Stephen Myers on Strategy, Spirit Brands & Scaling with Intention

In this episode of the Post Shift Podcast, I sat down with Stephen Myers - founder, strategist, and brand-builder - to unpack what it really takes to grow a spirits company from the ground up. From creative development to scaling distribution, Stephen brings a blend of entrepreneurial grit and corporate insight that every bar owner, operator, and brand-builder should hear.

From Startup Hustle to Strategic Scale

Stephen’s story isn’t just about starting a brand - it’s about building the systems that make it last.

He talked about the early days: wearing every hat, doing the sales calls himself, making deliveries, managing production, and learning by failure. But what set his journey apart was the shift from grind mode to growth mode - where vision and process finally align.

He described how many spirits startups hit the same wall: they focus on product before infrastructure. The turning point came when he built strategy into every move - from supply-chain forecasting to brand messaging - treating growth not as chaos but as a series of deliberate, repeatable actions.

The Discipline Behind Creativity

Stephen and I spoke about the tension between creativity and consistency - a theme that runs through every part of hospitality. He believes great spirits brands are born from creative sparks, but they survive through discipline.

As he put it, “Inspiration builds momentum, but process builds legacy.”

That means documenting how you sell, standardizing how you tell your story, and designing every campaign around measurable impact. He stressed that good ideas don’t mean much if they can’t be executed the same way in ten cities by ten different reps.

People First, Always

One of the most insightful parts of our conversation centered around people. Stephen’s approach to team-building mirrors the hospitality world’s best operators: culture before KPIs.

He shared how he recruits not just for skills but for alignment - finding people who share the mission and understand the “why” behind the product.

He also talked about how leadership evolves as a company scales: moving from the player-coach role into one of mentorship, trust, and accountability. It’s about stepping back just enough to let your team step up.

The Business of Branding

We dug into what makes a brand actually stick. For Stephen, it’s not the logo, the label, or the latest influencer - it’s consistency of experience. Whether a guest encounters the brand in a bar, at retail, or on Instagram, the feeling should be unified.

He sees modern spirits branding as a mix of storytelling, community, and authenticity - but underpinned by hard data. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t repeat it.”

That mindset has driven how he approaches partnerships, activations, and marketing spend - focusing less on flash and more on sustainable visibility.

Scaling with Intention

Growth for growth’s sake doesn’t interest Stephen. What he’s after - and what he challenged all of us to think about - is intentional scale.

It’s about choosing where to expand, who to partner with, and when to pause. He spoke candidly about how ego can derail good business decisions, and how sometimes saying no is the best strategic move you can make.

His final takeaway was simple but powerful: “Success isn’t about going faster - it’s about going further, with purpose.”