Behemoth Brewing sees improvements with onboarding, offboarding processes
It all started in a garage as a hobby but after winning a homebrew competition, Andrew Childs quit his day job and started a company to peddle his award-winning craft beer.
The product quickly gathered a cult following among kiwi beer lovers and during a capital raise round in 2020, the company gathered $1.8 million dollars in 20 minutes. This was enough to make the move from contract brewers to having their own brewery and hospitality venue – meaning the company’s workforce would grow from eight to 50 in three short months.
What co-chief executives Hannah Miller Childs and Andrew Childs learned from that experience was that scaling a business at speed takes more than having a sound business strategy and generous financial backing.
“We were thinking about the business strategy, but we didn’t think about the people part of the strategy until they were already here, so we had to very quickly incorporate that,” said Hannah Miller-Childs, co-chief executive of Behemoth Brewing.
Managing people
With little work around company policy or values, the pair went about staffing the new venue and brewery.
“Initially when we did it, we just kind of did it; we needed the people, there wasn’t much planning, it just sort of happened,” said Miller-Childs.
“And then a bit further down the line, we realised it was out of control, we needed more things in place to support us to manage this many people, so we had to go back and do the planning.”
The pair had found themselves drowning in paperwork and Google Docs when they decided to turn to an HR technology platform to track their rapidly expanding workforce.
Within no time, the company had established its core company values and mantra goals as well as writing a whole collection of policies.
HR technology changed our life
“Honestly, it changed our life,” said Miller-Childs. “Like all new things it took a little bit to set up but now that it’s in place, you just know things like it’s performance review time, it’s annual review time, everyone gets a gift on their birthday, and we don’t have to think about it anymore.”
Through the height of Covid, the pair built a brewery and opened two new venues, which raised the company’s revenue by 127%.
“We had 1000 people who put money into us for the purpose of expanding and so for us it was, we owe it to them, and we need to remain true to our word, and that kind of kept us pushing forward,” she said.
Future growth confidence
Now, plans for future growth mean the company is preparing to become a large-scale organisation, something that Miller-Childs said she feels more confident doing now they have HR technology in place.
“We’re opening two more hospitality venues this year so that’s going to be an increase of 20-30 more staff. It definitely gives me a lot more confidence to know there’s a process for onboarding, there’s a process for offboarding, there’s a process to make sure everybody gets paid, and their tax code is correct.”
The only thing the pair have to worry about ahead of opening their new venues this year is an unfortunate trend that started during Covid.
“The two venues we have opened have had lockdowns three weeks after opening so we’re sort of like, ‘Oh dear, I hope this isn’t our thing,’” laughed Miller-Childs.
Alex Hattingh, chief people officer at technology platform Employment Hero said, “In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, it's inspiring to witness the growth of organisations from humble beginnings to large-scale operations. Though, it's now increasingly common for new business owners and starters to become snowed under by HR requirements and fine-print paperwork - particularly when they reach the point of expansion and fast growth. This issue is common in New Zealand who, in particular, have a large emphasis on starting and supporting new businesses.”
“As we continue to navigate the world of work and its ever-changing demands, Hattingh continued. It's essential for businesses to invest in solutions that help them stay ahead of the curve, while also fostering a rewarding and productive work environment. By utilising innovative HR technology, organisations can significantly reduce administrative time and focus on core business objectives.”
