The Welsh Wire: Brewing Success with Chris O’Neill of One Well Brewing

This month on The Welsh Wire, Sheri Welsh dives into the inspiring entrepreneurial journey of Chris O’Neill, the visionary behind One Well Brewing—a beloved Kalamazoo establishment celebrating 10 years of business success.

O’Neill’s story began with a passion for homebrewing and a bold decision to leave the corporate world to chase his dream of entrepreneurship.

“I didn’t really know that beer was going to be what I was going to do, but I was convinced at that point that the entrepreneur pathway was what I needed to go down,” he says. “There was already a lot of precedent set for beer and Kalamazoo, and I wanted to be a part of that.”

O’Neill shares how he navigated the challenges of taking over sole ownership after a partnership split and stresses the importance of constant learning and improvement.

His strategy? Observe competitors through the eyes of a customer.

“I think that the secret sauce really has been to continue to go out, to look at what other people are doing, to take things in from the perspective of the customer,” he says.

O’Neill credits the support of organizations like SCORE and the foundation of a strong business plan as key to his success.

He also discusses his vision for One Well’s future, which focuses on leadership development and potential expansion.

“We’re trying to cultivate a good leadership team and make sure that we have the right people at one location, so that hopefully moving forward we might be able to split some things up, move some people up, and get another location.”

Listen to the full conversation, and don’t forget to subscribe to The Welsh Wire on iTunes for more engaging interviews with West Michigan business leaders.