Sometimes you don’t know your distillery needs outside help until it’s too late. Here are a few signs it’s time to bring in the experts – and what to look for when hiring a consultant.
Consulting is a great idea when…
- You get notice of a TTB or state audit in the mail*
- You have employee turnover and your superuser/knowledge base for software or compliance leaves
- You hire employees from outside of the distilling industry and you want to get those new hires up to speed quickly
- You know your Federal reports are wrong, incomplete, or haven’t been filed regularly
- Your physical inventory and reported on-hand inventory don’t match
How do you know that you’re hiring the right person for the job? Any consultant for a distillery should be someone with a robust background in the alcohol industry, preferably with many years of experience. Ask for references and check for ratings, reviews, and case studies. When you talk to your potential consultant, listen for complete and accurate answers to your questions, thorough knowledge of CFR requirements, and an understanding of industry jargon.
Above all, your consultant should be passionate about helping you! Make sure they care as much as you do about filling in your knowledge gaps to help you excel and grow your business.
FIVE x 5 is proud to offer consulting services to distilleries of any size, whether you’re using DISTILL x 5, Whiskey Systems, or spreadsheets. Our in-house consultant has over 15 years of regulated beverage experience and can help you prepare for an audit, clean up your reports, or get you or your employees up to speed with our software. Whatever your needs are, we’re here for you! Learn more or schedule an intro call here.
* In ideal world, you’d already have an expert guiding you long before you get audited!