# THE BEER TEST: The Secret to Hiring A-Players & Building a Winning Team

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-happy-hustle-podcast-1197709/the-beer-test-the-secret-to-hiring-a-players-building-a-winning-team
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-happy-hustle-podcast-1197709/the-beer-test-the-secret-to-hiring-a-players-building-a-winning-team.md
Podcast: [The Happy Hustle Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-happy-hustle-podcast-1197709)
Published: 2026-05-15T13:13:19+00:00
Episode link: http://www.caryjack.com
Audio file: https://cdn.simplecast.com/media/audio/transcoded/16de72c1-4716-4e58-81c6-dd35a7ef8ee4/ead0de02-4a2e-40d0-a609-221516fefef6/episodes/audio/group/bc34a2bd-1d3a-4f92-b803-6a0d57943aa4/group-item/395cffc0-02e0-418c-bf41-06aa975f9a55/128_default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=6rqc54Rj
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-happy-hustle-podcast-1197709/episodes/the-beer-test-the-secret-to-hiring-a-players-building-a-winning-team
Duration seconds: 1042

## Resource

What if the most important hiring decision you ever make has nothing to do with a resume? In this solo episode, Cary Jack breaks down the Beer Test, his go-to filter for every hire, client, and mastermind member he brings into the Happy Hustle world. It's simple, it's a little unconventional, and it works. If you wouldn't sit around a campfire and genuinely enjoy an hour of conversation with someone, you probably shouldn't be doing business with them. Cary gets real about the costly mistakes he made early on, working with people who looked great on paper but drained his energy and tanked his culture. He backs it up with hard numbers too. One bad hire can cost you up to $240,000 in lost productivity and opportunity cost alone. That's not a typo. And most entrepreneurs spend more time picking out a truck than they do choosing a teammate. The bottom line Cary drives home is this: skills can be trained, but character cannot be coached. If you want to build a business you actually love showing up for, one where you look at your calendar and get genuinely excited, this episode is your starting point.

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## Transcript

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