

I would feel better if you said I've got a big empty basement and we are going to start from there. Having the location would give you the stronger hand and commitment. It also helps with the work load. Working from home sucks but it would give you a way of still being connected with family while you work. I can't imagine working a day job and then working in a renal storage unit at 8pm, when my partner can't make it because his daughter has a tummy ache.

I'm not trying to be a total bung hole. I've now got two businesses going and if you can make it fly it can be very rewarding but OMG there can be some days when everything is going crappy and you have to write $25k in checks and you have not been paid in months. The $25k is just a guess but sometimes it can feel like a million.

I totally understand the caution with partnerships and I have seen more marriages end in divorce than business partnerships, and people still get married. The reason to get a partner is to divide the liability. I like my credit score and I want to buy a new house soon, so I am not looking to write a bunch of checks for something that could prove to be successful or could end up costing me some major money.

The other guy is a homebrewer and is going to college to get his business degree. The rental unit would just hold the grain that isn't needed right away. The plan would be to divide and conquer with each of house working from our homes.

Both he and I have a number of things going on right now that could prove to make this possible business venture a no-go. I have a interview on Friday for a promotion at work and it would give me a nice $8K raise. He may be getting a job as a head brewer at a local place that is looking to get into the market.

If he does get the job and I don't get a promotion I may talk to my folks about just advancing me some money.