63. Mitch Hayes (Los Sundays) - Building a Tequila Brand for the Millennial, Focusing on Generating Demand, and a Taste of the Beverage Industry

Thank you Joe Tonnos ( https://theconsumervc.com/2020/04/30/joe-tonnos/ ) for the introduction to today's guest, Mitch Hayes, founder and CEO of Los Sundays ( https://lossundays.com/ ) Tequila. Los Sundays is the tequila for the millennial and founded on the principles of Quality, Originality and Style. One book that inspired Mitch personally is The Alchemist ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062315005?camp=1789&creativeASIN=0062315005&ie=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=theconsumervc-20 ) by Paulo Coelho . One book that inspired him professionally is Damn Good Advice ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0714863483?camp=1789&creativeASIN=0714863483&ie=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=theconsumervc-20 ) by George Lois. You can follow Los Sundays on Instagram @los_sundays ( https://www.instagram.com/los_sundays/?hl=en ). You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb ( https://twitter.com/MikeGelb ). You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc ( https://twitter.com/ConsumerVc ). Some of the questions I ask Mitch - * Talk to me about your attraction to entrepreneurship and what led you to founding Los Sundays? * What was your approach when it came to taste testings? * How did you decide on your first type of Tequila and how do you think about product mix? * Your approach from the beginning was thinking about demand first rather than supply and being able to capture demand. * How were able to generate demand? * What was your launch strategy? * Is there pay to play when it comes to drinks in bars and recommendations from bartenders? * How did you approach your supply chain from the very beginning? * How did you think about your brand positioning? * How did you think about growth, offline and online? * Why did you choose to fundraise? * What was your fundraising strategy? * What has been some of the effects of COVID on your business? * What's one piece of advice for founders that are planning on starting a food and bev type business? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands