What a year and they only go by faster as we get older. But coffee helps accomplish all that needs doing. And boy was this another big year. The biggest yet, actually.
Although I miss this blog, there are other things now that need more of my attention. With that said, I will continue to write as often as possible that time allows. Once I am more efficient in organizing my time to include this blog into my new venture, I’ll be sure to write more often.
Hobby or Career?
For the first half of the year, I felt the need to step away from all things coffee and focus on freelance writing and put my time and energy into the Pay it Forward with Coffee project.
I had a few client projects here and there. This time, focusing on writing copy as one of my career paths made me realize that although I enjoy it very much, my true passion has and will always be in coffee. Writing is more enjoyable as a hobby.
Now, I am deeply invested emotionally and physically into the coffee world. My dream finally came true. I have my own coffee place.
Before I tell you about it, let me back up and explain how it happened…
New caffeinated beginnings
There is this little coffee drive thru in town I had been wanting to check out for a long time and never got around to it. One day in August, I decided to finally go see the place. It was kitschy, cozy, a great concept and in an amazing location. I got to talking to the Owner and found out that the place was for sale. This was a “right-place, right-time” situations.
Not one week earlier had I been dreaming out loud, with my boyfriend, about having my own coffee shop. He was getting into coffee and wanting a business we could do together. I told him it was for sale and everything was a blur the rest of the month. October first, the place was ours.
So for the past three months we have been learning everything from choosing coffees and supplies to ordering inventory without running out of stock, accounting and merchant services.
Going in, we knew there would be a lot involved. Especially running as a two man show starting out. But, until you actually do everything yourself, you won’t truly understand how passionate you really are. And you’ll learn that having your own coffee shop isn’t all glamorous. But it’s perfect for the right people, and very few are cut out to have their own coffee shop.
I’m really excited about what the new year will bring. The to-do list for the coffee drive thru is overwhelming as we will be rebranding, making a bunch of changes and start hiring.
I don’t plan to write much about the business, especially on here. But, I do plan to document my experience in a notebook.
Raise a mug to all the great accomplishments this year and to much success in all you do next year. Happy New Year! #lucky2013 May coffee fuel your passion.