TODAY: I will be a judge in the craft beer version of Shark Tank

I’m excited about this evening in Chicago, where I will be one of the judges in the Samuel Adams “Brewing the American Dream” pitch room competition in Chicago, along with Jim Koch, founder of Boston Brewing Company/Sam Adams and other hospitality industry experts.  The judges will be counseling and choosing the best F&B start-up business among Chicago entries, sending the best to the finals for a $10,000 business grant and additional expert consulting services.

I will also be doing a speed coaching session with local hospitality and beverage business people after the pitch.

I hope to post a video of the event and other follow-up on how things went – Cheers!

What is the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Pitch Room Competition?

Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream is hosting the 2^nd national contest for small business owners in the food and beverage industry to help participants practice and perfect the art of the sales pitch.

Food and beverage small business owners in the Chicago area who apply and are selected to participate will work with Sam Adams employees and local experts to gain input and feedback on their pitch. The 1 or 2 businesses who make the best “pitch” will advance to a final round in New York City at the end of 2014, where they’ll compete for a $10,000 business grant and a series of personalized coaching and mentoring sessions from the Sam Adams team and the potential for their products to be sold at retail establishments of the various judges.

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What is the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Program?

The Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program is designed to provide low to moderate income small business owners in the food, beverage, craft brewing, and hospitality industries with the essential ingredients to become financially independent and see their dreams of business ownership come true. The program was created by Boston Brewing Founder and Brewer, Jim Koch, who began Samuel Adams in his kitchen in 1984. Today, thirty years after Jim first brewed Boston Lager, the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program helps small food, beverage, and hospitality business owners and craft brewers via access to mentoring and capital in with loans distributed through the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream fund at Accion that provide much needed capital that is often out of reach to micro entrepreneurs who would not qualify for a traditional bank loan.

Since launch, the program has delivered the following results:

• Over $2,500,000 in loans distributed through the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Loan Fund at Accion.
• Loans disbursed to small food, beverage, and hospitality businesses and craft brewers
• Over 1,900 jobs created or retained through varied types of support to business owners
• More than 4,000 small business owners mentored or coached with our signature Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Speed Coaching events.

What is Speed Coaching?

Speed Coaching is a unique event developed by Samuel Adams and micro-lender, Accion, to help lower income food & beverage small business owners get the benefit of free discipline-specific advice. This provides access to networks and business skills for small business owners.