Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Zack Burnett, co-owner and Managing Partner of Bold Bean Coffee Roasters, located in Jacksonville, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Bold Bean Coffee Roasters was founded in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2007. Since the beginning, we have been focused on providing sustainably-sourced, specialty coffees and intentional service to Jacksonville and beyond. We provide coffee to wholesale, traditional retail, and online retail clients. We focus on building relationships throughout our supply chain in order to source the best coffees available, roast them precisely and deliver them to our customers at the peak of freshness. We believe that great coffee can be experiential and, if approached properly, can be the catalyst for positive, cross-national change.
Tell us about yourself
I got into the coffee business after graduating college with a fine arts degree in photography. Coffee was supposed to be a temporary job until I launched my photography career. Upon entering the industry, I had no knowledge of specialty coffee. As I began to learn about the product and the processes involved in getting it into our cup, I slowly fell in love with it.
I realized that if I was to pursue coffee as a career that I would be able to learn every time I approached the roaster, visited a farm or processing facility, or went through our purchasing and quality control processes. As a fan of continuous learning, this was very appealing. I also had the realization that as a coffee roaster, we have a hand in creating a product that will, hopefully (if we do our jobs right), give someone else a little bit of enjoyment in their day. So, the prospect of continuous learning and the ability that roasting coffee gives us to help create something for someone else's enjoyment is what sold me on making coffee a career. I am still motivated by the prospect of continual refinement of our processes, the never-ending quest for perfection, the personal and professional growth for our team, and that every day the effort of our work is enjoyed by so many people.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I don't like to focus so much on what we have already done but on what we will do. But, I am proud that we have created a business where people enjoy coming to work every day and also that so many of our customers want to make our business an important part of their day and their lives.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Compartmentalizing work from personal life. Turning work off when not working. It's doable, but it takes effort. There is a fine line between working hard and falling into our culture's unfortunate glamorization of workaholism. Give it your all, but do not let your work run your entire life. I have seen many people burn out by not following this advice. Your life is more than your work, and you will never perform at your best level if you do not give your mind the space for anything but work.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Surround yourself with people whose skills complement your own. Don't focus on hiring people who can do what you can do but instead hire people who perform well where you don't.
- Focus on your own business rather than on your competition and stay focused on where you are going, not where you have been.
- Write detailed protocols and systems for all operations as early as possible. This will allow your team to work autonomously but within a structure. It will allow you to scale, and it will help ensure you don't burn out as easily because it will give you the freedom not to be tied to every single aspect of your business.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
When times get tough, and they definitely will! Remember why you wanted to start doing what you're doing. If that continues to be important to you, you will be able to push through the hard times.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://boldbeancoffee.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoldBeanCoffee/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldbeancoffee/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/boldbeancoffee
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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