Small Business Today Magazine JUL 2014 PHENOMENAL PRODUCTS | Page 22
EDITORIALFEATURE
How the Loyalty of Friends and Family
in Your Community Can Help Jumpstart
Your Small Business
By Lorraine Grubbs, President of Lessons in Loyalty
T
his is a story about how a small business in
San Leon, Texas overcame the hurdle most
start-ups face – lack of working capital. That
means no money for help or advertising.
Owners Matt and Kelly Railean relied on the
loyalty of their friends and family to help launch
their rum distilling business. “People thought we
were crazy”, said Kelly. “They told us that the sale
of rum was a huge market better served by the
big brands, not some mom and pop distillery out
of San Leon.” Well, Matt and Kelly proved all the
naysayers wrong.
In 2007, the building, the equipment, and the
permits to distill the rum were in place. They
were in business but their seed money was spent.
Their budget tight, they worried about how they
could afford to hire people to bottle and label
the rum. Then Kelly did the thing that came naturally - she asked her friends and family to help…
not with money but through volunteering of their
time. Because Matt and Kelly had been great
friends and huge community supporters over the
years, when they called, people came. Thus the
“Rumbassador” program was born.
Kelly explained, “What we do is pretty unique.
Most people have never been to a distillery, let
alone bottled rum and filled barrels! I guess it
also helps that most of our friends are either
rum-drinking sailors or in the beverage industry.
So they literally had the spirit.”
To show the community her appreciation, Kelly
decided to run for Mayor of San Leon which is a
volunteer position. Her campaign strategy was to
donate all monies raised during the race to the
San Leon Volunteer Fire Department. Needless
to say, she didn’t win but the community did not
forget her generosity. Vendors, business owners,
and the fire department joined the legions of
“Rumbassadors”. You see, being a Rumbassador
carries responsibilities. They ensure that every bar
or restaurant they frequent carries the Railean
20 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ JULY 2014 ]
Kelly explained, “What we do
is pretty unique. Most people
have never been to a distillery, let alone bottled rum and
filled barrels! I guess it also
helps that most of our friends
are either rum-drinking
sailors or in the beverage
industry. So they literally had
the spirit.”
Rum line. Soon, sales were going up. While Matt
and Kelly were busy making deals with major
chains like Specs, the Rumbassadors got their rum
in the majority of restaurants and bars in the Kemah/Seabrook area. They became great eyes and
ears for Matt and Kelly as they alerted them to
new bars and restaurants being built.
The results speak for themselves. Today, Railean
Rum has expanded their product offerings to
include Light and Dark Rum, Agave, and Spiced
rum. Their sales are up and their Rumbassadors
number in the hundreds. The next time you are
in San Leon, look up Railean Rum and schedule a
tour. They’ll be glad to have you…and you’ll most
likely become a fan!
So, here’s to a small business that recognizes the
value of loyal friends and family in their community. Railean Rumbassadors are a great example of
how a small business can turn that loyalty into a
winning combination.
Lorraine Grubbs is the president of Lessons in Loyalty. You can
contact Lorraine by phone at 281-813-0305, by email at [email protected], or visit her website at www.lessonsinloyalty.com.