Speaker 1 0:00

My name is Natalie . I am from Lost Barrel Brewing . We are a family-owned brewery in Middleburg , virginia . We do drinks . We also host events . We have a food menu , so kind of anyone that wants to get out of the house and do something fun .

Speaker 2 0:12

I love that I need to get out of the house and do something fun . Now take me back . What drew you to the world of marketing and events ? Give me a quick overview of your journey from the start .

Speaker 1 0:24

So I started in marketing right and events . Give me a quick overview of your journey from the start . So I started in marketing right after college . I actually went to my undergrad for early childhood development

Meet Natalie from Lost Barrel Brewing

Speaker 1 0:30

and family studies , so I taught at a preschool for a while and I love kids so much , but going into school every day I was like , oh my gosh , I need something different , I need to be like on a different schedule , doing something fun , and I always liked social media and graphic design . So I actually went back and got a certificate at Mason in graphic design and web design and while I was doing that I started at a marketing firm and so I did all of their social media and I really liked it . So then I kind of switched from doing web design and graphic design to doing more of social media .

Speaker 2 1:02

Oh , wow . Yeah that's super cool .

Speaker 1 1:04

I know really random .

Speaker 2 1:05

Yeah , I love it . Though how would you describe the culture at Lost Barrel Brewing and what makes your team unique ?

Speaker 1 1:14

Our culture is really fun . So because it's family owned like , my sister works behind the bar , my mom does our music and the store , so it has created a really fun family environment . All of the staff we have siblings that work there . We have people that are just friends with each other so everyone really knows each other . I mean they hang out outside of work . It's really fun , so they have a good time .

Speaker 2 1:33

I love that . Yeah , we're a family here too , at Alamond , but not like , not

From Teaching to Marketing

Speaker 2 1:38

related but I get it , it's really important to have that awesome team culture . What values guide the way that you and your team create experiences for guests ?

Speaker 1 1:47

So first and foremost is the customer experience . We want everyone to feel welcomed and then , once they feel welcomed in there , we want them to have a good time , from , you know , the taste of the drinks and the food to the staff experience and then to the overall experience of the building and the feeling in there . So a lot of it is just making sure that everyone feels happy and comfortable and having a good time . Yeah , of course .

Speaker 2 2:09

Can you share a behind the scenes moment that really captures the spirit of your team ?

Speaker 1 2:14

Oh my gosh , a behind the scenes moment that captures the spirit of the team . I don't know . I think probably the most recent one is I just went on Sunday and had everyone do TikToks and they were having so much fun with it . So I think the behind the scenes is they just enjoy it . I know a lot of people might say that , but I think they just have fun . At the end of the day , you're selling beer and food , so while it's serious , it's just kind of fun . So I think they just like to make it a good time and I love participating in that . Yeah .

Speaker 2 2:45

Some of a good time and I love participating in that . Yeah , some of those TikTok trends too are so fun or like some different sounds that go viral . I love that . Yeah , what do you think makes Lost Barrel Brewing feel different from other breweries in the area ?

Speaker 1 2:54

Ooh , what makes this different ? I think there's a couple things . I think , first and foremost , we're located on a horse farm , so it's really pretty views . You get the forest and then there's a lot of trees , so in the summer it's really pretty views . You get the forest and then there's a lot of trees , so in the summer it's really green , and then in the winter , when the trees aren't there , you can actually see the horses . So that's really cool . And then I think the building is different . We have a probably a different approach to beer . It's more of a lifestyle brewery , so we have a boutique that sells

Family Culture and Brewery Experience

Speaker 1 3:20

not only our logo gear but also fashion items hats , clothes and then I think the music in the building also reflects that . We kind of want you to feel like you're obviously sipping countryside , but kind of like you're getting a whole experience , so from the music to the store , to the drinks and the decorations as well .

Speaker 2 3:38

Wow , that's super curated . Come in , that's so cool .

Speaker 1 3:41

It's pretty fun .

Speaker 2 3:42

What genre is the the music ? I'm curious because I'm a musician , okay it's a little bit of everything .

Speaker 1 3:47

So my mom is a dj . She is now retired but she does all of our playlists . So when we're not having live music , the live music is more of like your singer , songwriter , your covers , that kind of stuff . A lot of them play all over the virginia area . But when we're not having that , the playlists are a little bit of like Tropical House , something that's like background music but not like elevator music .

Speaker 1 4:10

So it's probably songs that you may or may not recognize , but you'll enjoy listening to them , you'll Shazam them and you'll want to listen to them some more , yeah .

Speaker 2 4:19

I love that . It's this whole experience , though , and that you have the boutique and you have the music and , of course , food and drink , but all of that goes together , and I'm sure guests just feel so immersed in like in that vibe , for lack of better word but yeah , definitely creating a vibe .

Speaker 1 4:36

So , and we have different like days where we play different music which is fun . So on Sundays we do like the sunset session , so that's more of the tropical house , and then we'll have , you know , days where we play like Tyler Childers and that kind of vibe . So it really depends on the day , what event we have going on that , so we like to have the music match . I love Tyler Childers , same . We just did a TikTok trying to get him to come to the brewery and play before his concert .

Speaker 2 4:57

He should , he needs to .

Speaker 1 4:58

Yeah .

Speaker 2 5:07

Definitely not going . You're listening , please ? One could hope I know how do you ensure that every event or social media post reflects ?

Speaker 1 5:10

your brand's personality and values . So it's kind of interesting because I am actually the only one that does any of our social media . I think I'm the only one that has the passwords to it . I am a one woman team over here so I do all of the TikToks , all Instagram , any event , any type of social media post , our website . It's all what I do . So I think that will create a kind of consistency . But I also think , because it's family owned , we try to keep it in line with a family marketing . But also we are selling beer , so it is geared towards adults . But you know you can bring your family , your dogs around , but knowing that it's geared towards adults also will help keep the marketing kind of in line with . You know they're the ones looking at social media . So we like to keep it kind of family oriented and marketing , if that's like a way to put it . You know , with what you post , yeah , but also trying to make it fun . So I think that's , at the end of the day , what our marketing is .

Speaker 2 6:06

Awesome . What goes into planning one of your signature events from start to finish ? Okay .

Speaker 1 6:13

So from start to finish is really fun

Creating Events with Personality

Speaker 1 6:15

. I love Pinterest , I love mood boards and I loved themed events . So that's basically how our kind of themed events started . So because one of the first events we did was Outlast Fest and since we're on a horse farm , it kind of it made sense . So I started with the event overall , then I got our vendors on board , then I made a mood board with outfits and decoration so we posted that to help get the promotion behind the scenes to it , so people kind of knew what the feeling of the event would be . Then I worked on all of the decoration for the event and then the day of event .

Speaker 1 6:50

So then you have to do all the videos and the pictures and then posting it after the event . So then the next one , you want to go to it . So a lot of creating like visuals to give you the feeling of the event . That way , even if you're not local , you'll see it and be like , oh my gosh , I missed that one , but they're going to do it again , so I want to go see that event again . Yeah , that makes a lot of sense .

Speaker 2 7:11

I am a Pinterest girl as well , so yeah , I love it Mood boards are the best . They're so satisfying too , because then when you achieve what the mood board kind of was setting out to do , it's just the best feeling , so good , awesome . Can you share a favorite event you've hosted that really captured the magic of Lost Barrel Brewing .

Speaker 1 7:38

I think my current favorite one is our Honky Tonk Night . So we just started it . We had our first one it's once a month and we wanted to do line dancing . But we wanted it to be a little bit different , to get people out to Middleburg because it's a little bit farther . So we made it into a whole night called Honky Tonk Night . So not only is it just line dancing but there is a hat bar where you can create a custom hat or get your cowboy boots branded . You can do permanent jewelry or charm bar . And then we also have all of our drinks . So we have a drink called the farm water . So that kind of leans into the Honky Tonk Night . So I think that's my current favorite one , where it just kind of encapsulates the brewery as a whole because it's so much fun . Everyone's in the main tap room together enjoying it and then . But there's also other lighters to it .

Speaker 2 8:19

Yeah , that sounds so much fun . Yeah , it was a good time . Need to come out for one of those Love a honky tonk night . What's one experience you hope every guest walks away with after visiting .

Speaker 1 8:33

One experience I think would be the overall feeling of just happiness , I guess is how I would say it Like you were excited to come , you visited , you feel like you got value for what you paid . You feel like you enjoyed your time there and maybe didn't want to leave . And then you left , being like I need to go back there again . I'm going to tell all my friends , my family , and do it again .

Speaker 2 8:57

Yeah , I love that you have such a creative background . As you mentioned , what inspired you to really step into marketing and events at a brewery .

Speaker 1 9:09

So my family opened the brewery and I actually don't drink beer .

Speaker 1 9:13

I'm allergic to gluten , so I can't drink the beer I can drink our other drinks , but I had to learn a lot about beer . So it was kind of because it was my family . I was like , oh , this will be a unique aspect to market , because I can market to someone who maybe doesn't know that much about beer , but also to people who know a lot about beer , because I would just tap into our brewers for all that knowledge . And it allowed me to be more creative with what we do , with our marketing . And so that is what really drew it to me , because obviously they could have hired someone else to do it . And then I was like this could be really fun . I'll switch over to here to do the marketing that's so cool .

Speaker 2 9:53

I'm also allergic to gluten , so I don't know a thing about beer yeah , it's a lot to learn .

Speaker 1 9:58

You know what ? I'll come learn a lot of science . I was like what is going on ?

Speaker 2 10:01

this is crazy my dad is always trying to like , because he's just a like a beer fanatic , like he loves learning about different beers and stuff , and he's always talking my ear off and I'm like I don't know , but you make me want to learn yeah , it's a lot of science .

Speaker 1 10:16

Whenever I walk into the brew house I'm like , okay , it's science time , like there's like all these instruments they use and they measure things , so good for them yeah .

Speaker 2 10:25

What was the moment when you realized that this role was the perfect blend of

Marketing Philosophy and Team Leadership

Speaker 2 10:29

your passions ?

Speaker 1 10:31

I think I realized when I was really enjoying doing it but not only just enjoying doing like the repeated daily tasks , but being inspired to do new events , that kind of create and blend the things that I'm interested in and what I'm supposed to be doing for my role . So I think that I realized I was like holy crap , this is so much fun , like I'm actually enjoying doing this . It's a good time , and I bet it was really fulfilling as well . Yeah , I really enjoy it .

Speaker 2 11:00

That's when you get that feeling that , wow , this is like the perfect place for me .

Speaker 1 11:04

Yeah , I agree . I'm like I could never not be doing something like this .

Speaker 2 11:08

I love that . I hope everyone finds that I always think about that . Yeah , how have your mentors or inspiration shaped the way you lead your team and create events ?

Speaker 1 11:18

So I think those are kind of different . So the way I lead the team is more of like I'll do this with you , versus asking people to do things . I think when Not only do you create a relationship with your staff but you show them that you're if you could help me do this , not kind of telling or asking you to do that , I think it creates a mutual respect where you want to help each other . And then I think that also then leans into the event , I think , because they know why we're doing the event or why we're doing this marketing , they are like oh , this is so much fun , I now want to participate . Versus like OK , fine , I have to do this . So I think they kind of go together but are a little bit different .

Speaker 2 12:00

Yeah , for sure . What's one lesson you've learned from working in this industry that has shaped you professionally ?

Speaker 1 12:07

One lesson I learned , I think , to be able to pivot quickly and kind of change your plans and be a little bit more adaptable . If something doesn't work , don't like ponder on it too long . It's like okay , this is why it didn't work , let's do something different . I think that I definitely had to learn like wow , okay , that is not what I expected to happen , and like , don't think about it too much , see how you can change it . That was definitely a little bit of a learning curve .

Speaker 2 12:36

Yeah , I hear a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs and professionals on here say kind of similar things . Like you can't , you can't like fixate on problems too long . You have to just kind of learn how to pivot and learn how to address things and keep moving , keep trucking .

Speaker 1 12:55

Yeah , for sure , that's been really interesting . I'm like , okay , let's try that one again .

Speaker 2 13:00

Loudoun County has such a supportive business community . How has that impacted Lost Barrel Brewing's growth ?

Speaker 1 13:07

I think Loudoun County is probably the best county to have a business in but also to have a brewery in , because there's so many locations where people can go . So it helps bring the tourism out here , but also the locals out here , because , say they're driving somewhere and they pass by us because they're going to another brewery , that in their minds they're going to say , oh , I'm going to stop there next time I'm out here . But I also think it provides a community where all of the breweries , the wineries , the distilleries , they all support each other in the bigger goal of helping uplift everyone and their business . And not only that , but even the other small businesses are so nice , they're so supportive , they'll post on social media about us , they'll comment on us and then we'll do the same for them , and then they also come out and visit us and say hello . And I think it's just so much fun to be in Loudoun County . Everyone's just so nice and they like care . It's not just like , oh , it's performative , it's like they really do care .

Speaker 2 14:04

Yeah , that's something I love about living here , and that I loved about growing up partially here , is just that there is that community mindedness , but it definitely translates to businesses as well . Mindedness but it definitely translates to businesses as well . I mean working here . I see that all the time our little downtown Leesburg community , but also the larger community across DC , maryland and Virginia . But I love Loudoun County , so I'm glad you love it too . It's great If you could give advice to someone wanting to start a community-focused business like yours . What would it be ?

Speaker 1 14:35

I would say to participate in the community before you open and show support so that people are invested in you as a person and wanting to support you . And then from there I would say social media is your best friend . Post all the behind the scenes things , even before

Community Impact in Loudoun County

Speaker 1 14:54

you're open . Just post and share so that you now have the community behind you but you also have your social media community behind you . They want to see what you've done , what you've been working on , and see it once you open and then continue to support the community .

Speaker 2 15:09

Yeah , it really builds that excitement from the start to that grand opening . Yeah exactly Love that . Is there anything else that I didn't touch on that you want to share today , my gosh ?

Speaker 1 15:21

just come visit us at the brewery . Come say hi , grab a drink , grab some food , drop the store . Yeah , host an event with us .

Speaker 2 15:29

Yeah , amazing , I got to go to Honky Tonk Night .

Speaker 1 15:32

That's all I can think of . You definitely do .

Speaker 2 15:34

Well , thank you , natalie , so much for coming in and making the time to talk to us today about Lost Barrel Brewing , marketing and events , as well as your journey . This has been such an amazing conversation and I know that our audience will really love this episode and learn a lot too .

Speaker 1 15:49

Thank you so much for having me . This was so fun , thank you .