Alex Brooks’ Post

Awesome opportunity!

There are so many LinkedIn Gurus out there these days it can be difficult to weed out the truly valuable content from the fluff. Mark Fackler is an example of a true servant leader who’s advice is relevant across industries. I look forward to his musings every week. If you haven’t followed Mark yet I highly recommend!

I spent this morning shadowing Store Manager, Will Goulding, at Sprouts Farmers Market 417 in San Diego. I learned A TON. As a retail first brand our goal is to be a “favorite supplier” for all of our retail partners. So instead of guessing how we can earn the moniker, we spend time in store learning how the machine actually works with the people operating it. What do you know, the answers usually present themselves. With this knowledge we can continue to evolve our support plan and ensure we’re doing everything we can to be a great partner for Sprouts. Big thanks to Katie Woodcock for facilitating!

Awesome promotion by Athletic Brewing Co. Inspired by their mission to normalize ordering Adult Non-Alc beverages in the bar or restaurant environment. As a washed up drinker myself I often mix in Athletic beers and Improv Booze-Free Cocktails alongside full strength beers and cocktails when out with friends. I can’t hang the way I used to but I still want to hang. Thanks to Bill Shufelt and Co for pioneering and normalizing the category! Go buy an Athletic tomorrow on Bill!!

Thanks, Will Nitze for the reminder that it’s perfectly appropriate, nay, downright obligatory, to enlist your community to support at every chance you get. After you help Will out, and get super hydrated in the process, stop by Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods Market, Albertsons, VONS, Pavilions, Total Wine & More, Amazon or any other fine retailers of Improv Booze-Free Cocktails and stock up for the weekend. My Mom is going to babysit Saturday (she doesn’t know yet) so I’m on a strict “every third margarita is a non-alcoholic” diet to ensure I can keep the kid free party going all day. I hope my IQMIX arrives by Sunday morning…

Just finished revisiting James Clear's "Atomic Habits". What a great book. We'll be discussing tonight at Improv Booze-Free Cocktails Virtual Book Club. If you've read it and would like to join us at 5:30pm PST shoot me a note and I'll get you the credentials! I'm always interested in book recommendations so if you have any, please shoot them my way. A few of my favorites: - How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie - The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell - Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss A few recent reads that I enjoyed: - Blackout Punch by Christopher Hunter - Dare To Lead by Brené Brown - Persuasion by Lee Hartley Carter Hungry for more!

The Adult Non-Alc space is fascinating. As it evolves I think we’ll see some stratification between the functional ingredient beverages and the alcoholic beverage analogs with no functional ingredients. I think the route to market and consumer demand segment will end up being very different for these two distinct categories. I think there’s a bright future for both. What do you think?

Our family welcomed a new human to the world a couple of weeks ago. Little 7lb 3oz Mia Louise Brooks. Another daughter. Her arrival got me thinking about the world that my daughters, Blake and Mia, are going to grow up in. A world that they are relying on generations before theirs to shape. Relying on our generation to shape. This big life moment provided a great opportunity to reflect on our contribution to that world and how what we do today will impact their lives as they grow up. It got me thinking about what we're really doing at Improv Booze-Free Cocktails, and why we're doing it. Believe it or not, I love alcohol. I believe that, when enjoyed responsibly, alcohol is a wonderful catalyst for social connection, celebration and relaxation. I cannot wait until I can enjoy an alcohol beverage with my girls, and it's my strong belief and hope that alcohol will still be a part of society when they're old enough for that to be a reality. So why do we run a non-alcoholic cocktail company? How is that going to make the world a better place for my daughters? Didn't I just say that I couldn't wait to drink alcohol with them? At Improv Booze-Free Cocktails we are believers that small changes produce big results. We're not proponents of grand sweeping proclamations in favor of abstinence. Or even moderation for that matter. Our consumers are grown-ups and we respect them enough to believe they can make alcohol consumption choices for themselves. What we are trying to solve for is how to shift our culture to one where alcohol stays a great option for social connection, celebration and relaxation, but ceases to feel like a requirement. I want my daughters to be able to decide what they value most in life and live into those values with as little social stigma as possible standing in their way. If they value fitness and decide they want to run a marathon they should feel comfortable and confident in choosing an Adult Non-Alc beverage at social occasions during training. If they want to start a family they should not have to hide the fact that they are abstaining from alcohol to prioritize that. If their career demands late night and early morning engagements they should have options that allow them to show up and be fully present for both. The shift is happening and I've got a ton of gratitude for all of the people who have embraced it. If you haven't engaged with any Adult Non-Alc products yet (like NA Beer, Wine, Spirits, Cocktails) I strongly encourage you to give them a try. If enough of us embrace this now it will become the norm and future generations won't have to feel like not drinking on occasion makes them "less than" in any way. For me, drinking Improv Booze-Free Cocktails just means that I want an alcoholic cocktail, but in that moment I want something else more.

Friday gratitude… I love hustlers. People who grind it out every day with excitement, humility and a positive attitude. That’s Taylor Allen to a tee. No task is ever too big or too small for Taylor. No win is ever going to inflate his head and no loss is ever going to slow him down. Dude is the definition of a hustler. I like to think I’ve taught Taylor a thing or two over the decade we’ve worked both together and in parallel across the beverage industry but the reality is he’s taught me way more. I’ll only take credit for knowing he was a beast before he did. Everyone should hope to have a Taylor Allen a phone call way and I’m incredibly grateful that I do. Keep killing it Taylor!