Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Hill.
Brett, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Hi! I am one of the three co-founders of Due South and BREW or as we call our business “A Lifestyle Store.” I love so many aspects about what I do. I really love the process of running a business, I enjoy the progression of tackling a project that will make our company more enjoyable for the customer experience and more valuable for the team members’ personal growth, and I love pushing the company in a direction that keeps me circulating back to those aspects every day. Here is where the story turns… I didn’t go to college to gain any knowledge in these areas of business. I pay attention and make a lot of mistakes!
I grew up in a small, safe and friendly town where everyone knew each other’s first names and I got the BEST chocolate chip oatmeal cookies from the little old lady across the street, Grace Dolby. Think of the kindest person you know and Grace was that and more! To this day, I cannot put my finger on the smell of her house… maybe a little orange citrus or cookies but her kindness left an impression.
Having a father who was a hard working contractor who built custom homes, I spent the summers climbing on half framed houses, up ladders, and in crawl spaces, obviously following strictly to OSHA guidelines. Somehow I was always the one crawling through the small, dark and tight spaces that, dad “could not fit into.” After 2008 I decided to join the Air Force and worked side by side with some amazing people, some fantastic supervisors and some absolutely horrible self-serving leaders. I learned a lot from every one of them and try not to tear up as I remember watching the greatest supervisor I had walk away from his military career because of difficult times.
Now, I have worked for the military, large corporate companies, slow growing mom-and-pop shops, and everything in-between. I learned one thing that is visible throughout every company – character is more valuable than any paper or degree. I saw amazingly qualified people get removed from the military because of poor character choices and I have been a part of teams where the lead managers would not listen to great ideas because it was simply just not their idea.
Our team started with, Noel my mother-in-law and Dennae my wife. Unknowingly we had all been progressively molded to run a business together. We all love “the thrill of the find”, that process of finding a piece of junk and making it into something new. So we started selling found items at the Lafayette Flea Market with one booth and slowly added until we had about six booths. Shortly after, we decided to open our own space. I was currently in the military with amazing benefits, working for Furniture Row as a stage manager making sets for their commercials and trying to value family time when I was able to get some with my wife and two kids. We all saw an opportunity to serve our community which we each felt called to do and I left the comforts I was enjoying for the unknown.
In the master plan we wanted to have a coffee shop at the boutique to be tied together and that recently established itself. On March 15th 2019, we opened Brew. Brew is a coffee shop with a twist. We make delicious seasonal elixirs that you can drink any time of day. It’s a great space for people to work, relax and get a high quality drink. Luckily for most women it is also a fun way to grab some friends for a little sip and shop day. So come see as we grow our lifestyle store.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Strangely enough, it seems that each year we have had one major catastrophe that has put a hit on business development. Some have been self-inflicted injuries and some have been out of our control. At the end of 2017 we were looking to build a Due South facility which we put so much time and effort into that the store itself took a back seat for almost five months. Once we decided not to pursue this any longer, we noticed all the areas that were being neglected and how we needed to refocus on the customer’s desires not our own. In 2018 we had someone drive through the front of our building which left us looking like we were closed or at the very least under construction for about two months. This was a difficult time for all.
Most of the frequent struggles I face are in managing the people I am closest to in my personal life. I manage a company that is run by my mother, wife, mother-in-law, best friend and many other close friends. I have found that it is hard to be a son, husband, son-in-law and friends while pushing business needs. Luckily, my biggest competitive advantage is my people and we have the best group of team members ever!
Overall, I have had a fairly smooth and receptive road. The community has really adopted us in and we are so thankful for this support. We truly love the people we get to serve and feel that they really keep us striving to be focused on offering products they want and not pushing products that pay us more.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Due South and BREW – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Due South is a Lifestyle Store. At the boutique, we offer clothing for her, home décor, found items, accessories, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®, and gift items. With a team of visionaries, we are able to keep up on the styles and adapt as the customer’s priorities change. We opened BREW Tea and Coffee Bar in Mid-March 2019 which really has been an exciting addition and what really solidified the Lifestyle Store concept. Who does not want to have a drink while they shop with friends and family?
At Brew, we are quite proud of the Elixirs we make. Our Elixirs are eclectic seasonal mixtures hand-crafted the entire family. Often times, these drinks could be a representation of a common cocktail with a twist the possibilities are endless for these drinks.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
To keep it short and sweet, we have plans to sell products online which is going to be a huge adventure in planning and developing. We want to make sure that we can offer a simple, enjoyable and profitable experience to the online consumer. Then at a later point down the road, we would love to have several locations in the Denver and Front Range area.
Contact Info:
- Address: 802 S Public Rd Suite A
Lafayette CO, 80026 - Website: www.duesouthhome.com
- Phone: 720-638-4047
- Email: brett.duesouth@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/due.south/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/duesouthlafayette/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/due-south-lafayette
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/brewduesouth/
Image Credit:
All images are credit to Dennae Hill and Due South
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