Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sean Barber, Owner of  Verdadero Tequila, located in Austin, TX, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I own and operate an award-winning tequila company. Our customers are retail stores and restaurants that carry our products for consumers. Our tequila is for the discerning drinker who values quality and tradition. Our brand’s name, translated from Spanish, means "The Truth" or "The Real One" because we stay true to the art of premium estate tequila. Our tequilana blue weber agave piña ‘hearts’ are slowly steam-roasted in centuries-old traditional brick ovens for 54 hours.

The aguamiel is then fermented for 60 hours and pot distilled. Our Agave comes from both the highlands and lowlands of Jalisco, Mexico. By combining agave from two diverse altitudes with distinct soils and climates, our ultra-premium tequila is complex and balanced. Our Reposado and Añejo are then both rested in Bourbon barrels. Every bottle is then hand-labeled for a genuine character.

Tell us about yourself

I’m a first-generation American, born and raised in Orange County, California, but I consider myself a Texan now. Back in 2003, when I was an undergrad at the University of California-Irvine, I started a manufacturing company that would go on to make products for the water, agriculture, liquid storage, oil & gas, trash, and recycling industries. Notable companies and organizations that use my products include NASA, General Motors, Volkswagen Group, Waste Management, Waste Connections, Churchill Downs, Baker Hughes, Halliburton, Chesapeake Energy, Augusta National Golf Course, Circuit of the Americas, and the U.S. Military.

In 2019, the opportunity presented itself to sell and merge the manufacturing business I had founded decades earlier with my largest competitor. In February 2020, after years of laying the foundation, my wife and I started our tequila company. I love the spirits industry because it's full of so many enthusiastic people who do what they love every day. I really enjoy that energy and seeing people enjoy my product. That intrinsic dedication is necessary for such a tough industry to compete and stand out.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I've been able to build a life for my family on my terms. I've succeeded (with enormous help) in industries that have high barriers to entry and very high failure rates.

There are days that, by happenstance, I come across all three of my legacy products (containers, tanks, and tequila) being used (sometimes all in the same shopping center! ), and that's very gratifying and surreal.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Someone just starting a venture may underappreciate the deep time commitment and holistic responsibility that comes with that decision. Running a business can become the defining arc of your lifestyle because of what is required. It's very difficult to strike a traditional balance between work and life because turning ourselves "off" from our business is not usually an option, especially if we strive to be a market leader.

However, prioritize personal time with your loved ones and make sure to be fully present. If we give ourselves in a quality way with that limited time, everyone will be better at it. In the end, when we look back at our lives, I think the heavy regrets we'll have will be of a personal nature, not professional.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Know what you are and aren't before going down that path. I find a lot of people have this idealized vision of what they believe running a company is without properly assessing their risk tolerance, commitment, and capacity for stress. They end up unhappy and are more likely to quit early because they weren't honest with themselves, to begin with.
  2. Block out the noise. Your focus (or lack thereof) is highly determinant of your outcome. If you want to succeed, your focus must be intense.
  3. Value your product/service properly. Many people either don't know their numbers or are too afraid to properly value what they bring to market. If you understand your market and your product is in demand, don't undercut yourself with low margins. You will get squeezed as your variable costs go up as you grow.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://verdaderotequila.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdaderotequila
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verdaderotequila/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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