Is this work meaningful?
It’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves at some point in our career. Is this what I am meant to be doing with the time I have in this lifetime? Am I making the world better? Am I making it worse? Could I be happier? Am I motivated more by money or by intrinsic rewards? Can I have both?
Entrepreneurs, burgeoning entrepreneurs in particular, seem to be susceptible to falling down rabbit holes of self-doubt, questioning, and rationalization. I know I have. Dan Romeo did, and decided to do something about it.
Dan wears a lot of hats. He is the Founder & Head Roaster of TRVLR Coffee Roasters. He is also the barista and finance guy. He is the Founder & Head Brewer of One Season Brewing Company. He is also the beer and booch-tender. He sells bicycles and skateboards. He’s the first face you’ll probably see when you go to the Roastarito, which is the home to all of these endeavors.
What is TRVLR? Adventures unknown, experiences of a lifetime, roads less traveled, and the passion to exist; TRVLR is the essence that combines it all together.
TRVLR started out as a dream. Now that dream is a reality. We have combined our for adventure, and love for coffee into one cup. Adventure awaits.
TRVLR is more than coffee. This is an experience. It’s a lifestyle.
In this episode, Dan and I chat about what pushed him to leave a successful career to go down this path where he makes things and creates experiences. We chat about the trauma of facing down the pandemic, and how he realized he needed to pivot his operations if his business was going to survive and thrive.
Check out the show. I hope it causes you to think about the adventure of your career, your life, and inspires you ask, “Can I have both?”
FROM THE SHOW
Read the full article about the Columbian coffee crop coming in 1,000,000 bags under expectation. “Major Coffee Buyers Face Losses…”
Last season we dove into the economy of coffee on an episode of Coffee Smarter called, “Mic Drop.” We talk about the coffee chain from farmer to your cup and all the links in between. That episode gave me a much fuller understanding of how the economy of coffee impacts both my local roaster and the farmers and everyone in between.
Cold brew has never been my thing. I drink my coffee hot, black, no room for cream, but Elliot Reinecke, founder of Steady State, once told me that if he could only give one of his coffees to someone to try it would be a canned cold brew, because he could guarantee it would taste exactly the way he wanted it to every single time. When I saw the cans on a recent visit to the cafe I decided to open my mind to the possibility.
I didn’t expect to like it, but–twist–I really, really did. Turns out, I had just never had any really good cold brew. It was smooth and creamy and chocolatey, and only got better as I burned the energy I was receiving pumping up an inflatable paddle board. I’ve since tried cold brew from Zumbar Coffee & Tea as well. I think this may be my new adventuring drink.
VOCAB
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And if you’re looking for some stellar coffee or whiskey this week check out the Roast! Industry Legacy Partners. Click these links. Drink their coffees (and whiskey).
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QUOTES IN CLOSING
I’m not quite sure I follow Sir Terence David John Pratchett’s thought perfectly, but this quote resonated because it reflects how I feel about the time spent making my morning coffee. The ritual of grinding the beans, heating the water, timing the brew, and transferring it into one of my favorite coffee mugs feels like time I’ve taken back not only from the world, but from myself. That is time I am truly in the moment, and not worrying about productivity or answering emails or writing something new. It is time for me.
“Coffee is a way of stealing time that should, by rights, belong to your older self.”
― Terry Pratchett, Author, Humorist
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Roast! - Dan Romeo, TRVLR Coffee Roasters