There are two paths you can choose in a Specialty Coffee company (and basically any quality focused food/drink company) Give the customer what they think they want. Give the customer what you do best. My mantra my whole life has been to: Never give the customer what they want. Only give them what you do […]
A few weeks ago I waxed poetic about the amazing, world-changing people we were fortunate enough to work with at Barefoot Coffee. I had just returned from a trip to the Bay Area (te extraño!) and realized it was the 11th anniversary of the founding of Barefoot Coffee. I cried a lot, mostly with joy; […]
On today’s date 11 years ago in 2003 Nanelle and I gave birth to Barefoot Coffee Roasters. We had no business plan, no money, no idea what we were doing, and no experience. What we did have was absolutely insane passion, a mission to make great coffee and thick, thick skin and big hearts. We […]
The sun was rising with equatorial brilliance from the valley floor, casting it’s tingling rays upon my face. The cool, moist tropical breeze tickled my face with fern frond delicacy soothed away the lie of “roosters rise at dawn” still fresh in my mind after the damn rooster who stood righteously outside my little cabin […]
On April 21st, 2014 (the day before i started my 30 blog posts in 30 days challenge) some super engineers from Idaho Scott and Julie Brusaw launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign after they invented one of the most kick ass things I have ever seen. Solar Freaking Roadways!!!! Yes, solar freaking roadways, parking lots, […]
Today marks the 30th blog post I have written in the last 30 days. One a day for 30 straight days. I did not miss a day. I even managed to write an odd little ditty the one day I did not get to my computer until 11:30 pm and only had 30 minutes to […]
I am most engaged, satisfied and passionate when I am getting my hands and mind dirty knee deep in the active creation process. It’s a risky, chaotic, intuitive process. Both in business and in life there are two differing positions that you can be in. Hands dirty and knee deep in it creating Or […]
The food business is so stupidly stupid that it brings most people to their knees. We sold our coffee company to a seemingly brilliant business man who turned out to be a complete psychopath. He also raped and pillaged the business and left it dying and spastic on the sand after gutting it for maximum […]
All of us in America are absurdly lucky. We live in one of the most obscenely prosperous nations on the planet. Our government, although woefully financially corrupt, has a wonderful track record of not taking it out on us physically anywhere near as often as other governments have. The vast majority of us not only […]
There is a great deal of myth and legend surrounding the idea of entrepreneurs. Investors love entrepreneurs because we make them lots of money. Of course we lose them lots of money even more often. Employees love entrepreneurs because they create jobs and a culture that is inspiring and exciting. The media loves entrepreneurs because […]
