Three Mistakes I Made Starting A Business

[@shad0w12346]

Please more business focused videos. I feel like the realities of running a coffee business are often overlooked in our industry's online content.

[@larax7492]

So you can join us for more business videos and also more business mistakes you have to avoid. You will not regret!

[@ThePinoyDrinker]

Agreed.

[@EastofSublime]

Three lessons from James Hoffman about starting a business: 1. (0:50) Start with more money than you expect. This flexibility will prevent you from compromising your values or your business. 2. (2:05) You can't work hard for extensive periods of time. Work smarter, not longer. Don't fall into the trap of being a 'hero' business owner. 3. (5:30) A business is not a family. Running it like a family will cloud your judgement and impede long-term growth.

[@randynovick7972]

Working my way through the back catalog and found this one. The one red flag I look for every time that I'm searching for a new job is whether they call the people at the company "a family". I don't want a another family. I want to work cooperatively with people on a shared vision, not a family.

[@UmamiPapi]

And if they say they’re looking for a rockstar or some such it means they want to suck your blood.

[@fareedjacob]

I started a business 6 years ago with 3 of my friends and in 2 weeks we're closing. If I wanted to talk about my 3 biggest and most deeply regretted mistakes of myself in these years, They would be exactly like yours. James you're awesome. Thanks man

[@hadiwid0d0]

Same here. 👍

[@fareedjacob]

@@hadiwid0d0 sadly 😣😔

[@hadiwid0d0]

@@fareedjacob i'm work from 8 in the morning sometimes until 3 in the morning. And it repeat again. Take this as our experiences mate. Hope you find your way to success 😉👍.

[@KivBB]

Spot on,, listen well ye who dream of doing the same thing. It's hard and painful and that's when it's going well.

[@JelleHanssens]

My god. I started a Belgian cafe in Japan a bit over 3 years ago now and I am still feeling the consequences of these 3 mistakes each day. Every single one resonates with me personally. This video needs as many shares as it can get.

[@moi7748]

Really agree with you about "Time". After 6 years, my plumbing business was flourishing but I was so fed up not seeing my wife and kids it was making me depressed. Sometimes people say I was crazy to give it all up, but I just say to them, "Today I work a 40 hour week, but when I was working for myself I wasn't even sleeping 40 hours per week". I completely changed jobs, I love what I do now and don't regret one bit giving it all up!

[@jsteele07189]

When your boss says "this company is a family," they don't mean that everyone takes care of one another no matter what - they mean that everyone obeys the patriarch no matter what.

[@LumbChu]

@Black Box Barista no u

[@amarpaul_s]

Your comment is nice as a joke, and I'm sure it is applicable to some companies. But the danger of building a "family" dynamic as pointed out by James here is that it compromises the functioning of the business. Employees are not your friends, and don't expect to be. If poor decision making results from this, or prevents the leader from confronting problems directly, then it can damage (or destroy) the entire company. And when that happens, ALL employees suffer from loss of livelihood.

[@beatsbyrooz2632]

Cenot4ph don’t fuck around with some “we are a family bullshit” then. That’s a very manipulative way to manage employees, just be straight with them. Otherwise you moving like a bad business owner

[@bengerber4542]

@@Cenot4ph yes, it is very hard, but that is why you don't lie to them and say that you are "family." You have to do what is best for the business, but you also have to be an ethical employer. Saying that you are family is just a way to manipulate people. Even outside of business. "work overtime for free as a favor because we are family" "give me some money, we are family" "We are family, I trust you to take care of xyz" None of it is good business practice or sense. Hoffman nailed some of the good reasons why it is damaging to the business, but it is also damaging to the employee. It's pretty much a lose-lose as a manipulative attempt to instill company loyalty and boost morale with exploitation on both ends.

[@crietzsche]

​@@Cenot4ph You're arguing a different point than the one jsteele made. The point is about using guilt to motivate employees. Get on the same page before you start ranting about socialists.

[@Matusevichfilms]

The family one resonated for me, as someone in a family business.

[@hoeves3001]

Completely agree.

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

Having worked in family business, and currently working in a commercial industry for a company that says that we're "family", this definitely is a VERY powerful message. Keep business as business. It can be fun, people can joke around and enjoy what they do, they can be friends... but they need to differentiate between what or who a work friend is and what or who a personal friend is.

[@JSpradley123]

I'm learning that one too right about now...

[@sordel5866]

My mother has a saying: “when you work for a family business you always work cheap”.

[@wildhearses]

There's other ways to make your employees feel valued.

[@HereForTheStories]

James what I like about your videos is that people don’t have to agree with you but one is able follow your reasoning. This is almost more important than the absolute “is he right or not?”

[@mattofinney2913]

Been in business 11 years and can attest to all 3 mistakes. Think it's important to qualify all the advice with "I will tell you all this, but you won't succeed unless you test the limits of all 3 practically." I think they're important to be told in advance of starting a business, but not sure you can soften the lessons hugely. Most of us think we know better, until experience tells us otherwise. Cracking work though fella. Keep it up. :)

[@samuelbender8681]

I resonated with this video a lot. In the first years of our businesses I was overworking myself, we didn't have any capital, and once we opened our first cafe our culture wasn't what we wanted it to be. For other people watching this, focus on getting your business back on track before the thing you love becomes the thing you hate.

[@Getafjord]

Oh wow! Great analogy, I can relate in so many ways! Those 3 mistakes are the exact same major mistakes that I felt we did, I ended up selling my shares after just 1 1/2 year. Working 16h a day 6 days a week in your own business is all fun in the beginning! Makes you feel so wholesome for a short period. It is possible to work that much but never something I would recommend. It screwed my mental state, made me always think about what I could do better. The weirdest thing is that I usually just slept 3-4 hours on average work nights, because when I went to bed, I would just lie there thinking about "what should I do tomorrow?", "what should I do differently?" and "what are we doing wrong?". I did a couple of more mistakes going into business with one person I didn't know at all and the other being a friend. So one didn't trust or have faith in the other partners, and the other having no clue about running a business at all, made me crazy. If I were to start over, I would have started with more money, and the guts to hire enough people to make the wheels turn a little smoother in the beginning. In the beginning I would have started by myself, giving a lot more freedom in choosing future partners. That way I could have a better way of knowing wether or not this partner would be able to bring something to the group. I would be focussing on creating synergies even before starting up a business.

[@CoreyMcLeanLeitch]

I run a high end beer bar and used to manage a family owned music store and your family point rings so true. It is easy to want these people to be your family if you all get along. You spend so much time together that it just naturally starts to feel that way. But every time it does the same problem inevitably follows: you lose the ability to be critical of each other. Just like you said; emotions start to run high in your relationships and when you, as a leader, need to correct a team member’s work or attitude it becomes a very personal thing. You don’t have the benefit of growing up with these people and having a lifetime of work done to create the common understanding a family might actually have. You don’t have the permanence of a family at the core of your relationship. It is so easy to fall out of love with what you’re doing when you feel personally criticized by someone you care about. I agree with your point entirely that close, personal relationships are a wonderful part of working with a small team, but they have to be based on mutual professional respect, not on some emotional, proximal feeling. One of the things I love about watching your videos, James, is that no matter what you’re talking about I can always find some universally applicable thoughts. Even when you are literally reviewing coffee equipment I find myself walking away with some insight into my own beverage world. Thanks for the videos!

[@xX1CEXx]

we need more stories

[@tl3509]

I ran a business in coffee too and I agree with all 3 points. And you are right, unless you have been through something similar, it is hard to explain and understand.

[@DanCatJunior]

Great video with some really important messages. As a professional working in the field of clinical psychology, I would like to say burnout is a serious issue that did not get enough attention. Thanks for the shared experience!

[@marshad82]

In Poland there is a saying: "With family you come out best in pictures".

[@lantermandrums]

the family business is something i’m very familiar with. it had become negative for me and so i had to leave. you perfectly described how i felt. i felt like emotionally lost something bc of the loyalty i felt. thank you for this video james. i really love your videos.

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

Excellent, powerful message! This honestly extends far beyond entrepreneurship and starting your own business - this encompasses everything from small businesses to large corporations, and I think it represents what a large majority of workers face throughout the world, regardless of the business or industry they're in. Companies love to tell you that you're "family". When the workers think they're family, believe they're family, they're willing to put in that extra time and to go above and beyond what's really necessary - whether in an effort to make themselves more money, or to grow the business and help the business flourish. Ultimately, we need to be able to set healthy boundaries (personally and professionally) in order to keep work separate, and allow ourselves the time to enjoy life.

[@rossjason4662]

Loved this! The other issue I see many of my fellow entrepreneurs face, especially the younger ones, is attaching their ego to the success of their business. When things are going well, they’re over the moon, but when their companies fail, they fall into a very dark place because they feel they’ve become a failure. This is a particularly dangerous mistake to make and I wonder if you have any thoughts on that? Loved this video but as a new sub I haven’t figured out what exactly your business is/was?

[@FrogRider]

Great video again! Glad I was working till 3am to see it the second it popped up. Also glad it popped up the moment I had to restart my computer for updates. Truly impeccable timing. Having worked for a small mom and pop shop years ago, I couldn’t agree more about your point about family. It’s great in some respects but can cause some serious issues in other ways. Especially when something goes wrong and it messes with the dynamic of the work environment. Thanks for the book recommendations I’ll check it out, since I have been slowly starting a roasting side business.

[@darthchua]

"Actually, I think that rogue but of hair looks great and isn't at all distracting"

[@Aerouu]

360p video FTW

[@JasperJanssen]

I did not honestly notice it at all.

[@NofaKingway]

I didn't notice it until your comment and now I can't unsee it

[@noohoozfurra]

Had a cafe/restaurant for 10 years (25 years in finance before that) and whilst I'm laughing on the outside, I'm crying on the inside, as I recognize all of those points you made, James. I still work within the sector, though I don't find it any less frustrating (probably more so!) when I see businesses being run in some very bizarre and obscure ways and whilst I love to assist, I find many small business owners are deeply suspicious of my motives and highly protective of their 'empires'. "I just want to help" doesn't seem to cut it, though they love the fact I'll work in favour of their businesses, when others won't! Hey ho. Anyway, these insights of yours are little nuggets of gold and I hope owners/potential owners, value them...

[@auralynn3862]

Been splitting hairs down to the atom and drilling anything and everything possible down to clinical atoms since grade school for reasons like this as well as mental health struggles. When you're dealing with trauma survivors, that suspicion is everywhere. "Why are you helping me? It's a trick. You just want to hurt me like everyone else" is a prevailing instinct. So you find a way to reassure them with facts instead of platitudes. How do they benefit you? How does helping them benefit you? What IS in it for you? Sometimes it really does boil down to "it makes me feel good." Sometimes you should lean on philosophy. "Noblesse Oblige" and Meditation XVII have become life-long mantras. Sometimes you should try and identify the finest ways they could possibly benefit you, both short term and long term... turn your kindness into an investment so others don't narrow their eyes at it. Perhaps you hope they'll return the favor someday. Sometimes you just want to bolster your town so there's one more good and wholesome business in the world. One more place for people to find a job. One more place your friends and family can find what they need. One more reason to keep violence off the streets. Even "I just want to help" comes from somewhere... has an inspiration, a reason, a backing philosophy. Even if it's just a matter of having associated helping with pleasure and self-respect. Even if it's atonement for some real or perceived mistake.

[@adorinadorin]

But would you take his errors in heart and really tried to avoid... now its also your experience.

[@MeiinUK]

Fantastic input Colin. If this happens... just say it along the lines of...."did you know this REGULATION... or TAXATION....." Threaten them, really lets them consider and change their attitudes asap. It works. Especially those who are serious at a business.

[@danielszekely7480]

The channel that does not only teach you about coffee, but life as well

[@seanjennings3134]

Every time I see a James Hoffman video, I often believe it was made just for me! I'm in the middle of starting my own business. To have this effect on me, James you must really know your audience! Excellent work!

[@jesseskogen2787]

I’m in the process of starting a coffee business and these three things I completely agree with, thanks for helping me confirm these ideas. Many people tell me otherwise, so it was great to have these words from you, someone whom I respect as a business owner.

[@jameshoffmann]

Best of luck!

[@ethanmccormick3271]

I love your business videos as someone working towards opening a brewery I find them very insightful and honest

[@amarpaul_s]

Thanks for sharing your perspective, James. Speaking as someone who has successfully run two businesses into the ground, I truly wish I could have heard this advice 25 years ago; it would have saved me at least 15 years. I love your coffee videos too, but I would be grateful if you kindly continue to share more advice like this.

[@daltoncanter]

James, thank you so much for this video. I’m in the process of starting a coffee business right now and being able to benefit from all this insight is quite the blessing.

[@Likeacannon]

Three years ago I left a stable non-coffee job to jump back in the industry and start a small coffee shop inside my friend's bookstore. I was ousted by the landlord right before I was able to open, but I know I didn't have enough money and I didn't know how to manage my time rightly. Thank you for this, and I hope you do more of these.

[@ijchua]

I read Gerber's book years ago and I have in fact given it as a gift to friends who started food and beverage businesses. One of them who had been going through the grind for a couple of years read the book in one sitting, in one night. She made the decision to leave the business the next day. She realised the business wasn't what she wanted in life, and went off to further her studies in a completely different field. Sometimes, we need a bit of a nudge to discover what we truly want, and realise our full potential.

[@scottharwood9578]

I opened my business in September 2020. Middle of a pandemic. Hired family. Worked constantly. Had little money. By god do I feel these lessons. Made hard decisions before December. Had to let family go. Cut costs affecting quality. Closed an extra day of the week to have time at home and with friends. As a business owner and aspiring barista, you are truly an admiration of mine James. I hope one day to meet you and share in your knowledge. Thankyou.

[@martinbeltran9054]

Started a specialty coffee shop with business partners and got robbed of not only the ownership but precisely these points you talked about(time/money), on the “family” aspect I couldn’t agree more as well, it does bring a considerable amount of dysfunction to the already tedious equation of forming a business but at times this is not evident as we passionately try to transmit the enthusiasm and love of what we are doing and tend to use interpersonal relations to be more effective at this. Thank you James for sharing this, it resonates in many levels with me and hope it can help those with the passion and initiative of starting a new business or just anyone with the dream of creating a business.

[@jameshoffmann]

I'm sorry you had a terrible experience like this - I hope it doesn't put you off creating something else in the future. Thank you so much for sharing so honestly and openly here!

[@braddoherty5984]

I have recently become a business owner (not coffee related business), I found this video both interesting and informative. I was fortunate enough to take over an existing business where I had worked for nearly 20 years, and with that came the mentorship of the previous owners, which has been invaluable. I agree with all the points you make. For me, I feel the most important part is having a great team, having staff you can trust to do the jobs they are assigned is probably the single best stress saver. Less stress means you can focus on what you need to focus on to give you the best chance of success. I have also been pretty lucky thus far, and haven't made any really big/expensive mistakes yet, though I am sure I will.

[@weeerandomaccount]

The family one hit me hard. I'm currently working for some amazing people, but feel like I'm stuck in a place that I can't grow anymore. I haven't left cuz I really like the people I work for, but there's nothing for me to gain as far as experience and growth, and I'm starting to resent them. This was an eye opener. Thank you, James. As someone looking to try and open my own business in the coffee industry, I appreciate everything you do.

[@firstnamesecondname5341]

Not forgetting there are people out there who enjoy being difficult and work at and enjoy making others fail, knowing who they are and either avoiding them or understanding how to deal with them is a great help

[@francasariego]

Totally agree. Started passionate about cooking. That drove me my own restaurant. Since then, i see cooking as a "not my thing" task. Too busy with all the bussines tasks to still feel passion for cooking, but still in love with my bussiness.

[@Hossein7r]

I've watched many of your coffee related videos in the past. Judging by the level of sophistication in your speech, very careful selection of words and excellent pacing, I guessed that you must be an intelligent, knowledgeable and well read person. I really liked the books you introduced in this video. Looking forward to hear more things beyond coffee world, more stories about running a business and failures and of course some book suggestions!

[@richackerman9782]

Hindsight is always clearest. I've owned and prospered with Woofies Gourmet Dog Bakery for over ten years and Coffee and Canines for just a few weeks(a coffee shoppe where our customers can come in and get a great cup of coffee with their dog and enjoy the company of like minded folks). I've made all the mistakes mentioned here, the most important lesson I've learned is to learn from those mistakes and to be resilient. I do want to thank you Mr. Hoffman these videos struck home in this American. Further I consider you a resource and a mooring point in the day to day craziness that is endemic in today's hectic world, thank you. By the way we work four days a week and use the other three to create product (we sell out completely weekly), clean, maintain our lives and make the experience perfect for our valued customers. Lastly (sorry sir) don't read a book...write your own.

[@sandyguillot7311]

Actually I think that rogue bit of hair looks great and isn’t at all distracting I know I am too late but I didn’t see it in the comment and this last part of the video really made me smile :)

[@neilrobson6415]

Same three mistakes I made James...burnt me out and took me two years to reset and get back to being healthy and the joy of coffee again. So on point.

[@coffeewinkscoffee5031]

Absolutely! Agree with most stuff you said. Many times I am not able to split the difference between the personal side and the business side with my employers. I always preach about it but when it comes to put it on place with myself it just doesn’t really happen! Thanks for your videos, making me think a lot and many of the mistakes you had when you were younger are the ones I’m going through now and didn’t understand really why. This is so helpful!

[@teletubbiestunetwister9570]

Wow!! Yes. Please. More of these. Your point about the family was so spot on. And you said it beautifully.

[@c_woelfl]

Where was this film about two years ago before I started my cafe! James, you nailed it 3/3. Looking back on it (I've since sold the business) probably your last point with the family dynamic was most likely my biggest problem as we were such a small 'team'. Thanks for putting this together. I was nice to look back with perspective and know that it wasn't only me that had made these mistakes.

[@palm.austnes-underhaug8467]

«The number of hours you put in, that’s how long the job takes.» Great point, and a great way to focus on priorities. Thanks for sharing this, I certainly would like to hear more of this.

[@portakeeper]

Just ran across this, and item #2 resonated with me. Appreciate!

[@christopherfederici2776]

The E Myth is the real deal. I read it when getting my MBA. Great perspective.

[@zbyswitta]

Wow, I'd definitely like to hear more about the business lessons from a person that seems to have all the topics very well thought out and crunched out. So yes, this comment is a little bit late, but more lessons please. You created a fantastic channel. Im not that much into coffe, but your content is amazing. Great job!

[@CatbaronAle]

Thank you for this video, there isn’t enough out there speaking to the long term value of investing in not burning out. So it’s nice to hear someone emphasize how important it is to consider yourself as a finite resource as opposed to the infinite resource a lean business plan tends to require.

[@petergracier527]

I didn't even notice that bit of hair till i went back looking for it, haha. you look great. I think the fundamental difference between my hair and yours are that every bit of my hair is rogue, and 99.999% of you hair is in its place, where you decided it should be. This is a good business lesson; letting things grow and trusting that they are in a good place, while maintaining them and keeping things clean can be a way of resting in a business. Where as trying to make every decision as if you're the only glue holding thing together will burn you out.

[@snookandrew]

Good video! I agree that the hustle culture is a big problem, a bit of a hustle is good but too much is damaging. I have a side project that I’m working on (when I have the energy and time) and love hearing about how people started their business.

[@Tesrob]

Oh my god thank you so much for the recommendation of the e-myth revisited. This has helped me understand my boss (entrepreneur and technician) and myself (manager) so much better. We have been working on kaizen and it keeps fading over time. But now I finally understand what is going on. I never would have sprung for this book without your recommendation and it is 100% worth it.

[@IamArroyo]

I really like the way you present information in your videos James.

[@robertmartin513]

Please do share your wisdom with us. My wife and I have been brainstorming a business for a while and are hungry for knowledge. Sharing your experience with your community is a priceless service to the betterment of any who would listen.

[@bengriffin5146]

My favorite video on this channel so far and so relatable on so many levels. Thanks for sharing, James! Please share more business contents! We all learn something along the way.

[@TedTrembinski]

I've been self employed for about seven years in the music industry in LA and all of these three things GREATLY resonated with me. Thanks for the brew tips over the years and the insight here too!! You're a gem :)

[@GlowGlobe]

This was great, James. I'd love to hear more of these stories and your general philosophy. Very informative and insightful. Thank you for doing what you're doing 🙏

[@thefatiguedpalate]

Thanks for the valuable insights James, very honest and vulnerable thoughts :) Definitely want to hear more insights about the business aspect of coffee!

[@7sn3li]

James I run my own business now and so far doing good .. the family thing you stated is absolutely correct and I can relate to, didn't see the growth or improvements untill i started documenting everything and write down the roles and responsibilities of every single one. Getting the people you work with to think that they can bend the work flow to their convenience is a fatal practice and no matter how close you are with the people you work with the business wellbeing should be the top priority.

[@andrescastano9948]

Agree 100%. It happened to me back in 2018. It messed up friendship and workforce that believed in the project. At the end there wasn't cashflow ... everybody just jumped out of the boat and a lot of resentment and misunderstanding was the byproduct of not managing properly those 3 elements. Loved your video ! Thanks for sharing.

[@Galdorik]

Hi James, I do not own a Business, although I work freelance, which does relate in some ways. But one of my relatives is planning on building one, and I'm sending him your video right away, as I really felt that the 3 "mistakes" you shared were interesting. I particularly value your sharing of what in hindsight you'd do differently; that was such sound, no-nonsense advice. Thanks a lot for that, as well as what I also learned from you re the Mocha, a great friend of mine these days :)

[@henkohaasbroek45]

Personally I don’t think there is enough honesty shared on platforms like KZbin. Therefore, I found this video very refreshing and easier to relate to. So, thank you and keep sharing - it’s much appreciated.

[@simonmccormack5318]

Hi James, I agree 100% as Ive been through very similar experiences with my business. I started with family. We started with very little money and I burned myself out in the first 2.5 years working 70-90 hours a week and one week I even worked 120 hours. I love what I do and Im never bored, but Im so glad I eased off how much I was working (down to 45-60 hours now) because my social life was almost ruined from my experience. I also agree that had we just spent more at the start and made life easier we could have even used those extra hours to create new opportunities and improve quicker.

[@raptorone7327]

Hi James I’d just like to say thanks for this video. I had my own coffee business 5 years ago and made these same mistakes! It was tough working so many hours because of not enough money to start with and working all hours myself. My wife became seriously ill during that time and to try to keep the business going and deal with her illness was extremely difficult. I could not do it and chose my wife and family. Luckily I sold the business and got something out of it. It’s good when people put up stuff like this, just to emphasise thing do fail for so many reasons,you can always start again at some point either in the same thing or take your hard earned lesson on to something else. I did love having my coffee shop though. Thanks once again. 👍

[@foxbritten]

Spot on, it's a business not a family or a friend group. You can't really have a true friend relationship with people you employ. It will never be fair and balanced. You can trust them, rely on them and like them, but don't mistake the dynamic. You have the power they do not. Small things like asking them out for a beer can be unfair, they might tell there friend they're too tired but maybe not their boss. Also as a boss you will start to value there opinions over others naturally, which can lead even the best of intentions astray.

[@awlred]

I started my coffee shop back in 2012 and closed it last month. We stumbled in the same places and it’s heartening to hear the commonality

[@zacharyjohnson8522]

This was some great feedback! Currently looking into starting a cafe right now. So this was awesome!!! Please make some more videos about starting up businesses! Specifically coffee buisness

[@patricecoffee]

The family part definitely made sense for me. I used to work in a small business and my boss was my former teacher and friend. So I worked way too much for what I was getting, trying to make the business evolve which was only met with a lot of resistance. As someone who just started a roasting business a month ago, I disagree with the money part though. I have had a small 2kg roaster (electric) for a year and I was roasting on that, but I did not have the funds to buy a bigger roaster. So I had a friend who owns a roastery in France and I can use his 12kg roaster to roast my coffee on now. So my investment was basically only 3000€. I need to point out though, that I have another business which has loyal customers, that like to buy things for me and a lot of knowledge about social media marketing both paid and free which helped me grow my business very fast. Keep these kind of videos coming James I find them to be very valuable to all of us working in the coffee industry!!!

[@RyanLYAO]

You always hit home in your videos, especially the money part. I would definitely avoid taking on the massive brands in the market on quite literally a shoestring budget

[@Pekz00r]

Yes, I agree with this. Money really makes it a lot more comfortable and less stressful when you get started. You can hire help with things you are not good at or that you don't want to do. You get a lot more head space for both reflection and thinking ahead. That is very bad for the business. I haven't experienced the problems with the last one so much, but I have experienced something related a lot. Founder very often get too attached to their business which clouds their judgement on what is best for the business. They can't delegate without Micro managing or they can't step down from the CEO position. They also can't let go from a failing business because they invested so much time and money.

[@scags365]

I really appreciated this video. I am currently a training barista, I was a sous chef pre COVID. Thanks for making this video. This resonates with me very much, I would like to see some more of these videos. Maybe some form of how COVID changed your business/ way you see your business. All in all thanks James, not only for your coffee wisdom but your wisdom as a whole.

[@allancoxaustralia3521]

First, thank you for being open. Having had a business (not coffee related) this resonated with me. I agree with what you had to say & like you make just about the same mistakes. We all make them and hopefully learn from them.

[@michaelwong9896]

Hi James - Amazing to see the production value of your videos come so far! Great work on this video and thanks for spending the time.

[@marklynnebradford8298]

Sent immediately to one of my entrepreneurial friends. Really interesting from my perspective., I don’t work in coffee but have worked in both the public and private sectors across many industries from SME to FTSE Listed. The mantra I take with me everywhere is colleagues not friends, customers not friends. The family dynamic point really resonants with me as it has significant parallels with the friend vs concept. It’s really important to me that I work in a happy non toxic environment where I’m personally happy and so are the team I work with. This does not necessarily mean it can’t be professional. Keep up the videos - really enjoy them Best Mark

[@pktsqr]

Great to see someone talk about entrepreneurship with a focus on ethics and culture. I earned two business degrees, and it's shocking how little we talked about running a business to "do good" in a way that was more than PR. I also appreciate the unpacking of some of the toxic potential in the "family" construct. Anyone who's worked in the service industries knows how that myth can be bent into something harmful to the business or its employees.

[@MeiinUK]

The reality ? The reality is that " I also appreciate the unpacking of some of the toxic potential in the "family" construct."

[@SL-vs7fs]

Having run an unsuccessful business, yeah, James, money and time make my list. I love what you said about time - spot on! I would also add lack of marketing to my list.

[@tom420guitar]

Love this series! Please do more. Me and my partner want to open our own coffee business so hearing advice like this from someone like you is priceless.

[@macktrustable]

My favorite coffee guy dropping business videos very nice. Learned so much about coffee from you. After watching your caffeine video I realized I was over consuming and cut back. Thanks

[@jmf6000]

Fascinating video. The part about working 100 hours and feeling great about it, but at the same time feeling exhausted, and worn out resonated. I also love when im working. Its like a drug, and I feel like the more hours I work the more successful I will be. But after 10 years im realising work is endless. You never get everything done. Trying to find ways to reduce the work, or working smarter, or just being content with less. Havent experienced a 5 day work week in a decade.

[@ammarnanaa6657]

I totally agree with your three advices. I had the same experiences with my last small business. I would love to hear more of your business advices since I am starting something new.

[@TheHoinoel]

Having started and run a business with some of my best friends, I can second the point on family. It is hard to keep personal issues separate from business issues. Make sure you agree on VERY CLEARLY defined terms of employment/conduct/payment etc. BEFORE any of those become relevant. Great video, I'd love to see more on this :)

[@AlKhttabAlSaqri]

The last point is a killer. Can't agree more.

[@Ningos89]

I started a business with a familial dynamic four years ago. As the patriarchal figure in the "family" I ended up committing the second mistake TIME and worked all hours of the day to be a good "boss" to my emoloyees. I burned myself out and nobody thanked me for it, because as much as I worked the business never flourished. I ended up leaving, and now I'm gearing up to try again, so I'd love to hear other insights you have!

[@B12UA]

All 3 points resonated with me. Not having enough money made us work crazy hours doing things that didn’t necessary help to move business forward, only helped to go through the day.

[@henriksorensen82]

I don't think you should regret your mistakes (for the most part), because if you do not make mistakes, you will not learn. I've made many mistakes, but I've also learned a lot from them. A small mistake can be a big lesson.

[@andrusyakeduard8298]

Love this kind of content. Do post more of it!

[@steveturpin4242]

Totally true..I agree with all these three mistakes that I have made in my business ventures. Running a business is fun but incredibly tough......it can burn you out so fast "because it's fun" and there's ego involved. Burnout is burnout!

[@tikkathreebarrels]

I'm not yet half-way in but appropriately you have nailed the message of "don't work longer - work smarter!". Bravo! A good third of my working life (in management) was spent in a culture of "gotta be first in and last out every day". Did that result in smarter decisions, better business efficiency? You know it, the culture of "work longer" results in "take longer". I hope that some of your working-age subscribers pick up on this.

[@NickBZ]

Thanks for sharing your experience, James. I'm in the process of the transition from self-employment to business (in Kayosaki's definitions). An I appreciate each of your points. It's very hard to start and grow business on the cheap; working all the time is like a drug in the beginning, when we see our small endeavour grows. As the business grows, though, relationships, and culture change, as more people come into the process.

[@Alex79D]

I'm 7 months in to running my coffee van business and these points that were made are very relevant.

[@EricPetersen2922]

You put a heart on my last comment. I’d like to add a couple things. I’m not a social media guy, so forgive me saying this in public. I’ve watched many of your videos. It’s clear your very very smart. And you do your homework. Look at all the angles, variables, processes, and the intangibles too. So do I. One mistake I think you made is your over thinking things. You have to “trust the process” in life. Gravity is one constant we take for granted. It’s always there. There are other things in human nature that are constants. Identify those and trust that human process. Takes loads of work out your hands and lets others do. Delegation is based on that premise. Trust the process. Someday I’d like to meet and talk with you about biz. I have a saying and it’s strictly a coincidence with you. “If the friendships and coffee are good” good business is a by product of that. Again the “coffee” part of that saying is merely a fluke. If you were a pizza guy I’d still use the same saying. My name here is real, I’m in London 3-4X a year. I travel the world extensively.

[@MincraftEgo]

I agree with all your points, especially with the last. I always try to keep it on an professional level, my parents don´t do that as much as I do and it had led to tensions with some of their employees in the past. One of the benefits of the german language is, that you can devide the word you, when speaking to someone, in two different words, a formal one (Sie) for persons you are not familiar with or meet on an business level, it is a very respectful way when adressing someone, and an informal one (Du) that gets used when speaking to your family members or friends or to children and teenager, it´s much more personal and not that formal and respectful and some companies took this informal form in adressing someone in an business context, what i see as an mistake inside the company and as customer it often feels very inappropriate. It helps to keep an healthy distance between yourself and your employees, as it is very respectful and everytime it is used it draws an line that tells every participant in an conversation that there is as line to the private live that cant be crossed and that you respect that line and it tells the customer that you appreciate them.

[@gabriel-eh3gw]

Just started a super mini nano coffee roasting cie less than a year ago. Point #1 does resonate to me. What I do enjoy (so far) about starting so small is the fact that I don't have to worry and stress about money issue that much. No employee, very little investment so (almost) no debt. It probably will take me a bit longer to make a living out of it but hey, until then I can work on: learning, getting better, making contact, managing growth, etc. Honestly, the zero financial stress is actually priceless to me right now.

[@Mr.McIntyre]

Your 100% correct on them all. Would love to hear more like this. Failure is the greatest teacher. I believe in sharing what you’ve learned....the hard way. Hardknox.

[@SimonDanellPiano]

Your transitions to the sponsors are on fire lately! Rest of the video is great too - I'm a classical pianist and could relate to all of your mistakes!

[@peddym]

Every point resonated with me. Now going through the tricky transition of the 3rd point into the less family more business environment

[@eddieaguilar8959]

Very spot on! I started my food truck with little to no money but we were ready to open. We put all expenses on a 1 year 0% interest credit card(maxed it out) and hoped for the best! I worked very hard and many long days and hours it felt to me like if I didn't do those, that I Would FAIL, almost 4 years in my whole mind set has changed about that. I still work hard but family comes first.

[@rgarciamainou]

Thanks for sharing your mistakes. I can say they absolutely resonate with my own business experience. Please share more videos like this.

[@daveayerstdavies]

I started a business 20 years ago. Yes, taking a thing you love to do and turning it into a business is a very effective way to end up hating it. As for 'family atmosphere' I have to disagree. The keys to maintaining a healthy 'family' atmosphere are communication and honesty. If your business family is neither (at one extreme) an autocracy nor (at the other extreme) overly sentimental, then the family atmosphere of belonging and camaraderie can be very positive. My keys for success in a start-up. 1. Have a viable business model and be honest with yourself when assessing it. 2. Judge how much finance you will need, then double it. 3. Stay with the programme. Don't take on side projects or expand too soon. 4. Ditch things that don't work, no matter how much time and effort you have put into them. 5. Success can also be a problem. Make sure you are ready for it and you will avoid boom-and-bust. 6. If you have a business partner, make sure you are both equally committed to the project.

[@gloverelaxis]

congrats on exploiting employees for profit - you're a sustainable parasite and autocrat!

[@MattCDavies]

I’m thinking of starting my own business at some point, this is a great help. Thank you for your honesty as well