Backyard Soda Company

The beauty of small businesses is their ability to listen to their customers, quickly pivot and reassess. Backyard Soda Company started with a vision of a modern version of a soda shop, but after trying to bootstrap the business with a food cart in 2011, they realized they might be going about selling their product from the wrong angle. Co-owners and founders Patrick Creager and Ari Murdock officially started Backyard Soda Company in 2012, and in the last three years have seen their business boom.

It all started when Patrick was a general manager for a restaurant. He began making custom simple syrups for use in signature cocktails, and realized he had a passion for it. The syrups could be used in many different ways, and the idea for a soda shop started brewing. After the trial and error with the food cart, they decided to focus solely on the syrups. Their customers gave them feedback and new ideas of how they used the syrups, energizing their decision. “As soon as we realized we were filling a niche, it was like ‘ding’!” said Ari.

In 2013, they began selling the syrups wholesale to local retailers while gaining confidence, and they lined up 15 accounts in the first year. By 2014, they hired Libby, a former co-worker of Patrick’s at the restaurant, to help expand their sales reach. Within another year, Backyard Soda Company had 75 accounts, including regional distribution with Whole Foods. The same week they landed the Whole Foods distribution, they were named a finalist in the Martha Stewart “American Made” competition. “It was a long shot, but we figured ‘why not?” said Patrick. Ultimately they did not win, but the visibility from the contest helped them increase their online sales.

With their business growing so quickly, they sought out the assistance of the SBDC and enrolled in the Leading Edge Program through North Metro Denver. “Sometimes teaching is the best way to learn,” said Ari, and the course helped them prioritize the possibilities for their product. They also met with several consultants who helped them with learning about how to add a partner to the business, contract negotiation and figuring out how to make their business go where they want it to go.

“This is something I enjoy doing, taking a craft and turning it into a business,” says Patrick. Backyard Soda Company is excited for future growth and the potential for opening a bottling line, but they recognize one of the elements of their success is their ability to hand sell their product directly to their customers. They’ll continue to sell their cocktail, soda and coffee syrups at farmer’s markets, and continue their Sunday tradition of donating 20% of their sales to local charities in support of their local community. “We have a following now!” says Ari. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm and we feel so welcome in the community. We are very fortunate to be in Denver at this time.”

http://www.backyardsodas.com/

Deltech, Inc.

Deltech Inc. designs and builds furnaces for the production of scientific products, from laboratory implements to semi-conductor components. Deltech is a small, family-run company with a large impact. It began in 1968 as an engineering services company for the mining industry. The co-founders, Calvin L. Stevenson and Donald J. Drinkwater, were mining engineers. Deltech built its first furnace for Coors Tek, then known as Coors Porcelain. Their second customer was Los Alamos National Laboratories. Mary

Timberleaf Trailers

Kevin Molick is a custom cabinet contractor and outdoorsman. The idea of building a teardrop trailer for his camping adventures intrigued him so he built one to suit his needs. It wasn’t long before he was getting inquires on social media about how one of these trailers could be purchased which moved him to start building more trailers. By the end of 2016 he had built and sold 12 of these custom made trailers. “We

Colorado Swim School

Armed with the knowledge that drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury fatalities for children under the age of four and the second leading cause in children under the age of fifteen, learning to swim was non-negotiable for Brent and Stephanie Scarbrough’s children. From the time their children were infants, they searched for a swim program that was child-centered, fun and engaging, yet also prepared children to know precisely what to do in the

Zoe’s Coffee

In May of 2008, Vaughn and Judy Pepper started a small coffee kiosk business. For many years, they dreamed of turning this kiosk into a full coffee shop. In 2012, they were able to turn this dream into a reality and they expanded into a full coffee shop—Zoe’s Coffee. They explained that location played an extremely important role in the new venture. “Judy and I established the shop based on demographics of the area.” The

Core Progression Elite Personal Training

In 2006, Jon Cerf was graduating from Baylor University, working part time at a fitness center and had plans to go on to Med-School. He had done some work in the landscaping industry when he was in high school and had somewhat developed a fondness for the freedom of being involved independently in business. But something happened while working in the fitness world. The bright light of inspiration went off and he kept wondering how,

Ruby Jean Patisserie

Jen Essex, owner and baker at Ruby Jean Patisserie came to the Small Business Development Center with a passion for baking and a dream of opening up her own bakery shop. Having completed her French technique training in Chicago Jen was driven to make her dream a reality. Jen decided the best strategy was to enroll in our 11 week Leading Edge Business Planning course which prepares students for starting their own business and writing