Tucked away off Broadway in Denver is a small office, plush with event-lineups taped to the walls and craft beer bottles lining the shelves. Inside are two entrepreneurs and their team who are well on their way to changing the entertainment landscape of the metropolitan city.

PJ HOBERMAN: Age: 30
Denver Off The Wagon – Founder
Imbibe – Boss Man
The Passport Program – Co-founder

CASEY BERRY: Age: 27
Imbibe – Founder
The Passport Program – Co-founder
IndiCard – CMO

Tucked away off Broadway in Denver is a small office, plush with event-lineups taped to the walls and craft beer bottles lining the shelves. Inside are two entrepreneurs and their team who are well on their way to changing the entertainment landscape of the metropolitan city. First is PJ Hoberman. In 2011, the young entrepreneur founded Denver Off The Wagon, a site devoted to all things booze, pursuing his passion for craft beer, whiskey and socializing. As the Wagon grew in popularity and naturally transitioned into event planning, Hoberman met Casey Berry, another young entrepreneur also working on his own community website, Imbibe Denver. The two joined forces and immediately devoted their time to event organizing, focusing on craft beer and spirit events including the Denver Only Beer Festivus, Collaboration Festival and Denver Flea. This year, the duo is on track to organize more than 20 events. To top it off, the company’s Passport Program, a summer-long program promoting bars and restaurants by offering two-for-one drink specials, expands to three new cities this year: Boulder, Fort Collins and Brooklyn, N.Y.

PJ Hoberman

Mission statement:

We aim to create, promote and organize craft events and programs focused on the craft beer and spirits industry and support local businesses and local people.

Ultimate goal:

Help mold the craft-event world and ensure everyone who wants a taste of the good stuff can get it.

Short description of your company:

Imbibe is craft events. We create, produce and promote craft events big and small. Denver Off the Wagon is an online magazine dedicated to beer, wine, spirits, bars, events and general culture in the craft alcohol community of Denver. The Passport Program provides two-for-one drink specials to dozens of bars all across your town. Get out and explore!

Why you love what you do:

We get to create the world we want to live in. For work. With beer. Every day.

What have you learned about yourself while running your business?

I love sleep and will take it whenever I can get it, which is rarely. Also, given enough time and priority, I can pick up the basics of a lot of different tasks. Like accounting. Or legal. Or shipping.

How do you keep up with the changing business landscape?

We're always open to new ideas, meetings, people, tools, etc., and we read a lot.

Where do you see your industry going in the future?

Craft beer and spirits are becoming less of a small niche and more of a staple in our city. Growth and stability in this industry are both coming down the line.

How do you measure success?

Smiles from our guests at the end of the party.

What’s the biggest myth in business?

I haven't had a chance to test them all yet. Get back to me on that one.

What was the toughest part about your first year in business?

I was working a full-time job while trying to help Casey with events and running the Wagon. Prioritizing and time management were tough, and growth came slowly as well without the full focus.

Favorite business book:

“Brewing up a Business” by Sam Calagione

Favorite part about running your own business:

I get to decide exactly what I do with my time. If that means skiing on a Monday, cold calling a big company for a sponsorship or answering emails at 3 a.m.; it's my choice of how I want to shape my world.

Best advice you’ve received:

Trust your advisers. The ones you pay (accountants, lawyers, etc), and especially the ones you don't (mentors, friends, the ones who were there first).

Best advice you have for aspiring entrepreneurs:

Don't be afraid to hire someone. Having time to focus on bigger company goals and long-term plans is really hard when you're caught up in the minute-to-minute tasks. But also don't lose site of the minute-to-minute tasks.

Casey Berry

Mission statement:

Get folks out and exploring the cities they live in through events, marketing and cultural programs. When in doubt, support local.

Ultimate goal:

Employ everyone who wants to follow their passion.

Why you love what you do:

We create the events and programs we want.

What have you learned about yourself while running your business?

I have no idea what I'm doing.

How do you keep up with the changing business landscape?

Be a part of everything. We get inspiration from drinking beers on breweries' patios to attending fancy pants galas. We try to market to what we would want to see, not copy and paste.

Where do you see your industry going in the future?

Craft beer and food is booming. Hopefully we'll be along for the ride.

How do you measure success?

Smiles on faces and getting people out of their comfort zone. Not going bankrupt is also a good measuring stick.

What’s the biggest myth in business?

You have to have experience to start your company.

What was the toughest part about your first year in business?

When I started, I was by myself. Too much alone time means a whole lot of second guessing your ideas.

Favorite business book:

“Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand.
 

Favorite part about running your own business:

Meeting new people.

Best advice you’ve received:

List out the absolute worst possible scenario of taking a risk. If it's too scary, don't do it, but it never is.

Best advice you have for aspiring entrepreneurs:

Entrepreneurs will just tell you their story (how they got there, their breaks, why they are smarter than you, etc). I try to listen to those. You learn a lot and roll your eyes just as much.