From Filmmaker to 4,000+ Members: Bobby DeMars of Blind Barrels shares how he built a double-blind whiskey membership, scaled fast, beat industry hurdles, and created a community-driven craft spirits brand. (Episode 754 - Bobby DeMars)

In this episode of the Grow A Small Business Podcast, host Troy Trewin interviews Bobby DeMars, founder of Blind Barrels, shares how a simple blind whiskey tasting turned into a fast-growing membership business. He talks about scaling from a small idea to 4,000+ members with strong community and experience-driven branding. Bobby breaks down the challenges of regulations, marketing, and cash flow in the alcohol industry. He also shares mindset lessons on resilience, meditation, and long-term thinking as an entrepreneur. A real, honest conversation about growth, risk-taking, and building something meaningful from scratch.

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Troy delves into our guest's startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice.

And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions:

1. What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business?


Bobby DeMars believes the hardest part of growing a small business is constantly balancing present-day problems while still thinking ahead to the future, because founders are forced to solve immediate challenges without losing sight of long-term direction, and if they become too focused on today’s fires, they risk drifting off course and missing what’s coming next.

2. What's your favorite business book that has helped you the most?


Bobby DeMars says his favorite business book is The Power of Now, explaining that while it isn’t a traditional business book, it helped him the most by teaching him how to stay present, manage stress, and build resilience, which he believes is essential for handling the emotional highs and lows of growing a business.

3. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business?


Bobby DeMars recommends a few go-to resources for growing a small business—he’s a fan of the Smart Passive Income podcast for practical marketing and monetization tactics, How I Built This for storytelling and founder lessons, The Tim Ferriss Show for deep dives into productivity and mindset, and online platforms like Coursera and Udemy for skills training in everything from sales to operations.

 

4. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business?


Bobby DeMars says one of the most helpful tools for growing a small business is Notion, because it lets you centralize your workflows, plan goals, track tasks, organize content and data, and collaborate with your team all in one flexible workspace without needing a bunch of separate apps.

5. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business?


Bobby DeMars says that if he could give himself advice on day one, it would be to be patient, trust the process, and not let fear or panic drive decisions, reminding himself that growth takes time, mistakes are part of the journey, and learning to understand the numbers, delegate earlier, and stay mentally resilient would save a lot of unnecessary stress along the way.

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Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest:

 

Success is choosing to keep going even when your brain tells you to panic – Bobby DeMars

 

Entrepreneurship is turning a thought into a thing and being grateful for every step of the journey – Bobby DeMars

 

Meditation isn’t silence, it’s learning to observe your thoughts so you can stay resilient through chaos – Bobby DeMars