In our interview with Chris Spinelli the co-owner of Roc Brewing; we sat down and discussed how exactly this business idea came about as well as what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Chris started his career by choosing to go to college at RIT to pursue his degree. He was able to take advantage of getting his degree at RIT because his mother had worked there allowing him some special benefits to practically go there for nothing. One day Chris and his friend John were just sitting around Chris’s mother’s house looking for something to do. When it came across to them that they were tired of drinking cheap beer, Chris’s mother suggested they go buy a home brewing kit from the hydroponics store. After they made their first couple batches and got it to where they wanted it. They started to drink it and show it off to their friends. What they didn’t realize was that day would be the beginning to something special for them. Each person they gave it to they took feedback from and normally they came back for more because it was free beer. It became so popular that they could not keep up with everyone’s demand for it. So they decided they wanted to open there own brewing company. Roc Brewing then evolved from a hobby in their parent’s garage to a brewing company at 56 South Union Street in the heart of Rochester, NY.
Chris and John had more than just their careers at stake. Chris had chosen to pursue the Brewing career because it wasn’t about the money anymore as much as it was about doing something he enjoyed. He had a big time job offer in NYC on Wall Street something he’d always dreamed of. He just couldn’t pass up the Brewery though. They had to realize that not only were they playing with their money but they were playing with investors’ money too. The most important thing though when deciding to open your own business is the product. Another key component was the location of where the tap room was going to be. They knew they had a good product from the begging from all the feedback they were gathering from their friends. So now that they had their product, they had to decide what they had to do next. They knew they needed to know more about the business, so they began doing research for months gathering all the information they could.
Chris and John decided to go with an LLC or also known as a Limited Liability Company. A LLC is a type of business that is created by filing certain documents through the state government. LLC’s have the choice of being taxed as a partnership or corporation. One of the biggest advantages of the LLC is the fact that both Chris’s and John assets are protected. They have the choice of whether they would like to be taxed as a corporation or a partnership. Also the profits and losses do not have to be distributed evenly to which each person invested into the business. Roc Brewing is also not required to keep track of hours, file resolutions, or hold annual meetings. They have a written out agreement between the two of them that explains who does what and how things are to be operated. Chris handles mostly the business side of Roc Brewing while John handles more or the brewing. The problem with the LLC is the fact that if they ever want to sell the business it’s non-transferable. They need the approval from both partners if they ever want to sell. In the begging of business it seems like something like this wouldn’t happen, but it happens all the time. Partnering up with someone is not as easy as it seems sometimes. You have two personalities, decisions to run by each other, disagreements, and most of all money. LLC’s also require dissolve dates which means if something were to happen to one of the partners the LLC could be dissolved. Also the paperwork of an LLC is a pain along with the taxes.
Roc Brewing was faced with a tough ethical dilemma early on in their business career. They were faced with whether or not to serve a product that wasn’t up to
