Beer, Business & Podcasting…

A few days back my good friend Risa and I were having a conversation about receiving assistance from the business community for our projects. Yep, we were talking about “corporate sponsorship” - something usually frowned upon in the DIY and indie communities (Or is it? - I’m not sure… maybe I frowned upon it at some point in the past, so I could be projecting. Please correct me if I’m wrong).

We were both considering our relationships with two companies that expressed interest in our respective projects and offered to assist us with two very simple (yet essential) things - beer and musical instruments. Most independent entrepreneurs looking to create an alternative business model, promote local ownership and shift the buying patterns of corporate-dependent consumers might consider this to be a bad proposition.

But consider, for a moment, this thought…

Us Indyish-ers, well… we like to drink beer. Big surprise! We go to a show and most likely, at some point during the evening, we find ourselves at the bar (here’s where the thinking part comes into effect). So, which beer do you usually choose? Growing up in my home town, “good old” Suburban Metro-Toronto, the popular choice of the masses would probably be something like Molson Canadian. Yep - chock full of unhealthy preservatives, produced en-mass and distributed around the world. Not so “canadian” really…

I was happy to find, after settling in Montreal, that this wasn’t the case (whew!). There are many alternatives for locally brewed beer that is more affordable and better tasting. I know what you’re asking… “Can we REALLY make a difference in the world simply by DRINKING BEER?!” Well, I don’t know. To be honest, it sounds kind of ridiculous. BUT! I at least try to buy the local stuff whenever possible ’cause it’s usually fresh brewed and doesn’t travel a million miles to get into to my fridge.

Consider another thought… musicians need instruments to make music. We usually are not the most wealthy individuals in the world. So consider, a company wants to help support you with something that is essential to your craft. I play a Norman acoustic guitar, which is manufactured by the same company that generously offered their assistance. So, by no means, would I be endorsing some shitty product that I don’t even use. It was simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time and having someone from the company notice that I was using their product.

I think the major difference between “corporate sponsorship” of the evil kind and “corporate partners” of the supportive kind rely solely on your relationship to the people that you’re doing business with and where they’re coming from. At some point during your indie, DIY life you start to realize that you can’t do it ALL by yourself. So accepting a little endorsement from some local companies or like-minded people ain’t gonna kill ya.

In the meantime have a listen to this podcast here that was made using a hand-crafted, Quebec made instrument while drinking some locally brewed juice of the barley.

Cheers!!