Like many entrepreneurs, Mike Bennion started his business based on a passion (in his case a love of kombucha) and identification of a market (his neighbors all wanted to buy it from him).
So Mike and his partner teamed up and started off slowly, brewing in a shared kitchen and occasionally doing farmers markets with small quantities.
Mike learned about the free EforAll Accelerator program when he moved to Massachusetts in 2017. He says, “I didn’t know a whole lot of people. I heard about EforAll and thought it would be a great way to educate myself and also get connected with the community.” As the year-long Accelerator progressed, Mike, a self-proclaimed introvert, said “I could feel myself getting more comfortable presenting in front of people.”
After completing the EforAll program, Mike and his partner moved out of the shared kitchen and into their own 1,200 square foot, custom-built brewery where they run LifeBooch Kombucha. They got their wholesale license and expanded their brewing capacity from 75 gallons/month to 600 gallons/month!
Mike credits EforAll with helping him to grow his business. He says “ EforAll didn’t just feel like a class I was taking. It felt like someone personally supporting my business. Whether you have just an idea or a business that you’re building, EforAll is a great resource.”