Are We Crazy for Turning Down the Easy Route?
I've been working on a tequila brand for the last 7 months, after spending over a year studying the tequila and spirits industry beforehand.
We recently launched publicly and were honestly surprised by the response. Within the first 24 hours, we grew to roughly 10,000 followers on Instagram, and we're currently in the process of launching our Kickstarter campaign.
While crowdfunding is exciting, we're also exploring more traditional financing options because we'd like to take a safer approach to producing our first batch. Our goal is simple: secure enough funding to get initial production underway and focus heavily on marketing, distribution, and growth.
What gives us confidence is that we've already established relationships with 6 Michelin-starred restaurants and 3 high-end clubs that have expressed interest in featuring our product. In addition, we're receiving daily messages and emails from people asking when they'll be able to purchase it.
We're looking for advice from entrepreneurs, investors, lenders, or anyone who has experience financing an alcohol brand in its early stages. Whether that's loans, strategic investors, industry connections, or other funding routes, we'd genuinely appreciate any guidance.
This has been an incredible journey so far, but like many startups, we're at the stage where access to capital can make a huge difference.
Thank you to anyone willing to share their experience or point us in the right direction.