The Lonerider Spirit w/ Sumit Vohra
When is the right time to turn a passion into a business?
In 1989, I started home brewing - before the craft beer movement had really gained momentum. I thought this was a great way to save money. The first batches were pretty good but it didn’t always go as planned. Especially when the beer over-carbonated and exploded in the closet. Despite this, I loved it. Making better beer than you could buy was really cool. I considered turning my hobby into an actual business, but never took the leap.. I had a good job that paid well and I was worried that joy of brewing would be lost by turning it into work.
On today’s episode, I talk with Sumit Vohra, who pivoted from a career as a computer scientist at Cisco to the CEO and Founder of Lonerider Brewery in Raleigh, North Carolina. In a rapidly saturating market, the craft beer scene is not what it was like even a decade ago. Sumit & Lonerider are leaning into their brand and culture as a way to distinguish themselves among thousands of competitors.
We discuss what being an intrapreneur is like at a large, established business, the difficult process of turning what some consider a hobby into a profitable enterprise, and the challenging decisions that business owners face when dealing with people and profits.
My conversation with Sumit touches on a key point of the podcast - that innovation is rooted in the belief that everyday you can do something better. Sumit is open and honest about the difficulties of running a business in a over-crowded industry and gives great advice and reflection on how he is able to keep moving forward.
We even took the concept of the podcast literally and recorded live with a pint of beer at Lonerider Brewery.
Please check out the episode in the above link. If you have an opinion on these topics, please feel free to email us through the contact page. The best ideas often stem from the intersection of different points of view. The episode is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to podcasts. Enjoy!
