Meet Max Berg: Co-Founder and Head of Revenue for Eliqs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Max Berg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Max, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“Everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out yet, then it’s not the end.”― Tracy McMillan

I’m a huge fan of this quote because it is only slightly cheesy and can be applied to both your personal and professional life, while evoking a level of optimism that, to me, isn’t SO over the top that it actually enables me to see things a bit more clearly. I love that the idea of something “working out” is extremely simple and subjective, and can provide a positive spin on nearly any situation or circumstance. The flexible nature of the quote leading to even a slight mindset shift toward becoming a bit more hopeful or persistent is always a big win.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Launched in 2019, Eliqs believes that what you’re drinking should reflect and build your identity – as an individual or as a brand. It should create lasting memories and taste damn good too. Eliqs is the ONLY company that enables the creation of personalized, custom branded beverages for private consumption shipped directly to your door (think canned craft beer with your face on it or a can of rosé wine designed just for your bachelorette party). Eliqs also develops net new beverage brands in collaboration with their influencer, content creator, celebrity, and media network partners, that are sold directly to high-value and existing audiences and follower bases.

We currently offer custom-branded craft beer, wine, hard seltzer, and non-alcoholic water options (still and sparkling), and we’ve capitalized on the direct-to-consumer boom and ship products directly to our customer’s doorsteps nationally.

The path to getting where we are has been anything but easy. When we first launched Eliqs at the end of 2019, we were exclusively an events-focused business. Everything seemingly was going great until COVID popped up and fundamentally changed who and what we could be as a company. Quite literally overnight, our entire business model of creating custom beverages for large-scale events became an impossibility and our revenue projections fell to zero. We knew we had to pivot. We VERY quickly worked to redesign our model, and over the course of 3 weeks, we developed, built, and launched what has evolved into the direct-to-consumer eCommerce platform that we’ve been scaling ever since.

2020 was a year of learning and testing to optimize our offering and process for working with customers, and without this shift, we would not have unlocked opportunities to partner with content creators, celebrities, and established IP to launch beverage brands in collaboration with them as seamlessly as we did. And we would not have been able to assemble the rock star team that we currently have either.

Working to innovate in the beverage industry, which has been stuck in its ways for decades, is no easy task. But with that said, our team is beyond energized to continue pushing the envelope and build a truly meaningful company that positively impacts every single one of our customers and partners.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The ideal LA day to me is… starting off with a late breakfast at Gjusta in Ocean Park before walking down Rose to the beach and checking out some of the local skate pros doing their thing at Venice Skate Park. After hanging at the beach for a bit, stroll up the strand toward the Santa Monica Pier and make a pit stop at the Waterfront for a drink (or 2). Enjoy the “scene” until we’re ready for a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere and continue walking up the beach to what I think is the best and most underrated bar in LA, Big Dean’s. It’s not just the massive beers for a great price, or the fact that you can watch any sporting event outside, or even that their burgers and chicken fingers are amazing, it’s that the staff at Big Dean’s creates an amazing atmosphere and only want patrons to have a great time. Once the sun goes down and if we can muster the strength, the next step is to make the brief walk up the Pier to Uovo for some home-made pasta (literally) flown in from Italy and round out the day. That’s about all the planning I have in me! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to the entire Eliqs team who has been absolutely grinding over the last 18 months, through the thick and thin of a global pandemic, to get the company to where it is today. I know for a fact that we would be in a very different place if it hadn’t been for the dedication, constant energy, unwavering support from the entire Eliqs team, including Alix Marson, Katie Barger, Michael Pizziferro, Julia Perez, Sydney Banta, Aram Gushchyan, Joe Schwappach, and Dave Goldman.

Website: eliqs.com

Instagram: instagram.com/eliqs

Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/eliqs

Twitter: twitter.com/shopeliqs

Facebook: facebook.com/eliqs

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/shopeliqs