Welcome to The Business Over Beer Podcast, where we blend business, entrepreneurship, and craft beer into engaging and insightful conversations. Hosted by Ben Surratt and Kimberly Keys, we sit down with small business owners, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to uncover the stories behind their success, the challenges they've faced, and the passion that drives them. In each episode, we share a beer (or two) and dive deep into topics like marketing, leadership, innovation, and community building, offering real-world advice and inspiration to anyone looking to start or grow their business. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, Business Over Beer is your go-to resource for actionable insights, a bit of humor, and, of course, craft beer talk. Grab your favorite brew and join us for a mix of business and fun! 🔗 Follow us: Instagram & Facebook: @passagestosuccess TikTok: @bizoverbeer YouTube: Business Over Beer The Podcast
The Bigger Picture 📸🍻
Photography, Teen Mental Health & Great Beer with Bee Lizzy Photography
What started as a conversation about photography turned into something much bigger.
This week on Business Over Beer, Ben sits down with Bekky of Bee Lizzy Photography at Yard 65 in Kiel, Wisconsin, to talk about building a successful photography business, creating confidence in young women, and why today's generation may understand mental health better than we give them credit for.
Along the way, Head Brewer Corey joins the conversation for a summer beer tasting featuring some incredible brews from Yard 65, making this one of our most relaxed (and refreshing) episodes yet.
🍺 Summer beer tasting with Yard 65's Corey
📸 Building a photography business from the ground up
💛 The Bee Lizzy Spokesmodel Program and empowering young women
🧠 Teen mental health, confidence & social media
🤝 Why relationships matter more than ever in business
🤖 Will AI change photography?
🌞 What makes Wisconsin such a special place to call home
This episode is a reminder that sometimes the best conversations happen when you simply pull up a chair, pour a beer, and listen.
📸 Website: www.beelizzyphotography.com
📱 Instagram | Facebook | TikTok: @beelizzyphotography
📍 Kiel, Wisconsin
🌐 www.bizoverbeer.com
📸 Instagram: @bizoverbeerpodcast
🎵 TikTok: @bizoverbeer
🐦 X: @bizoverbeer
Business Over Beer is FINALLY back in a brewery… and this episode was apparently so nice, I had to film it twice. 🍻
After falling behind on editing, life chaos, schedules, and me apparently forgetting how calendars work, I’m excited to finally share this special episode featuring Kishwaukee Brewing in Woodstock, Illinois.
This episode ended up becoming something unique. I sat down with Cara on one day and Dan on another, giving this conversation two completely different perspectives on the brewery, the beer, the creativity, and the business behind it all. Honestly, it made the episode even better.
We talk about:
🍺 Brewing philosophy
🍺 Building community through craft beer
🍺 The story behind Kishwaukee Brewing
🍺 Award-winning beers
🍺 Running a brewery as a team
🍺 Midwest beer culture and why local breweries matter
Huge thanks to Dan and Cara for being patient while I crawled out from underneath my editing cave to finally release this one.
🎧 Follow Business Over Beer:
Instagram: @bizoverbeerpodcast
TikTok: @bizoverbeer
X: @bizoverbeer
Follow Ben:
Instagram: @ben_surratt
Follow Passages to Success:
Instagram: @passagestosuccess
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Bizoverbeerpodcast
🌐 Website: www.bizoverbeer.com
📧 Contact: bizoverbeer@gmail.com
Follow Kishwaukee Brewing:
Instagram: @kishwaukeebrewing
Facebook: Kishwaukee Brewing Company
🌐 https://www.kishwaukeebrewing.com
#BusinessOverBeer #KishwaukeeBrewing #CraftBeer #WisconsinBeer #IllinoisBeer #MidwestBreweries #Podcast #BeerPodcast #SmallBusiness #CraftBeerCulture
In this special edition of Business Over Beer, Ben heads to Yard 65 Brewing Co. for a deep dive into classic German beer styles with head brewer Corey Petzold.
From Kölsch and Helles to Schwarzbier and Bock, this episode is more than just a beer review — it’s a journey through German culture, history, tradition, and the way beer brings people together.
Corey shares stories from his many trips to Germany, how German beer culture inspired his brewing journey, and why camaraderie, conversation, and community are at the center of everything happening at Yard 65.
They also talk:
🍺 German beer styles & brewing traditions
🇩🇪 Regional culture differences across Germany
🏰 Castles, monasteries & Oktoberfest
✈️ Corey’s upcoming Germany beer & culture tour
🍖 German food pairings
⚽ Bundesliga, beer halls & Christmas markets
🍻 Why German beer culture feels different
If you love craft beer, travel, storytelling, or just hearing passionate people talk about what they love — this episode is for you.
📍 Yard 65 Brewing Co. – Kiel, Wisconsin
📲 Follow Yard 65:
Instagram: @yard65brewery
Facebook: Yard 65 Brewing Co.
🍺 Follow Business Over Beer:
X: @bizoverbeer
Instagram: @bizoverbeerpodcast
TikTok: @bizoverbeer
Follow Ben: @ben_surratt
Passages to Success: @passagestosuccess
🔗 https://linktr.ee/Bizoverbeerpodcast
#BusinessOverBeer #Yard65 #CraftBeer #GermanBeer #WisconsinBeer #BeerPodcast #CraftBrewery #MidwestBeer #BeerCulture #KielWI
What if the most important story ever told… is yours?
In this episode of Business Over Beer, I sit down with Mary Voell, founder of Legacies, a business dedicated to helping families capture, preserve, and pass down their stories for generations.
What started as a moment of reflection after losing her mother turned into a 20+ year journey of helping people document their lives—not just names and dates, but the real stories that shape who we are.
We dive into:
This episode is a reminder that your story matters—and it’s worth telling.
Connect with Mary Voell (Legacies):
📧 info@legaciesstories.com
Connect with Business Over Beer:
🍻 Website: www.bizoverbeer.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Bizoverbeerpodcast
📧 Email: bizoverbeer@gmail.com
📱 Follow us:
Produced by WAWI Productions
Helping you tell your story the right way 🎙️
📩 Reach out to learn more about podcast production & consulting
This episode of Business Over Beer is different—and it needed to be.
No beer. Just coffee, conversation, and a mission that hits straight in the chest.
Host Ben Surratt sits down with Dustin Rucker, founder of Warm Kids Wisconsin, a nonprofit working directly with elementary schools to make sure kids across the state have what they need to survive Wisconsin winters: boots and snow pants.
It all started with one giving tree request:
“I just want snow pants so I can play with my friends.”
That moment changed everything.
In this episode, Dustin shares:
Warm Kids Wisconsin now works with schools from Chippewa Falls to Sheboygan, helping 30–40 kids per school, with 100% of donations going directly to kids—no salaries, no overhead, no nonsense.
This episode is a reminder that:
🎧 Listen. Share it. Then do something with it.
Follow and connect with Warm Kids Wisconsin on social media
📲 @warmkidswisconsin
Donations accepted via PayPal & Venmo
(Search Warm Kids Wisconsin)
Current needs:
🌐 www.bizoverbeer.com
🔗 https://linktr.ee/Bizoverbeerpodcast
📩 bizoverbeer@gmail.com
🎬 Produced by WAWI Productions
📩 wawiproductions@gmail.com
📸 Instagram: @wawiproductions
In this episode of Business Over Beer, Ben sits down with Tami, co-owner of Waldo Hemp Works, for a conversation that breaks down the stigma, confusion, and curiosity surrounding the hemp industry.
This is a first for the podcast—diving into a business many people have questions about but don’t always understand. Tami shares how Waldo Hemp Works got started, what hemp-derived products actually are, and why education and transparency matter so much in this space. We talk laws, misconceptions, customer hesitation, and what it’s really like owning a hemp business in today’s climate.
No sales pitch. No hype. Just an honest, educational conversation about entrepreneurship, community, and an industry that’s still widely misunderstood.
Whether you’re hemp-curious, a small business owner, or just here for a good conversation—you’ll learn something from this one.
Connect with Waldo Hemp Works:
📸 Instagram: @waldohempworks
🌐 waldohempworks.com
Connect with Business Over Beer:
🎧 Listen & subscribe wherever you get your podcasts
📸 Instagram / TikTok / X: @bizoverbeer
🌐 www.bizoverbeer.com
Produced by WAWI Productions:
📸 Instagram: @wawiproductions
📧 Email: wawiproductions@gmail.com
We’re kicking off 2026 the right way—Dry January style.
In the first episode of the year, Ben sits down with Patrick Aleshire, founder of Milwaukee’s first non-alcoholic beverage passport and the man behind Zero Proof Ventures.
Patrick shares his personal journey of quitting alcohol after 20 years, what surprised him most about going alcohol-free, and how that decision sparked a fast-growing NA passport program now featuring 22 local establishments. From Guinness Zero and Blue Moon NA to mocktails, spirits, and sober-curious culture, this episode dives into the booming NA movement, shifting drinking trends, and why sobriety doesn’t mean boring.
They also get real about sleep, anxiety, social pressure, Dry January expectations, and why Gen Z is leading the charge toward zero-proof options. If you’re sober curious, cutting back, or just curious what’s next in beverage culture—this one’s for you.
👉 Want to learn more, collaborate, or bring Zero Proof to your city?
Connect with Zero Proof Ventures
🌐 zeroproofpass.com
📸 Instagram: @zeroproofpass | @414_Milwaukee
📘 Facebook: @zeroproofventures
🎙️ Interested in being on the show or partnering with Business Over Beer?
Connect with Ben Surratt
📧 bizoverbeer@gmail.com
📸 Instagram: @bizoverbeerpodcast | @ben_surratt
🌐 www.bizoverbeer.com
We talk about her 10-year hustle building G Dogz, how her background in mental health shaped the way she coaches dogs (and supports the humans attached to them), and why “it’s okay to not be okay” isn’t just a phrase — it’s a way of life. Coach G also shares the wild story of breaking her neck early in her business journey… and how community, mindset, and asking for help helped her push through.
Oh — and yes… she shows up with Spotted Cow. Because Wisconsin finds you no matter where you run. 🧀🍺
Follow Coach G Instagram: @g_dogz
Website: gdogz.com
X: @bizoverbeer
Instagram: @bizoverbeerpodcast
TikTok: @bizoverbeer
Follow Ben: @ben_surratt on Instagram
Follow Passages to Success: @passagestosuccess.
https://linktr.ee/Bizoverbeerpodcast
www.bizoverbeer.com
#BusinessOverBeer #SmallBusinessStories #PodcastEpisode #WisconsinVibes #DogTraining
Tara Tinsley is back for her third appearance on the Business Over Beer Podcast, and this one feels like catching up with an old friend right before Thanksgiving. We dive into everything she’s been up to — from her evolution as a singer and public speaker, to how her faith continues to guide her journey, to her unexpected new adventures in farming down in Texas. 🌾🎶
We talk food, we talk life, we talk growth… and of course, we laugh our way through the entire episode. This is one of those conversations that reminds you why staying connected with good people matters.
Follow along, share it with a friend, and have a happy Thanksgiving, folks. 🍂🍻
Follow & Connect: with Tara
Follow & Connect: with The BOB
X: @bizoverbeer
Instagram: @bizoverbeerpodcast
TikTok: @bizoverbeer
Ben: @ben_surratt
Passages to Success: @passagestosuccess
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Bizoverbeerpodcast
In this quick but punchy episode, Ben sits down with John Roots, owner of Natty Oaks in West Allis a man who has survived the wild ride of restaurant ownership, community building, and more dad jokes than any human should legally be allowed to use.
John breaks down what makes West Allis so special, why community matters, and what D-B-A-B means, and what every restaurateur/bar owner learns sooner or later. 👀
Oh, and did I mention the bad dad jokes? Yeah… there are plenty. So brace yourself.
🍻 Follow Natty Oaks: @the_real_nattyoaks
🍻 Follow John: @rootsrootsbaby
🍻 Follow Biz Over Beer:
🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Bizoverbeerpodcast