Thor Cheston, co-founder of Right Proper Brewing Company in Washington’s Brookland neighborhood, recently joined the PROSPER podcast hosted by Andreas Widmer and Rebecca Teti of the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America.
In the episode, Cheston shares his journey from liberal arts graduate to craft beer entrepreneur and reflects on the realities of running a small business in a competitive market. The conversation explores leadership, adapting business strategy, understanding customer needs, and the role of financial literacy—including tools like EBITDA—in building a sustainable company.
Cheston also discusses the importance of transparency in leadership. At Right Proper, he practices open-book management to help employees understand the financial health of the company and contribute more meaningfully to its success.
A convert to the Catholic faith, Cheston says discovering the Busch School’s approach to business helped him see how entrepreneurship and Catholic social teaching can work together.
"I had this moment of wondering how to reconcile my Catholic faith with running a for-profit business."
“I had this moment of wondering how to reconcile my Catholic faith with running a for-profit business,” Cheston said. “Then I realized that the business school at Catholic University is very Catholic and learning through leadership over there —how the free market economy and Catholic social teaching come together in such a beautiful way… had I not already been Catholic, I would have converted.”
Listen to the full episode of PROSPER featuring Thor Cheston:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2X6aLKZc6q6awIBURC7YIc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?