When my wife, Kim Jordan, and I founded New Belgium Brewing Company in 1991,当我的妻子，金约旦，我创建了新比利时酿造公司在1991年，
money was tight, so we created a business plan that fit within the budget and钱紧，所以，我们创建了一个业务计划，符合预算和
a custom equipment plan that fit within the 211 square feet of basement space自定义设备的计划，符合211平方英尺的地下室空间
allotted to the venture.分配给合资公司。 We were told that it wouldn’t work.我们被告知，这是行不通的。 Creativity,创造力，
supported with confidence and buffered with a bit of ignorance, was our支持与信心和缓冲与有点无知，是我们的
greatest asset.最大的资产。

Sixteen months later, we were selling all the beer we could make.一十六个月后，我们销售的所有啤酒，我们可以作出。 So when it因此，当它
came time to open a second brewing facility, instead of buying all new parts,来的时间开辟第二酿造设施，而不是购买所有新的零件，
I scrounged old dairies for tanks and other stainless steel parts, allowing us i scrounged岁的奶场，为坦克和其他不锈钢零件，让我们
to rapidly increase production volume without compromising product quality.迅速提高生产量又不损害了产品质量。

Three years later, when we opened an all-new brewery, I again stretched my三年后的今天，当我们打开一个全新的啤酒厂，我再次拉我
creativity.创造力。 In one project, three engineers, including myself, did the work of在一个项目，三个工程师，包括我自己在内，有没有工作
12 to custom fashion the control system and piping for our state-of-the-art 12日至定制时装控制系统和管道，为我们的国家- - -艺术
brewing equipment from Germany.酿造设备由德国。

In 1999, we were searching for ways to reduce brewery carbon dioxide在1999年，我们正在寻找途径来降低啤酒的二氧化碳
emissions, a natural byproduct of beer fermentation.排放的废气，自然的副产品啤酒发酵过程中。 A brewery co-worker found一啤酒厂合作，发现工人
that we could buy wind power from our local utility rather than invest in new我们可以购买风力发电从本地公用事业，而非投资于新
CO2 recovery equipment, resulting in a six times greater net CO2 emission二氧化碳回收设备，导致在一个更大的6倍，净CO2排放
reduction, without any capital expenditures.减少，没有任何资本支出。

Now that the company is established – we’re the fifth largest craft brewery in现在，该公司是成立的-我们是第五大啤酒工艺在
the United States, with annual revenue of $42 million and 175 employees - I美国，每年收入4200万美元和175名雇员-我
still tinker to find solutions for our equipment needs.仍修饰，以找到解决办法，为我们的设备的需要。

So That’s Creativity 这样的创造力

In my mind, building a creative company comes down to examples like these.在我心目中，建设一个创意公司可以归结为例子，像这些。
It’s the ability to bring innovative solutions to difficult problems.它的能力，带来创新的方法，解决棘手问题。 A字母a
reflection perhaps of my background in engineering, it’sa concept that反思或许我的背景在工程中的应用，它的概念，
nonetheless works well for our company.尽管如此工程，以及为我们的公司。

It’s also a concept that, I believe, would be helpful to other entrepreneurs,这也是一个概念，我相信，会有帮助其他的企业家，
especially those whose image is, much like our own, that of being “hip” and特别是那些形象，很像我们自己，就是被“协和”和
“funky.” “时髦” 。

Indeed, we were founded after a decade of beer-related soul searching on my事实上，我们成立十年后的啤酒有关的反省我的
part.的一部分。 I had the classic beer experience in college.我有经典的啤酒的经验，在高校。 Then I “graduated” to more然后我“毕业” ，以更
flavorful imported brews. flavorful进口brews 。 I dabbled – disastrously at times – in home brewing. i涉足-d isastrously在时代-在家中自酿制酒。
In the mid 1980s, when I toured Belgium on a bicycle, I learned about Belgian在八十年代中期，当我参观了比利时对自行车的，我了解了比利时
beer “styles” and the role of major ingredients such as yeast.啤酒“风格”和作用的主要成分，如酵母。

By the end of the decade, I was scribbling back-of-the-envelope notes about由十年结束时，我是涂鸦回- - -信封笔记
how to turn what was a passion into the business that became New Belgium如何把什么是一个热情化为业务成为新的比利时
Brewing.酿造。 It’sa business that reflects my ideals as well as my beer-making这是业务，反映了我的理想，以及我的啤酒决策
fervor: a pair of founders as dedicated to preserving the environment as热情：对创始人作为致力于维护环境作为
building a company; “hippie”-type employees who want to work for great建设公司; “嬉皮”型的员工要工作的伟大
companies and make great products; and a participatory management style.公司和大的产品;和参与的管理风格。

All of which is somewhat ironic given that it has been my prosaic definition所有这些，是有点讽刺意味，因为它已被我平淡的定义
of creativity – and not only when applied to manufacturing – that has enabled创造力-而不是只有当适用于制造业的-这使得
us to prosper.我们的繁荣。

Beyond Engineering 超越工程

In the management arena, where my wife presides as chief executive officer and在管理上，我的妻子主持作为首席执行干事和
president, the difficult problem that demanded an innovative solution occurred主席，困难的问题，要求一个创新的解决方案发生
in during a period of particularly fast growth in the 1990s.在期间，尤其是快速增长，在20世纪90年代。

The long hairs who embrace great companies and products wouldn’t be willing to长头发的人的怀抱的伟大的公司和产品不会愿意
remain with a company whose culture was in danger of growing out of that mold,保持与公司的文化是在危险日益摆脱这种模具，
we were advised.我们被告知。 Our solution was to enable them to become owners of more than我们的解决办法是使他们成为业主多
30 percent of our stock through an ESOP program and to allow access to all of 30 ％ ，我们的股票，通过职工持股计划，并允许访问的所有
our financial records, except salary information.我们的财务记录，除薪金资料。 We even sponsored courses in我们甚至赞助的课程，
how to read a balance sheet.如何阅读资产负债表。 The intent, and result, was to create the的意图，和结果，是建立
mind-set of an owner.心定一个拥有者。

These “open-book management” concepts aren’t unique to us, but they have gone这些“开放式图书管理”的概念并非独一无二我们，但他们已经
a long way toward enabling us to preserve our culture, and even to tweak it in很长的路走向，使我们能够保存我们的文化，甚至来调整它在
a way that makes sense for a maturing enterprise.的方式是合理的，因为成熟的企业。 These days, employees who这些天来，雇员
are also stockholders don’t think twice about foregoing a quarterly bonus that也有股东不三思前述一季度的收获
could be detrimental to the long-term value of their holdings.可能不利于长期的价值，其控股。

Product Savvy 产品知识

A difficult problem once facing our product line occurred a decade ago when it一个难题，一旦面对我们的产品线发生在十多年前，当它
was clear that one of our products, “Fat Tire™,” was accounting for fully 80显然，我们的一个产品， “发轮胎™ ， ”会计为全面80
percent of sales. ％的销售。 A consultant we retained advised that we jettison our other一名顾问，我们保留表示，我们放弃我们的其他
products and even rename the company Fat Tire.产品，甚至重新命名，该公司发轮胎。

The innovative solution to that problem came right from the gut, and that was创新解决这一问题来的权利，从肠道，这是
to say no.说没有。 We wanted to continue with the strategy that we had embraced from我们要继续与策略，我们从拥抱
the beginning, which was to innovate continually when it came to our specialty一开始，这是创新不断，当它来到我们的专长
beers.啤酒。

In our line of about a dozen offerings, we recently turned to creativity to在我们的路线，大约12名的产品，我们最近转向创意
envision how ale from the Brussels of five centuries ago might have tasted.设想如何的ALE从布鲁塞尔5个世纪前可能已尝到了。
Although we found a recipe dating from 1554, we couldn’t discern the brewing虽然我们找到了食谱可追溯到1554年，我们无法辨别酿造
instructions.指示。 So the new brew, which we’ve named “1554,” arose from our因此，新的BREW ，我们已经命名为“ 1554 ” ，出现了从我们的
attempts to improvise while figuring it out.尝试即兴而计算出来。

Similarly, innovation has led us to work around the brewing mantra that holds同样，创新，使我们的工作，围绕酿造的口头禅持有
that high alcohol content enhances flavor.高酒精含量，提高风味。 Wanting to design a flavorful beer要设计一个flavorful啤酒
with little alcohol, which we would call “Loft,” we turned to the creative少饮酒，这是我们称之为“阁楼， ”我们转向创意
solution of using spices.解决使用香料。

Our Creative Future 我们创造性的未来

On the drawing board for the future is a plan to turn our company into one关于制定理事会未来是一个计划，把我们的公司变成一
that goes beyond green - that becomes a model of environmental adaptation for超越绿色-即成为一种模式，适应环境，为
other companies.其他公司。 A current project, for example, is to assure that our new目前的项目，举例来说，是确保我们的新
warehouse and bottling facility is a net producer rather than consumer of仓库和装瓶设施，是一个纯生产者，而非消费者
energy.能源。

Already the first problem has surfaced, that such a “living building,” as we已经是第一个问题已经出现，这种“生活建设， ”由于我们
call it, will be more expensive to build.呼吁，将较昂贵的建设。 Already, we are turning our目前，我们正把我国
creativity toward the task of solving that problem.对创造力的任务，解决这一问题。

Our definition of creativity has forged a company.我们的定义，创造性，建立了一间公司。 Adapt it in the course of适应它在这个过程中
building yours, and you will be richly rewarded.建设你，你将拥有丰富的回报。

© Jeff Lebesch ©杰夫lebesch
Co-founder,共同创办人， New Belgium Brewing Company新比利时酿造公司