I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin May, the Co-Founder of GenB at The Sovereign in Georgetown recently. GenB is a boutique digital product development firm that Kevin co-founded with Pawel Chicon back in 2011. Over the past five years GenB has worked with enterprise clients as well as startups to build custom enterprise-grade web, mobile, tablet and private cloud applications. Kevin also happened to be in the Georgetown area because he is in the process of securing new office space for his company. Kevin told me that he is currently working on getting a spot on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown and that once this happens, he'll be leaving his Dupont Circle WeWork space for real business digs. I found Kevin fascinating for several reasons: 1) he recently received his PhD in Entrepreneurship from George Washington University, 2) he got his degree at the same time that he was building his company, and 3) his secret superhuman power is an uncanny mastery of Saved by the Bell trivia. When I asked Kevin how he was able to get a Doctoral degree while also building and running a technology company, he told me that doing both at the same time nearly killed him. If not for yoga, exercise, and healthy eating, Kevin probably wouldn't be doing this #BLIB right now!
The Bar:
Kevin and I met at The Sovereign in the ritzy, yet collegy neighborhood of Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The Sovereign is Neighborhood Restaurant Group's new Belgian bar concept located on Wisconsin Ave. You might know of NeighborhoodRestaurant Group as the company that runs a number of successful restaurants and bars in D.C. ChurchKey, Rustico, Bluejacket and Iron Gate are just some of their notable locations. As we walked into The Sovereign, we noticed that it was dark and dimly lit. We walked upstairs and sat down at a large wooden bar that was flanked by several standing tables. It was quite busy and there was so much noise that having a conversation proved to be a bit challenging. But the vibe at the bar was great and there was a ton of energy for a weekday evening. With close to 50 beers on draft and around 200 different types of bottled beer, this bar is definitely not for the beginning beer drinker. Not to mention that most of the breweries on tap are Belgian breweries that many U.S. beer drinkers would have a hard time recognizing (and pronouncing). Don't go here expecting to see Sam Adams, Flying Dog, Dogfish Head, or any other popular domestic craft breweries on the draft beer menu. We did have two knowledgeable bartenders who guided us through the options and who made helpful recommendations about what we should try. When I asked Kevin what kind of bars he usually frequents he mentioned that he loves bars with "character and soul." He wants to go somewhere that's authentic and not the typical "meet markets" where people go to pick up the opposite sex. He recommends JV's in Falls Church because it's a down-home bar where locals hang out and swill domestic beer while listening to live music. It’s been family owned and operated since 1947 and Kevin notes that "The owner Lorraine comes out, walks around, and talks to everyone at the bar. It makes you feel really welcome." He also used to frequent Tonic when he was in graduate school, because of its proximity to GWU and because they have Brouwerij Huyghe's Delirium Tremens (91) on tap.
The Beer:
I started our beer adventure with a Jolly Pumpkin Rojzilla (88) and Kevin grabbed a DuPont Pilsner. Jolly Pumpkin was the only domestic brewery that I saw on The Sovereign's draft menu. I've had Jolly Pumpkin a few times before, and while they're somewhat of an obscure (but awesome) brewery, I figured I'd go domestic early. I really enjoyed the Rojzilla (Jolly Pumpkin calls it "their little monster"); its tangy, sour flavor with a little bit of red fruitiness did it for me. Jolly Pumpkin is a great little brewery located in Ann Arbor Michigan, and they have a reputation for producing fantastic U.S.-made artisan ales. Kevin enjoyed his Dupont Pilsner as well. He liked the crispness of the beer and told me that the flavors of the beer "grew on him the more he drank it." The Dupont brewery is a small brewery in Belgium and came to prominence in the U.S. with their Dupont Saison which is sold in a large liter bottle. You can even get it in DuPont Circle D.C! Kevin generally likes hoppy IPA's and tries to avoid rich, heavy beers like Guinness. His favorite breweries include Star Hill and the now defunct Old Dominion BrewHouse because they make (made) solid beers and because he likes to support Virginia breweries. He loves Star Hill's Grateful Pale Ale (82) and Northern Lights (82) and feels that Starr Hill has been consistently cranking out great brews. And while Kevin likes some of the beers put out by mega craft brewers like Sam Adams, including the Rebel IPA (82) and Noble Pils (87), he feels that the quality isn't any better than what you would get from a local or regional brewery. Kevin explained to me that "it always makes him feel good to support the little guy." Kevin went to William and Mary for college in the early 2000's and while there his go-to beers were Natural Light (47) and Colt .45 (58). Congrats to Kevin for graduating from college and for graduating from drinking bad beer!
The Business Leader:
GenB currently has 9 employees; they are growing, and they are hiring. Kevin explained that one of his biggest challenges right now is differentiating GenB from other digital firms within the industry, as GenB is closer to a software development house than a marketing agency. One way that GenB does this is by being extremely picky about the clients that they work with and the work they agree to do, since “technology is not a commodity.” Kevin also mentioned that finding and recruiting talent can be a challenge as well as setting a good example for his existing employees. I then asked Kevin what he needs from the universe right now. He told me that he's always looking for new clients. But they need to be the right clients. One of the key elements of #BLIB is that I always ask business leaders what advice they have for other business leaders. Given that Kevin has a PhD in Entrepreneurship and ran and judged GWU's PitchGeorge and New Venture competitions for several years, I knew he would have some interesting advice. Kevin explained that he has two different pieces of advice; one for would-be entrepreneurs/business leaders and the other for current entrepreneurs/business leaders. He wants the "would-be's" to know that they should follow their passion and trust their gut, and he tells the "currents" that self-doubt is natural and normal, but to not let it stand in the way of doing great things. Whether it's beer advice, bar advice, or business leadership advice, I suggest that our readers take Dr. May's advice to heart!
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