• Episode Summary & Player
• Full Transcript
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth podcast Summary

Episode 293: Bill Shufelt – Athletic Brewing, Non-Alcoholic Beer Guy

Bill Shufelt, the Co-Founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing Co., joins the show to share his journey from working at a top hedge fund to starting the biggest non-alcoholic craft brewery in the US. Hear how he discovered the opportunity for non-alcoholic craft beer, how to reinvent a product category, what’s driven the success of Athletic Brewing, the story behind their flagship Run Wild IPA, and his favorite bars and restaurants in StamVegas. This episode covers everything from non-alcoholic beer to JJ Watt. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What was a day in the life like for Bill at the hedge fund
• When did he realize there was an opportunity for non-alcoholic craft beer
• How do you add more hours to your weekend
• When did people start believing in Athletic Brewing Co.
• What are Athletic Brewing’s taste standards
• How do you find investors with a disruptive product
• What’s Bill’s personal favorite Athletic Brewing beer
• Run Wild!

Connect with Bill at AthleticBrewing.com and on LinkedIn.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & StamVegas
  • [0:30] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:39] Connect with Bill at AthleticBrewing.com and on LinkedIn
  • [2:14] What does StamVegas mean to him
  • [3:02] Did Bill live in Stamford or just work there
  • [3:18] Shoutout, The Big D!
  • [3:55] What was a day in the life like for Bill at the hedge fund
  • [5:41] Did anyone know Steve Cohen would buy the New York Mets back then
  • [6:58] Platitudes

• The Athletic Brewing Story
  • [7:45] When did Bill realize there was an opportunity for non-alcoholic craft beer
  • [10:15] Point72
  • [11:42] Entrepreneur
  • [12:11] How do you add more hours to your weekend
  • [12:56] NFL (National Football League)
  • [13:05] Excel
  • [13:29] Scott Hanson – Wild Business Growth podcast #170: Host of NFL RedZone
  • [13:45] How did Bill learn how to make beer
  • [14:18] Whole Foods
  • [15:39] John Walker
  • [16:13] How do you reinvent a product category
  • [16:26] Focus Groups
  • [16:59] B Corp
  • [17:56] Authentic Athletic
  • [18:15] When did people start believing in Athletic Brewing
  • [19:22] Whole Foods Forager
  • [21:09] Sampling
  • [22:00] Hey, that rhymes
  • [22:50] Where did the Run Wild IPA come from
  • [23:57] Trademark
  • [24:22] What are Athletic Brewing’s taste standards
  • [24:48] Sensory Panel
  • [25:09] Bazinga
  • [25:40] How do you find investors with a disruptive product
  • [27:03] Angel Investors, Cap Table (Capitalization Table)
  • [27:24] Venture Capital (VC), Family Offices
  • [27:35] FinTech (Financial Technology), AI (Artificial Intelligence)
  • [28:13] What is Athletic Brewing’s expansion strategy
  • [29:56] What’s driven the success of Athletic Brewing
  • [30:47] Company Culture, HR (Human Resources)
  • [32:06] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Bill
  • [32:08] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [32:49] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [33:14] Bobby V’s, Colony Grill
  • [33:42] JJ Watt
  • [34:19] What were Bill’s favorite Vermont beers
  • [35:15] What’s his personal favorite Athletic Brewing beer
  • [35:53] What would his dream collab be
  • [37:23] I can’t talk
  • [37:47] Connect with Bill at AthleticBrewing.com and on LinkedIn
  • [38:23] What are Bill’s Final Thoughts
  • [38:48] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [38:53] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Bill
  • [39:02] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [39:05] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [39:07] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [39:12] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding and professional-looking podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Bill Shufelt on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And have some Athletic brews together. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!