Beer and balance sheets
I’ve spent the last 20 years working in corporate finance — FP&A, reporting, management accounting — and I’ve got the certifications and resume to prove it. Honestly? Most of it’s pretty empty. Not a lot of room for creativity.
Beer, though — that’s something else. I love the taste, yeah, but it’s more than that. Beer’s built into a lot of my best memories. Hanging with friends. Kicking back after a long day. Even working on side projects solo with one in hand. There’s this feeling of relaxation and community that just doesn’t come with other things.
So this site is where those two things meet — the analytical side that likes building tools and uncovering what’s really going on in a business, and the personal side that just loves beer and small breweries.
I’ve done fractional CFO work and built finance websites before. I’ve seen how small businesses in general can struggle with the financial side — not for lack of effort, just lack of clear, actionable info. And, lack of time and knowhow.
That’s what I’m trying to bring here: simple, practical financial tools that help brewery owners make smarter decisions without overcomplicating everything.
Recipes for success
I like figuring out how things work. Always have. Especially when it comes to business.
There’s something satisfying about taking a pile of messy data and turning it into something that makes sense — something you can actually use to make a decision and move on. I like building systems for that. Because honestly, I think life — and business — are way more complicated than they need to be. People throw drama and chaos into stuff that could just be a clean, repeatable process.
That’s how I think about running a business. Save your energy for the curveballs — not the day-to-day stuff.
Breweries already get that. You don’t just start throwing ingredients in a kettle and hope for the best. You follow a recipe. You test. You refine. You repeat. You do what works.
I’ve met a lot of brewery owners in my travels (check out the map below), and most of them are just good people who want to make something great, build a community, and keep the lights on. I respect the hell out of that.
The craft beer market’s crowded right now. Some areas are oversaturated. And it sucks seeing good breweries go under — even if it wasn’t your favorite spot. That’s where I think I can help.
I’m not here to tell you how to brew. That’s your craft. But I’ve got years of experience in finance, FP&A, budgeting, and analysis — and I’ve built this site to share that with people who’d rather spend their time brewing beer than building spreadsheets.
Who the hell am i???
I’ve been writing about personal and business finance for years now — long before this site. I built and ran a couple of sites (SpreadsheetsForBusiness.com (now defunct?) and InvestSomeMoney.com), both focused on practical tools and clear thinking around money. I’ve since sold them, so while most of my old content’s still out there, I can’t vouch for the newer stuff or how it looks now.
I also dabbled a bit with Substack — Financial Expertise Guide and Small Biz Financial Focus. It’s all been part of the same thread for me: sharing what I know and building resources that help people make sense of their financial lives.
Credentials-wise, I’ve got an MBA and spent about 10 years as a Certified Management Accountant. I’ve worked in cost accounting, FP&A, and even did a stretch as a fractional CFO.
What I’ve always cared about most, though, is helping business owners and managers understand what’s really going on in their business — not just on paper, but in real life. When you’ve got that kind of clarity, you make better decisions. You move faster. And you feel a whole lot more in control of your world.
140+ breweries and counting!
Here’s a map of every brewery I remember visiting since I first got into craft beer back in 2018. Take a wild guess where I started and where I moved to, lol.
If you’ve got ideas or feedback, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out through the contact form (home page) or hit me up on social.