This HBR podcast case examines the leadership of Fawn Weaver, co-founder of the successful whiskey brand Uncle Nearest. Despite facing challenges as a Black woman in a male-dominated industry, Weaver has achieved rapid growth and awards for her brand. Now, she aims to expand into cognac and build an alcoholic beverages conglomerate. The case explores her strategies, including storytelling and customer connection, and whether she can convince investors of her vision.
Can Uncle Nearest co-founder Fawn Weaver get the capital she needs to expand her successful whiskey brand into an alcoholic beverages conglomerate?
HISE GIBSON: Absolutely. I think it’s an amazing product and if you venture out about 15 miles from Cambridge, you can find it. HISE GIBSON: Once I learned about the story of Uncle Nearest, and so the story around the formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniels how to make whiskey.HISE GIBSON: Not a myth, not folklore, not some kind of story, it actually happened, and then that’s the story that wraps around this brand. And so, if we think about just basic marketing, what pulls people in? A great story. When I learned that, I was like, this is great. I stumbled upon Uncle Nearest, drank it, great product.
HISE GIBSON: I think her background is critical because like many unconventional leaders, they’re not constrained by the pathway. They are unmoved by the norms because she was never taught the norms. Everything she’s done, she’s done for the first time, which creates probably an ultra-entrepreneur, because of not being constrained by any of the status quo. It doesn’t affect her at all.
HISE GIBSON: One thing that is interesting, that I think is interesting, and why I love sharing this case, is highlighting the leaders, do you want to be right, or do you want to be effective? Two different things. And in the run up to developing Uncle Nearest, she positioned herself as just the chief historian, just the researcher, just the young Black woman over here who is sitting in the meetings taking notes.
HISE GIBSON: So, she treated bringing the story to light based on those values and two of those, honor and respect. The core values of the organization—that’s how she thought about the story, and as I would just say, a master marketer. I don’t think she would say that about herself, but as a master marketer, if I can put the story out, the switching cost for whiskey is not high. If it’s a good product, I’m going to go to it, if it’s a great story, when I taste it it’s going to be fantastic.
HISE GIBSON: I thought it was interesting because what Nearest Green is known for is the Tennessee method. The water matters, and then limestone and then using coal to sift it and to drip it through, filter it, that’s the Tennessee method. That way of lime and coal and creating filters through before putting it in the barrel to let it sit, is what makes it, Tennessee whiskey taste different than other whiskeys. And so, if we think broadly about one segment of the market, African Americans.
BRIAN KENNY: Yeah, that’s amazing. How important was the culture that she was trying to create to the success of the brand?
Uncle Nearest Fawn Weaver Whiskey Cognac Alcoholic Beverages Entrepreneurship Leadership Growth Strategy
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