Morning Brew - 🍺 Brewing big ideas

Time-saving tools and products we’re really into rn.

Avoid the line for the communal office microwave and use this solo-sized crockpot to warm up your leftovers in style instead.

The Alice recorder and transcription app gets rave reviews for ease of use. There are no extra numbers to dial—just open, hit the icon, and you’re good. Plus, it periodically saves your recordings and uploads them to the cloud.

If you’ve got 20 bucks and a few hours to spare, this article has a bunch of fun (and cheap) activities to do in 17 cities across the country. Check out a Rockies game in Denver, take the streetcar for beignets at Cafe Du Monde, and lots more.

“When you’re in the trenches, it’s hard to see the bigger picture, or even the story you’re creating or trailblazing.”

Juan Camilo was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. While working in the financial industry, Juan purchased a home brewing kit and began making beer. After a lot of experimentation, research, and a desire to start his own business, the Dyckman Beer Company was born. Its beers are distributed in 250 locations in New York City, in addition to 25 in the Dominican Republic. This past summer, the brand hit the major milestone of being sold in Yankee Stadium.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Kickoff: “I usually like to start my day by having some quiet time for the first hour, enjoying my coffee. After that, I pretty much know what I have to do from the day before…calling the brewery; speaking with my designer that does my packaging; speaking with my packaging vendors that print the six packs, the cases, [and] the labels; and just managing that bigger picture.”

Starting his brew journey: “Before I started my own company, I had about two years of home brewing experience [and] experimenting. But what really sparked the business idea was reading about other craft beer companies in New York City and their trials and tribulations [and] their successes. And I just really wanted to give my neighborhood [in Upper Manhattan] its own beer company.”

Home brewing: “I have a small three-gallon system. So it’s definitely more manageable. We really just take one day a month to brew beer. The most labor-intensive part is when you’re actually brewing it on that first day, which could take anywhere from three to five hours. But after that, you’re pretty much letting it sit there and ferment. And you’re just measuring the gravity. So 90% of the life of a beer, you’re kind of just watching it.”

Becoming a founder: “Sometimes you’ve got to be a leader even when you're not really super familiar [with] the territory. But that’s one of the challenges. I have enjoyed it. I’ve learned a lot from other people as well...and they were able to give me a lot of that knowledge that I didn’t have, coming from a banking and finance background.”

What’s next: “With every goal that you have, I think the possibilities of what you can do become bigger. So clearly if I’m in Yankee Stadium, maybe the next step would be to get into multiple stadiums or another arena. You could never really imagine a lot of this happening, but when it does happen, it opens your mind more to what else you can actually do. So it is exciting to always be pushed in that way…Last year, I didn’t even think getting into a stadium was a possibility. And now we’re actually talking about hopefully opening up [in] more stadiums and arenas.”—MW

When it comes to building a business, the spark, or the big idea, is just the first step. The challenge gets significantly more difficult when an entrepreneur begins to navigate the many steps and processes for turning a plan into a full-fledged business. Whether you’re a new founder or just venturing into a new space, your success or failure may be decided by your early choices. To help you with critical decisions like choosing a business model or finding the right kind of funding, Sidekick spoke with The Solo List founders to learn the nitty-gritty of getting started.

Burning questions of our time.

Remote exceptions

After more than a year of universal remote work, offices are instituting in-person office mandates. While some employees enjoyed working remotely, others have found they like being back in the office. But for many people, especially the elderly, those with disabilities, and people of color, remote work wasn’t just a preference: It opened up opportunities for employment, productivity, and safety.

As blanket mandates become the norm, we’re wondering: Should employers offer exemptions? Is it fair to exempt certain people from in-office mandates and allow them to work remotely? Under what circumstances should exceptions be made? How hard and fast should exception policies be, and should they be clearly spelled out as company policy? Hit Reply and let us know in the Inbox!—SS

And now, your thoughts on the thank you note:

After an interview, I sometimes don’t have everyone’s email address, but I can almost always track them down on LinkedIn (if I haven’t already done so as my pre-interview prep—which you should do if at all possible). If I can’t find them, I’ll ask the recruiter to supply an email address or pass along my thanks. After receiving a gift, there’s still no replacement for an in-person thank you or a phone call. If it’s someone I don’t talk to much at work, a quick DM is an immediate solution. Then, the next time I see or talk to the gift giver, I try to thank them again. Showing you remember (and still feel grateful) after a few days or weeks does wonders for building relationships in a WFH world.—Kathryn

Yes, written thank you notes are MUCH nicer and much better than electronic thank yous. They show respect for the receiver. Anybody can send a meaningless quick note via email, but a handwritten note, sent snail mail, speaks volumes. If I’ve spent a bit of $$ on a gift, I’d like to know it’s been appreciated. That extra step after an interview is nice, but it doesn’t usually sway me unless the contest is a close one between several candidates. Because so many people no longer engage in this form of etiquette, it’s doubly appreciated by people who receive them professionally or personally. BTW—do you have a snail mail address? I would be pleased to send you a very nice thank you for asking this important question.—Terri

Watch: Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries goes back to the show’s classic roots with multistory episodes that push the boundaries of the true crime space. Now, is it too much to ask for a reanimated Robert Stack?

Try: Halloween kicks off the holiday season (as far as we’re concerned, anyway) and that means…decorating! So get crafting with this DIY kit for making a garland of ghosts from the pages of magazines, newspapers, or books. Horror novel pages recommended, but not necessary.

Drink: Once Halloween is over, it’s time to break out the coquito. Start the holiday buzz and celebrate Thanksgiving with this Puerto Rican twist on eggnog named after our very own writer.

Color goals: Give your performance an edge with HOKA’s new light-and-bright hues + cushioned soles that feel like a breath of fresh air on your feet. Check ’em out.*

Best in the biz: In The Solo List, we chat with 20 entrepreneurs about the steps to building out a business, from ideation to scaling. Get exclusive insights and read all about what these pros have picked up along the way. Sponsored by Catch.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}