Matt Estrin
Builders Facilitator
Meet Matt Estrin, facilitator of the Loveland–Johnstown Builders chapter. Matt spent fifteen years as a music pastor before trading the pulpit for a pot still. In 2018 he launched 477 Distilling in Greeley, which now has two tasting rooms and distribution in several states. Since then he has started seven businesses, including Oak & Maple, the Greeley Hatchet House and a cocktail bar. He has led teams through boom years, a global pandemic and everything in between, and he's learned as much from the failures as from the wins. Matt is also the author of I Know the Owner: My Entrepreneurial Journey from Holy Water to Happy Hour. He and his wife of more than twenty years, Trista, live in Greeley with their two daughters.
"Nobody understands the weight of ownership like another owner."
I've been shaped by great mentors and by a group of business owners who cheered me on, called me out and kept me going on the hard days. Ownership can be lonely, and it doesn't have to be. Facilitating is my chance to give other owners what that community gave me.
My Facilitator Strengths
Taking the Leap - I left a steady paycheck to start a distillery with a wife, two kids, a dog and a mortgage. I know what it takes to move from daydreaming to doing.
Team Culture - A business is only as good as the people in it. I love building teams where people want to show up and serve customers well.
Honesty - I've had big wins and plane-crash failures. I'll tell you the truth about both, because that's where the real lessons are.
Humor - Business is serious, but we don't have to be serious all the time. Laughing together builds trust, and trust gets real work done.
Marketing/Networking - I understand how to position yourself and your business to be known in your community.