Episode 20

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Published on:

26th May 2026

How Hubtown Brewery Built Community, Faced Warner Bros, And Won Fans | Lisa Watts

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Hearing no from the market, the bank, or a giant like Warner Brothers does not mean stop. It means get sharper, get braver, and keep going.

In this episode of The Karas Wright Show, Karas Wright sits down with Lisa Watts, co-founder of Hubtown Brewing in Okotoks, for a powerful conversation about building a values-driven business, listening to the market, and standing up to big players without losing your soul.

This episode is for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to reconnect with why they started, rethink how they listen to their customers, and feel braver about taking on big challenges.

What you will learn:

- How to listen to the market without losing yourself

- Why community and values are real business strategy, not just nice words

- What it really takes to survive bootstrapping, imposter syndrome, and COVID

- How Hubtown navigated a trademark battle with Warner Brothers

- The tension between artistic integrity and market reality

- Three anchors every entrepreneur needs to keep going in hard seasons

About Lisa Watts:

Lisa Watts is the co-founder of Hubtown Brewing in Okotoks, Alberta. She and her team built a values-driven craft brewery from a 95-page business plan and small-batch beginnings, surviving bootstrapping, a global pandemic, and a trademark battle with Warner Brothers along the way.

Website: www.hubtownbrewing.com

Instagram: @hub_town_brewing

Ready to get clear on where your business is headed? Take the free Business Reality Check:

wrightstep.ca/business-reality-check

Connect with Karas:

Website: wrightstepcoaching.com

YouTube: youtube.com/@TheKarasWrightShow

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karaswright

Instagram: @wrightstepcoaching

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About the Podcast

The Karas Wright Show
Real Conversations About Leadership, Business, and Life
The Karas Wright Show is an unscripted video podcast for high-achieving women, founders, and business leaders who are building bigger without burning out.

Host, Karas Wright, business coach and psychology student, sits down with founders, executives, and entrepreneurs for raw, real conversations about what it actually takes to lead with clarity and intention.

No scripts. No filters. Just honest conversations with people who are doing the work.Ready to get clear on your next step?

Take the free Business Reality Check at wrightstep.ca/business-reality-check

About your host

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Karas Wright

Karas Wright is a business coach, consultant, and psychology nerd who works with high-performing professionals, leaders, and entrepreneurs who are building bigger without burning out.

As the founder of Wright Step Coaching and creator of the Clarity Compass Method, Karas helps her clients move from reactive execution to intentional leadership through practical systems, honest conversation, and a deep understanding of the psychology behind how we make decisions under pressure.

The Karas Wright Show is where that work goes public. Unscripted conversations with founders, executives, and entrepreneurs who are doing the real work of building, the kind of honest dialogue that does not make it into the highlight reel but makes all the difference in the room.
Karas is based in Calgary, Alberta, and is a dedicated wife and mother of four.