Beer Baroness Mompreneur Badass

Manjit Minhas knows a thing or two about rising to the top

“Curveballs are a blessing in disguise.” The cofounder of the world’s 10th largest brewery takes a nearly imperceptible pause for breath, and doubles down. “Even though it’s hard to see that when you’re right in the trenches and living through times of uncertainty and change, it’s important that you discover that something will come from being out of the ordinary. It’s disturbed what’s comfortable, and great growth comes when you’re in uncomfortable zones, as a company, as an individual, and as a team.”

If there’s anything Manjit Minhas knows about, it’s being out of the ordinary. The company she founded with her brother Ravinder, Minhas Breweries, Distilleries and Wineries, is on the cusp of turning 20, and she is a presence on Canada’s Top 40 under 40 list. Relax — we’ve done the math for you — Minhas started her firm as a 19-year-old.

The Calgary-born speaker, branding specialist, and mother of two is also a familiar face to Canadian viewers of the CBC show “Dragon’s Den,” where the feet of fledgling entrepreneurs are put to the fire each week. Minhas interrupted her hard-earned vacation to speak with BOSS about issues at the heart of success: risk, resilience, and her journey from selling well stock liquor to creating a life well lived.

The curveball that started it all for Minhas took flight when her father, an engineer in the oil and gas sector, lost his job in a down cycle and decided to open a liquor store to keep the family fed. Manjit initially planned to follow in his footsteps, studying petroleum engineering. But it was doing chores at the family’s stores that ignited her passion for sales and marketing, and over a handful of years she progressed from scrubbing floors, stacking pallets, and connecting with customers to having sales competitions with Ravinder.