local business

On January 28, Business & Beer (BNB) met at Brewco, a gastropub in Manhattan Beach, for the first time. I have to admit, since this was the first time we held a gathering there and it is on the outer reaches of the self-imposed boundaries we set up, I was not really sure how many people would show up. This was amplified a little because I had not been able to attend BNB lately due to prior obligations. When we had four people show up early, with each of them being first time attendees, my fears were quickly erased. We had about 15 people show up and almost half were first time attendees! We owe this to our regular attendees and those following us on Facebook who have been spreading the word; we definitely appreciate it.

Business & Beer at Brewco

Set up and ready for Business & Beer at Brewco

Besides the new faces that joined us, I observed new business leads being made. At one point, Tanya was talking to a first time attendee that mentioned she needed a plumber. Tanya asked me if the plumber that comes once in a while was there or not; he wasn’t, but one of our first timers was a plumber so I introduced the two. As it turns out, the plumber had brought a friend that has a stained glass studio. One of our regular attendees had introduced himself to the table of new attendees and asked them what they did for a living. When he discovered that one of them had a stained glass studio another lead was completed as he had been looking for someone to do some stained glass-work for his home. The funny thing is that the stained glass studio owner had been wondering what benefit Business & Beer might have for him. As I frequently say, it is all about the networking. Your results may not be instant, but it is safe to say that someone in our group will have a need for your services at some point in time or will know someone that does. Business & Beer is truly about the business as well as the beer.

Networking at Business & Beer

First time introductions resulting in business leads

This Thursday, January 31, Business & Beer will return to Sophie’s Place in the Riviera Village portion of Redondo Beach. Sophie’s Place is a very nice gastropub that always has eight craft beers on tap, with about 50 others available in bottles. We always have a nice time at Sophie’s and usually have a fairly large group in attendance. There is plenty of free parking [after 6:00 PM] so that should be a non-issue for those concerned with such things. We hope to see you there and we will do our best to introduce you to others that might benefit from what your business offers.

All the photos from our visit to Brewco, Manhattan Beach can be found on GotBaddog.com.

Please join us for Business & Beer a small business networking event which will be held at The Rockefeller on March 14, 2013 at 6 PM. The Rockefeller is located at 422 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, California. Please RSVP by commenting below that you will be there.

Logo for The Rockefeller

Join us at The Rockefeller at 6 PM on March 14, 2013

Please join us for Business & Beer a small business networking event which will be held at Alpine Inn on March 7, 2013 at 6 PM. Alpine Inn is located at 833 West Torrance Blvd Torrance, California. Please RSVP by commenting below that you will be there or let us know on our Business N Beer Facebook page .

Logo for Alpine Inn

Join us at Alpine Inn at 6 PM on March 7, 2013

Thursday, January 3 Business & Beer met at Alpine Inn at Alpine Village in Torrance for the first meetup of 2013. Since it was just two days after New Year’s Day, we were not really sure what kind of turnout we would have, but it turned out we had nothing to worry about. We had a nice group of about 15 people eager to meet up with friends, drink some beer, eat some food and do a little business. Since attendance had been low in the weeks leading up to the Christmas holiday season, it has been reassuring to see double digit attendance at both gatherings we have had since Christmas. I am in the process of setting up some special events in the upcoming months, so 2013 should be interesting and will determine whether or not Business & Beer will continue.

Beer menu

Beer Menu at Alpine Inn

Next week, Business & Beer will return to one of my favorite microbreweries in the South Bay, El Segundo Brewing Company in El Segundo. While El Segundo Brewing is probably best known for their Citra Pale Ale and White Dog IPA, they have been expanding their selection with a new Standard Crude American Imperial Stout to go along with their Hyperion Stout. It makes for a varied selection of locally brewed beers to satisfy any palate. As they are located in El Segundo, parking is free. If you do not find street parking, there is a public parking lot across the street.

Business & Beer at Alpine Inn

Business & Beer at Alpine Inn

If you work in the South Bay area and networking is one of your job duties, you can take the “work” out of the job and join us on Thursday evenings at 6:00 PM at one of our Business & Beer gatherings. Every week we meet at a microbrewery, brewpub or gastropub in the South Bay to network and enjoy some American craft beers. We are all about supporting local brewers and local business, so if this fits your mindset and you enjoy discovering new brews, come on down. We have no rules, no mandatory meetings and no dues. Just come down and have a good time. Sign up to our mailing list, found on every page, or Like Us on Facebook to make sure where we will be next. You will not regret it.

Business & Beer made its first visit to 1321 Downtown Taproom Bistro, a gastropub in Downtown Torrance last Thursday and we had a great turnout. There was a little concern since the event was held two days after Christmas and it was at a new location; but it seemed that people that had not attended in a while missed the camaraderie and good beer as we had one of the better turnouts in the last few weeks. We have been familiar with for quite a while and have always appreciated their 16 taps of craft beers and have been trying to include them in the Business & Beer rotation. Eventually, we were able to get everyone on the same page and make it happen. Although their kitchen is in the process of changing staff and the menu, Chef Jacob came up with a few appetizers that were made available to our group.

1321 Taproom available taps

12 Varieties of Craft Beer

Tomorrow night, January 3, 2013 we will be returning to the Alpine Inn at Alpine Village in Torrance. This will be our third visit to Alpine Inn, and have always had a good time. Alpine Inn is known more for their German and Czech beers, but their General Manager is a home brewer and has made sure that the Alpine Inn has a wide selection of American craft beers available as well. To top it off, their food is really good too. Be sure to come on down, you will not regret it.

Business & Beer at 1321 Taproom

Business & Beer at 1321 Downtown Taproom Bistro

It is a new year and if you have made a resolution to do more business and more networking; Business & Beer is for you. There are no dues, no mandatory meetings and no rules. We meet every Thursday at 6:00 PM at a local microbrewery, brewpub or gastropub in the South Bay. You will meet others that share your interest in craft beer and that would like to do business with you. Business & Beer is a resolution that is easy to keep. You can sign up to our mailing list or Like Us on Facebook to ensure you are kept in the loop. You can see all the photos from our event at 1321 Downtown Taproom Bistro on GotBaddog.com.