Work Hard, Family Hard

This liquor supplier thing is a tough business. There are people who make it look easy, but for most of us it is a daily grind until you reach a high level of success, and then it’s still hard. I’m not saying I don’t love it because I do. I bring this up because this job often requires a lot of travel to make sure we are operating as effectively as possible and maintaining and building relationships is all a part of the business. Right now, I am traveling as safely as possible in Georgia, checking on some of our amazing partners and working with our distributor to secure additional placements in both retail stores and locations where Crafthouse offers the option of a perfectly balanced and high quality quick cocktail while offering low touch and consistency, for resorts and movie theaters.

This trip is extra special to me because I was able to bring my family along. Balancing work life and family life has never been easy but this trip to Georgia has been the perfect balance of both. We started in Atlanta where my wife Kathy got to spend quality time with her childhood friend and the kids went to see some great local highlights, including the aquarium, while I worked the market. We came back together as a family and got to spend time together in the evenings. After leaving Atlanta, we stopped at a lake to cool off, go waterskiing and tubing. That night we stayed at a Springhill Suites by Marriott who carry Crafthouse in their Marketplace. It was great to talk to the staff at the Marriott and see firsthand the success they were having with Crafthouse. I even got to talk to a few guests of the hotel who had purchased and enjoyed a few of our cocktails.

We are currently at Sea Island Resort – a Five Star hotel that serves Crafthouse at the beach, in-room, on the golf course and potentially banquets when they resume. This has been a real highlight. As a family we have been able to watch baby sea turtles make their way from the nest to the ocean under our protective eyes, gone fishing where we caught some Spanish Mackerel that we had for lunch( and managed to hook a few sharks in the process), and spent countless hours at the pool and body boarding in the ocean. All this fun was perfectly intertwined with me doing a full Sea Island staff training, having a meeting with the resort’s Beverage Director and talking to the servers at the beach on a one on one.

Like most parents, I enjoy having my kids think I’m “cool,” and this vacation did just that. Not only were we able to travel around the beautiful state of Georgia and stay at a gorgeous resort, these last few days I was a bit of a “celebrity.” Having so many staff come up and introduce themselves to me, letting me know how much they appreciate me being there and how much their guests love Crafthouse, certainly put me on the kid’s cool list, even if it’s only temporary.

Anyway, this post wasn’t meant to boast or complain. It was meant to outwardly express my gratitude for those times where I can really appreciate quality time spent with my work and family. I hope it can happen again soon!

Matt