#3 Get A Grip Before You Get To Work

Get a Grip Before You Get to Work
Why our sprint starts by interrogating the problem - not the creative.

Most agencies spend weeks developing creative ideas, only for the first client meeting to spiral into a different kind of conversation: “Wait… what problem are we even solving here?”

At Beers With Friends, we don’t let that happen. Because when you’re moving at the pace of a sprint, you can’t afford to find out three weeks in that you’ve been chasing the wrong brief.

That’s why Day 1 of our Beer Run is all about Getting a Grip, like grabbing a cold one out of a cooler. But grabbing the “right” cold one. 

We don’t start with business problems. We start with the consumer’s point of view. What are they trying to do? What’s getting in their way? And how could this brand credibly help them do it better?

Then we throw down dozens of potential ways into the problem - each one framed as a sharp, provocative “How might we…” question. How might we make them feel proud to choose this? How might we turn their hesitation into a habit? How might we turn a functional product into an emotional unlock?

It’s not just an exercise in alignment - it’s a pressure test. The conversation that follows helps us find the problem that’s worth solving. The one that’s focused enough to spark action but big enough to unlock something new. Just as importantly, we also learn which problems not to chase.

Knowing what to say no to is just as valuable as knowing what to say yes to. Especially when the clock is ticking.

Sprints demand clarity from day one. But even if you’re not working in five-day cycles, why wait weeks to ask the most important question? If you’re not aligned on the problem before you start solving it, you’re wasting time—and probably budget too.

Before you go full throttle on the solution, get a grip on the problem.