Lessons from Gin
Description
How a global industry icon was created right here in Australia - with insights, stories and recipes from a co-founder of Four Pillars Gin
How did a small business from a regional Aussie town get voted the world's best gin producer THREE times? Four Pillars Gin, a craft distillery in Victoria's Yarra Valley, today is not only an Australian favourite but a global powerhouse. Co-founder Matt Jones shares the secrets behind building a brand that started as a small cult favourite and has become a world-leading success. Including stories, recipes and business lessons from a decade of gin-soaked archives, Lessons from Gin has the ingredients you need to grow your own business and brand.
Matt tells his side of the extraordinary Four Pillars story, sharing what he and the team learned in a decade that changed the distilling industry in Australia. Taking you on his journey as a creative brand strategist during the rise of social media, he reveals how Four Pillars became a benchmark for excellence and a beloved household name. You'll discover how true innovators think creatively and strategically, with practical models for driving incredible growth in your own career and industry.
In Lessons from Gin, you'll learn how to:
- Place creativity at the heart of your business
- Design a brand that tells a story
- Craft the kind of product excellence that wins fans and followers
- Create experiences that engage and build a community of loyal believers
- Develop a culture and lead a team of passionate people through a shared purpose and vision
- Build a sustainable business anchored in genuine values and bold ambition
Lessons from Gin gives Four Pillars fans real insight into how their favourite gin conquered the world. It is a must-read for entrepreneurs, business owners, marketers, and leaders in any industry who want to craft a brand that people love to want.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Content
About the author xi
Prologue xiii
Part One: Thinking 1
1 In the beginning, there was a decision 3
2 Okay, so we're doing this. But doing what, exactly? 7
3 Riding the fourth gin wave 11
Drinks Break No.1: The (Gin) Martini 16
4 Starting as you mean to go on - every decision matters most 23
Useful Bit #1: Decision Checklist 28
5 It's never too early to think about your why 33
Useful Bit #2: The Butterfly and The Brick 38
6 Growth theory, relationships and money 45
Useful Bit #3: Picturing Success 48
Useful Bit #4: Thinking in Action: A Four Pillars Example 54
Part Two: Crafting 61
7 Rare Dry Gin and the crafting of the Four Pillars brand 63
Useful Bit #5: Capabilities, Behaviours and Relationships 72
8 The first three months 75
Useful Bit #6: Feeling Benchmarks 78
9 Overnight emails, opportunism and staying on strategy 83
Drinks Break No.2: The Gin & Tonic 90
10 From gin to gins ... and 'Made From Gin' 97
Useful Bit #7: Strategic Storytelling 102
11 Experiments that worked 105
Useful Bit #8: A Four Pillars Example 112
Part Three: Sharing 119
12 Launch as you mean to go on 121
Useful Bit #9: Conversation Hierarchy 130
13 Collaborative to the core 135
Drinks Break No.3: The Negroni 142
14 A gin-fuelled content rocket 147
Useful Bit #10: Theory of Brand Success 152
15 Home is where the gin is 159
16 Faith in the power of experiences (and word of mouth) 171
Useful Bit #11: Brand Experience Playbook 174
17 A people-powered gin family 179
Useful Bit #12: A Four Pillars Example 182
Part Four: Growing 187
18 Balancing acts 189
Useful Bit #13: Simplifying Complexity 196
19 Leading through growth 199
Useful Bit #14: Choice Matrices 206
20 The best in the world ... pivoting and staying the course 211
Useful Bit #15: Visualising Transformation 222
21 Questioning everything 225
Useful Bit #16: A Four Pillars Example 230
22 Ten years down, another decade ahead of us 235
A final word 241
Drinks Break No.4: Drinking better (gin) 242
PS: A useful reading list 253
Acknowledgements 257
Index 259
