Built for distributors, emerging brands, CPG professionals, and individuals ready to level up their careers. Training, coaching, and consulting built specifically for the beverage industry.

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Connect With Nate

Nate Fochtman is a beverage industry veteran, entrepreneur, consultant, and host of the Ready to Drink Podcast.

Ready to Drink Podcast
The Leaders Arena Podcast

Social: @FreeMindNate / Nate Fochtman
YouTube: The Free Mind Group

Show Notes

Nate Fochtman has spent more than 20 years in beverage, but his story goes far beyond the industry. We talk about starting at the bottom, entrepreneurship, why distributors can't build your brand for you, and Nate's battle with alcohol while working in the adult beverage business. He shares his path to sobriety, rebuilding his life and business, and why there are no guarantees. Sometimes when life gets hard, the answer isn't to back away. It's to lean in.

Chapters

00:00 – 02:07 Meet Nate Fochtman
02:07 – 08:01 Starting at the Bottom
08:01 – 12:16 Building a Business Before Social Media
12:16 – 17:18 Learning Every Side of Beverage
17:18 – 23:28 Betting on Yourself
23:28 – 28:16 There Are No Guarantees
28:16 – 32:59 Your Distributor Won't Build Your Brand
32:59 – 40:42 Sobriety in the Adult Beverage Industry
40:42 – 45:48 Rehab, Relapse & Making the Decision
45:48 – 50:05 Finding Out Who Your Real Friends Are
50:05 – 53:23 Rebuilding From Zero
53:23 – 57:21 When It Gets Hard, Lean In
57:21 – 59:51 Build Your Brand Before You Need It

Whether you're a distributor or emerging brand looking to scale, a CPG professional who deserves better onboarding and coaching, or you're ready to take the next step in your career, BEV edu gives you the systems, tools, and guidance to help you get there.

🎤 Follow Ryan Ahern: TikTok @ryanjamesahern
📺 Ryan on YouTube: @rjstandsup

Ryan Ahern walked away from corporate sales to pursue stand-up comedy. Along the way, he discovered that building an audience online had become part of the business.

In this episode of Off Route, we talk bad bosses, golden handcuffs, betting on yourself, finding a repeatable content formula, and turning years of corporate sales experience into relatable comedy and a growing personal brand.

More importantly, this conversation gets into what Off Route is really about: learning from people who took control of their own path so others can see what's possible.

Chapters

00:00-02:02 — Meet Ryan Ahern: Corporate Sales to Comedy
02:03-03:44 — Finding the Content Formula That Worked
03:45-06:48 — Bad Bosses & Lessons From Bad Leadership
06:49-09:22 — Consistency, Hooks & Building an Audience
09:23-11:24 — Turning Stand-Up Ideas Into Social Content
11:25-14:47 — Golden Handcuffs & Finding What You Actually Want
14:48-18:16 — Ryan's Daily Content Creation System
18:17-21:43 — Why Talking-Head Videos Beat Stage Clips
21:44-24:47 — Hecklers, Hate Comments & Not Taking the Bait
24:48-30:44 — Landman, Viral Takes & Developing a Signature Style
30:45-34:29 — The Moment Ryan Realized Comedy Was His Thing
34:30-38:07 — Social Media Is Breaking Down the Gatekeepers
38:08-41:12 — Ryan's Advice for Anyone Stuck in Corporate
41:13-42:33 — Find Your Angle, Start Now & Where to Follow Ryan

🌐 Display Support Concepts
🔗 Connect with Glenn Niezgoda

What separates an average display from one that actually drives sales?

In this episode of Off Route, I sit down with Glenn Niezgoda, founder of Display Support Concepts, to talk about over 40 years in the beverage industry, the philosophy behind "Detail at Retail," and how one simple idea evolved into a patented point-of-sale solution. We dive into display execution, cross merchandising, coaching, entrepreneurship, and why your reputation is still your greatest asset as a vendor.

Chapters

00:00-02:31 — Meet Glenn & Display Support Concepts
02:32-06:18 — The umbrella that started a business
06:19-09:08 — From beer driver to sales leader
09:09-13:34 — Learning from the ground up & building your reputation
13:35-16:06 — The philosophy of "Detail at Retail"
16:07-21:53 — Creativity, execution & why displays matter
21:54-24:06 — MacGyvering solutions in the field
24:07-30:35 — Cross merchandising & building displays that sell
30:36-34:52 — Creating Display Support Concepts & becoming an entrepreneur
34:53-41:17 — The challenges of launching a new product
41:18-45:06 — The future of POS & reducing waste in retail
45:07-49:42 — Reputation, craftsmanship & final thoughts

🔗 Connect with Mat O'Brien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathewobrien/

🚀 Become an Elite Vendor: https://BEVedu.co

Traditional product sampling is evolving. In this episode of Off Route, I sit down with Mat O'Brien, President of ECM Media, to discuss how targeted sampling, verified consumer data, and user-generated content are changing the way emerging brands drive awareness and trial. We also cover why sampling should be treated as a strategic marketing investment, how brands can gather meaningful consumer insights, and where the future of experiential marketing is headed.

Chapters

00:00-01:13 — Meet Mat O'Brien & ECM Media
01:14-02:41 — From charging stations to targeted sampling
02:42-04:10 — Why sampling is more than free product
04:11-06:07 — Using consumer data to improve products
06:08-07:33 — Why emerging brands need to sample more
07:34-09:34 — Geotargeting consumers near retail stores
09:35-11:04 — Real-world sampling success stories
11:05-12:38 — How consumer feedback shapes innovation
12:39-14:18 — The future of targeted sampling
14:19-15:45 — Building long-term consumer relationships
15:46-16:48 — Final thoughts & where to find ECM Media

Takeaways

• Fermentation Beyond Beer
• Transition from Healthcare to Beverage Industry Unexpected sales in coffee shops
• Recipe ideas for on-premise sales
• Balancing content creation and side hustle

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Fermentedcuriosities.com
• 08:01 Entry into Beverage Industry
• 17:26 Competing with Larger Brands
• 24:24 Unexpected Sales in Coffee Shops
• 32:59 Balancing Content Creation and Side Hustle