The FemGen Spotlight: Lady Justice Brewing
The FemGen Spotlight is a series highlighting women whose work, leadership, and lived experiences reflect the heart of FemGen Wealth: intention, community, and generational growth. Each issue will feature a woman rewriting the old narratives about money and success. This edition spotlights Betsy Lay of Lady Justice Brewing, a Denver based brewery built on the belief that business can be both financially sustainable and deeply values driven. Their model challenges traditional ideas of profit by embedding community impact directly into the way the business operates.
When I visited their Denver taproom, I sat down with the owner of Lady Justice Brewing to talk about community, money, risk, and the often invisible emotional weight of running a small business. What stood out most was how clearly she understands her numbers and how deeply she feels the responsibility of stewarding both a mission and a livelihood. I hope you take something from her story too.
Lady Justice Brewing was founded in 2015 by me and two friends I served with in AmeriCorps. We were working nonprofit jobs during the recession, earning very little, yet still prioritizing gathering together over beer. Breweries stayed busy even when money was tight, which sparked a conversation about why that was and whether beer could be used to fund community impact.
Later, while one of us was in law school, she learned about social enterprise structures and built a business plan around the idea. We opened Lady Justice with just $20,000, starting with beer memberships instead of a taproom. That model launched in 2016, and we are now approaching our tenth year.
From the beginning, we decided that if there was profit to give, we had to give it. Our mission is not optional. It shapes every financial decision we make.
That commitment keeps us scrappy and focused. We look for creative ways to grow without overspending so we can maximize what goes back into the community. If we ever reached a point where we could not fulfill that mission, I would rather shut it down than continue as a for profit brewery.
I feel most confident when I know the numbers clearly. I know down to the cent how much it costs to put a pint of beer in a glass. I understand our pricing, supply chain, and margins very clearly.
Where I feel least confident is trying to predict the future. The beer industry is changing rapidly, and for the first time in decades it is in a steady decline. There are many external factors we cannot control, which makes long term projections difficult and sometimes unsettling.
It is a constant balancing act. Margins are tight, and cash flow can be unpredictable. There are months where expenses come due before payments arrive, and you have to find a way to bridge the gap.
One important shift for me was paying myself a consistent amount each month. I have not given myself a raise in a long time, and I am okay with that. If cuts need to be made, I would rather absorb them personally than put pressure on staff. Right now, investing in people is the priority, because without a sustainable business, there is no mission.
What struck me most about this conversation was how clearly mission and money are intertwined at Lady Justice Brewing. One of the reasons I am so passionate about women’s financial education is that I want women to recognize the power we already have to vote with our dollars in ways that reflect our values and the kind of world we want to help build.
This shows up not just in how we spend, but in how we invest. Our money can support businesses and companies that prioritize things like climate health, community impact, or diversity and inclusion. Or it can support priorities that may not align with our values. Neither is inherently right or wrong, but being intentional about those choices matters.
Lady Justice is a great example of what it looks like when values are baked directly into a business model, and it is a reminder that our everyday financial decisions can be quiet but powerful acts of alignment.
Identify one business or service that aligns with your values and commit to supporting them, whether that is through a direct purchase, a referral, or a simple shoutout.
If you are curious about where your money is currently invested, such as in a 401k, and what that actually means, reach out. I would love to talk through it with you and explore whether small adjustments could help your money better reflect what matters most to you.
And if you live in Denver, or are visiting, make sure to stop by Lady Justice Brewing and experience it for yourself.
- Website: Lady Justice Brewing
- Instagram: @ladyjusticebrewing
Thanks for reading this month’s FemGen Spotlight. If you know a woman who is building something meaningful and navigating money with intention, reply and tell me about her.
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