3: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? (Part 2)

Intro:
Hey, you’re drinking house coffee – unfiltered conversations brewed at the intersection of real estate life and coffee shop service. We’re Maggie and Rich – local business owners and friends sharing stories and welcoming you to pull up a chair with us. The door’s always open. Let us pour you a cup.

Rich:
Welcome to House Coffee.

Maggie:
Hi there.

Rich:
Hey, what’s up mags?

Maggie:
Hey there.

Rich:
We were doing so much talking before hitting record. But I was the whole time you were telling me things and like sharing stories and I was like that should have been we should recording,

Maggie:
You know, that literally happens to us every time. Yeah.

Rich:
Well, it’s probably gonna be That’s because we want the best for our people and we want to make sure that we’re know exactly what we’re talking about

Maggie:
And we’re

Rich:
Authentic. That’s right. So maybe we’ll just start pressing record as soon as we walk around it all together.

Maggie:
So what are we talking about today

Rich:
Today? I thought we would just revisit or continue or whatever you want to say about it from last week we talked about. Our resumes.

Maggie:
Okay. Well, yep

Rich:
Past and

Maggie:
I’m prepared

Rich:
And Feature. We didn’t really get into the future lives, but you can maybe guess our trajectories. But yeah what we’re talking about now, so I thought you know,

Maggie:
It’s informed to continue that conversation. Yes. We were kind of rushed last

Rich:
Exactly we had 45 minutes in which to talk because I had to go catch a lunch meeting and we crushed that timeline but I felt like things were a little just truncated and maybe squished in there. So I had some I was listening back has some follow-up questions and you know, I think there’s more to unpack from things that we were talking about. So

Maggie:
Cool.

Rich:
We’ll do that and see where that leads us and then give you a little bit of a

Maggie:
Teaser

Rich:
Teaser for next time probably so

Maggie:
Yeah. So, where would you like to leave off from our conversation last time we would like to start from where we left off?

Rich:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, we kind of like ended with me talking a lot about story and I felt like I haven’t been talking for a while. So I’m gonna ask you some questions.

Maggie:
All right,

Rich:
Because you were you’re talking about some good stuff about your past in how you got into real estate how you got a staging and some just different things related to that. So you talked about how you started with you actually started out in journalism.

Maggie:
Yes. I went to school for broadcast journalism, and I wanted to be a reporter and when I was in college, I I like added a major of cinema screen studies. And I really got into documentary film. And so I thought that when I graduated I would go straight into working for the news

Rich:
Nice. So I was curious like what got you into journalism?

Maggie:
Well,

Rich:
No you overlap your journalistic endeavors at that time and into the near future from there with like filmmaking and document documentary stuff. So just like how did you get interested in journalism kind of like

Maggie:
Great question that far

Rich:
Starting farther back.

Maggie:
So when I was in high school our high school actually had a new station. and I was part of the TV news station in my high school and I joined actually. As a senior and I got to know the news director at the high school as when I was in 11th grade. I said I want to join the news team. And he taught me how to edit video. I learned how to edit video using like miniature DV cameras had to capture the video. And for those youngsters out there who like just use their phone and like automatically are able to edit it. There was a time where you would record video on like VHS tapes miniature VHS tapes.

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
And there was and you had to capture that video in real time and that digitized it and then you could splice it up. And edit the the clips, so I learned all about how to edit and do Transitions and that is where I started. My life in front of the camera because as a high school student, I was like carrying this. big large camera certain places and like sticking a mic in front of people’s faces. In with their permission, you know interviewing them about like local things in the school and in the community and I was also an anchor for the news and we had a rotation there was like a few teams of anchors. And so we just rotated you know who the teams were and I had a ton of fun. And that’s where I was like, oh I want to do this as a job. This is great. I get to be in front of the camera I get to edit video and I really loved editing. That’s kind of where my love for everything was because that’s where all the magic happened. So that’s why I studied broadcast journalism. and kind of my my career sort of had like a domino effect from there.

Rich:
That’s really cool. Senior year. So were you like thinking about journalism? What were you thinking you would do before that pivotal experience with the club?

Maggie:
Well, I I can’t tell you I wasn’t really sure but I knew when I was in 11th grade, I was like, oh no, I need to start thinking about like applying for colleges. Because that’s just sort of the path in life that we were taught to do. So it all my friends knew the path what they were going to study like they were already deciding like, oh, I’m gonna be a nutritionist. Oh, I’m gonna be a dietitian. I’m gonna be a nurse and I had no idea what I wanted to be. Yeah, because it’s hard to pick when you’re 17 years old, which I was 17 years old when I went to college what you wanted to do for the remainder of your life. That’s so much pressure that we put on young kids these days. Yeah.

Rich:
I still

Maggie:
Me neither and so I just was never strong in science and math and like I was like, I barely passed my math regions. I barely passed my science regions. Like I got a 65 and a 66 and 65 was passing. So I was never strong Math and Science student, but I was I got a hundred in photography and I got a 99 in English and So I was like, oh, I’m a pretty good writer. I’m great at photography. And I just started thinking about like careers I could have using the things that I was really gifted in. And I think broadcasting just seemed like a natural. Pick for me because I knew I could do really well.

Rich:
Cool. Yeah that That makes that makes sense knowing you I actually though actually I wouldn’t have paid you for someone who didn’t do well quanticole in math or science. That’s interesting to hear. It makes me feel among friends, although I don’t know if I ever did so poorly on on the region No,

Maggie:
I barely I

Rich:
Won’t tell you my SAT score it was It’s it’s sad. It was just a bad Community College,

Maggie:
Okay? No, I did so poorly on my SAT scores. I didn’t even submit them. To my college. Okay. I don’t even know like the scores are different now. I just know I didn’t I didn’t even break. I think I think the scores were like the best was like 1600. I think I didn’t even hit 1000.

Rich:
Oh, well, okay. I’m I mean, I’m not you know, it’s also I had 11:40. It’s no big deal. Whatever. I mean,

Maggie:
Yeah. Well also I was undiagnosed as a kid with ADHD.

Rich:
That’s

Maggie:
And I was I wasn’t diagnosed until I was in my late 20s. So had I known and had I had the resources as a kid. I could have had a special exam room. I could have had you know, I could have there were resources out there. Yeah to help kids with test taking and with with those types of Developmental disorders or neuro Divergence and I didn’t have the opportunity to take advantage of those

Rich:
Totally makes sense petition to get a new SAT going for you. All the the applicable helps that

Maggie:
I’m good and relevant. Oh,

Rich:
You don’t yeah. Okay, that’s fine. Yeah, I’ve kind of just embraced. Well haven’t needed money either. So

Maggie:
I’m Street Smart though.

Rich:
Yeah, I wouldn’t mess with you. You’d beat me up out there, too.

Maggie:
I would.

Rich:
Um, okay. Well that is really fun to hear so. Journalism kind of fell into your lap by way of high school. Yeah

Maggie:
Club. That’s yeah super cool. Shout out to your high school ghs reporter.

Rich:
Mine. Definitely only had I mean, we had a yearbook and I was Editor in Chief of the yearbook for three years co-editor and she shout out to my friend Amy who we crushed that. sorry to the classes that weren’t sorry to the seniors of the previous two years though before I was a senior because my class definitely got the the true benefit. I wish we could have done better for for the classes of ’07 and oh wait

Maggie:
All good.

Rich:
But I’m sure what’s that their yearbooks now. I know one is thinking about that now except me. all right, so you

Maggie:
Just saw meme. Sorry not to like sidetracked. But it’s like you know, when you you make like an awkward conversation, you say something awkward to somebody like they forget about it, but I think about it for like the next 10 years of my life. It’s like

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
You’re watching that’s

Rich:
Pretty much what I live with.

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
You talked about a really cool program that you got to take part in after college.

Maggie:
Oh, yeah. Sure. I was

Rich:
Not very hash that but

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
What’s up to me was? What you say more about it, but like what’s asked me was you said that they accepted one person.

Maggie:
Yep

Rich:
Every year.

Maggie:
Yep. It was through a church.

Rich:
Okay,

Maggie:
So I didn’t I wasn’t really clear about that in the last episode

Rich:
Got

Maggie:
It, but it was it was through Like a religious organization that was like spearheaded at the church. I was going to at the time.

Rich:
Okay,

Maggie:
And this leadership This Global leadership development program accepted students because it was so expensive to fly these students all around the world for a year. You could really only have one at a time and well, they accepted students from all around the world. So like it wasn’t just in the US

Rich:
Were you part of a group?

Maggie:
No,

Rich:
So your experience was just like your individual experience traveling around but there are other people who had this opportunity through their

Maggie:
Partnership places and countries that I went to other people. I didn’t get to go to the same places that other people went to and vice versa.

Rich:
So interesting.

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
Okay, cool.

Maggie:
But traveling was also another one of my early developmental experiences. I was an it was an exchange student when I was 16, and so I got to go to Germany and that exchange student got to live with me and then I got to live with her. So that that was another. I don’t know. You see the world differently.

Rich:
Yeah

Maggie:
When you travel so

Rich:
So true. I’ve heard that a lot and I’ve had very limited travel experience. But I my wife has had a ton and I think anyone who has traveled or has just cross-cultural experiences always has so much to report about you know, what it taught them or just the coming back and seeing things differently.

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
Well, I guess I mean I just my question was what do you think made you stand out as you know you were the choice but like if in your own mind what which is always

Maggie:
For the for being accepted? Yeah.

Rich:
Yeah

Maggie:
What I think it’s because of my age because most students applied when they graduated from high school. And this was sort of their Gap year before College figuring out what they wanted to do. From high school to college and at that age when you graduate high school, you’re 17 18 years old when I graduated from college, I was 21 years old. So I was a little bit more mature. I already knew what I wanted to do quote unquote knew what I wanted to do with my life,

Rich:
Right? He knew why you were pursuing that opportunity especially

Maggie:
So I think when they were looking at the list of applicants They were like, oh, this is the first applicant that we’ve had who’s from who’s a college graduate? So I believe that’s why I was chosen,

Rich:
Okay. Um, super cool. I’m sure there were other accolades.

Maggie:
It was a very rigorous process to apply and I also had to raise money. Yeah, which I hate I hate like looking back at I like regret you anyways, that’s another but yeah,

Rich:
You don’t know what you don’t know and you know, there’s different ways to raise money in the summer better than others.

Maggie:
Oh we can have a whole episode on mission trip,

Rich:
Maybe. Yeah, maybe maybe I mean I was you know, I talked about it last time but I was I did Ministry for four years College Ministry, but it was the kind of organization and I mean no shade at all. Like this is a way of life for a lot of people and you know, there’s ways to do it. Well, I don’t think I was the best at People, you know, I wasn’t the best among people who do that. Well now that I did not that it was bad. It just like you can that can be a really rewarding and Rich experience for both. Financial Partners and the people who are you know creating this Partnerships and I just was not the best at keeping up my end of that, you know relationship. So

Maggie:
I told people who would sponsor my trip that I would give them a credit at the end of my documentary

Rich:
Film sick

Maggie:
And I did

Rich:
Nice nice. I’m still gonna be looking out for that film. Okay. Y’all are

Maggie:
I gotta dig it out. It’s in my stack of DVDs or it might be on a hard drive somewhere

Rich:
A DVD. Sick cool. Well just that was that was a cool thing to know about you and it sounded like a rich experience, and

Maggie:
I totally

Rich:
Just had that question. Okay, so, you know. Those are just some of the thoughts that I came away with from last time. I was thinking about that just like the things you’re talking about how you went from journalism to you know documentary. Studies and and Pursuits and that was kind of interesting to you and you had the trip and you did the video. And then you’re talking about even working for the church and doing mostly video there and then even like working with friends and stuff and well like you talked about like freelance. Yeah, exactly and You put you off mentioned. You did a you had a Blog. Yeah as maybe your next kind of venture. So like in between.

Maggie:
I was you’re real estate yet no

Rich:
More on staging. No. We’re when did you work for Pottery Barn in that process? Okay,

Maggie:
So I was so bored. At my church job. and I just felt very unfulfilled there and I started my blog as a creative Outlet while I was working for this church and working for the church. No shade her the towards the church. So much as like I just was so young. I didn’t I was an underpaid like yeah. horrendously underpaid for the amount of work that I did and I even had to like I will tell you remind me to tell you the story one time about how I asked for a raise and I thought they were going to give it to me and I got my hopes up and then I didn’t

Rich:
Yes

Maggie:
And it was just It was just a horrible like disappointment, but I had to like when I worked there I had to like basically petition for an intern. And I like really stuck my neck out for this person so that they would get a good like so they were motivated to work. So they’d have a good salary and when you boiled down like after taxes, my intern was making more money than me. So like that is just how ridiculously low I was paid. But anyways. I I decided to work at Pottery Barn to supplement my income because I wasn’t having I just wasn’t being fulfilled. I didn’t feel it was like a creative way. So I had a full-time job for a church. I left the church and I would drive straight to the mall and I would work from like six to 10 o’clock at night closing out the store and then do it all over again. And I would do that several times a week and that was just so I could have spending money. Yeah, and I was also I chose Pottery Barn because I was into home decor and I knew that they would give a employee discount and so I was like, oh, well, I can fuel my like decorative creative side can get a really good discount. I used to look through Pottery Barn magazines like the Pant but not the pamphlets the catalogs that they would send in the mail and I would make collages. From these Pottery Barn catalogs and like make mood Boards of inspiration before Pinterest.

Rich:
Yeah, you know, you got a little mood board. So

Maggie:
And I’ll never forget like the day where there was this it was called the photographer’s lamp and it was this lamp that was always in the catalog. It was always featured and I thought it was like the most amazing lamp and it was like So much money that I would never dream or ever afford of having and I’ll never forget the day where there was like a lighting promotion at the store. And so like we could get our discount on top of the promotions. And so I’ll never forget the day where like I could finally afford to buy this lamp and I actually have it still and I use it with staging

Rich:
That’s great full circle. Yeah.

Maggie:
It’s so it’s it’s stuff like that. But that’s why I started working at Pottery Barn was so that I can earn more money.

Rich:
Okay,

Maggie:
And

Rich:
But based on interest you already had with the home decor

Maggie:
Right? I’ve always been and because my blog I was doing I was sort of like flipping furniture and like DIY and

Rich:
Yeah, I

Maggie:
Kind of was like not really sure what direction my life was gonna go. So I thought I would blog and you know go that route and Eventually, I left my job at the church and I only worked at Pottery Barn. for a very for a few months and I actually have like a blog post about this because I can I can reference it in another time, but I wrote about this experience on my blog several years ago and at some point I was working with a customer at Pottery Barn Who I didn’t we did in-home appointments. So I’d go to people’s houses and I would help them purchase their furniture and help them with their decorating and that person. Was married to one of the builders. Brothers And I had a great experience working with that family. And then I heard through the grapevine that they were hiring a selections person. And the person who? Basically, it was just all about who I knew like it was the connections I built through the church through Pottery Barn through wherever my name came up before I even applied.

Rich:
Wow.

Maggie:
They’re like, oh we were just talking about you would be perfect for this job. So when I interviewed for the position They really weren’t looking at anybody else because my name had already been tossed around in the office. So it was just sort of like a formality that I had to go there and be interviewed. I was so nervous. But I got the job and that was what opened the door into the world of real estate.

Rich:
Yeah nice,

Maggie:
And maybe I’ll leave it there and I can like pick it up sometime next time because I feel like I’m monopolizing the time unless you have more questions.

Rich:
No, I love hearing that how interesting they were already packing you for. for that I guess I’m just tracing out the timeline a little bit more of kind of some of so some of what you were sharing last time. So. And I and we can table that in the sense of like, you know, we’ve talked about how in the future we want to. both have the opportunity just to like share the Nitty Gritty of our startup experiences in our businesses and So, you know, you heard me last time kind of talking about how I got into this business and how why I wanted to open a coffee shop, but I was trying to avoid getting off into the weeds of too many like specifics or stories of that because I mean any one Trail could just leave it down. I know quite a quite a long path and you know, you’re You’re you started a company in with and there’s a lot of different aspects to that. So I think that we have some plans for future episodes that are literally just chronically how we each got our star and giving you the nitty-gritty details of that. So Only table in the sense of like we’re not really going

Maggie:
Yeah, super specifics here, dude, I guess

Rich:
There’s yeah. Those are I think for both of us, there’s gonna be so much to share and process and things that are gonna come up. Yeah, that’s gonna be a series

Maggie:
Like there’s all so the whole story about how we bought our house and like Renovating it. And that’s really what got me into getting my real estate license, but it all sort of started working for the Builder

Rich:
Right totally makes sense. So Okay, perfect. So my where I had left off was about the blog what you started the blog and when that was Circa when we 2012 Circa 2012, so just just ever so slightly over. 10 years ago That blog I mean you still blog and it’s yeah still that’s still that’s part of your like your brand. But you know that that wanting to connect and communicate with people is something that I think has always been a part of What you’re doing as long as I’ve known you. Yeah, so starting the blog you’ve you’ve referenced that as kind of like a creative Outlet.

Maggie:
Yep,

Rich:
And I thought that was interesting. I’ve because as I’m tracing out what you’re as I’m putting the pieces together. I’m watching I’m following this like through line of okay journalism. We’re talking to people we’re telling people stories documentaries were Were chronically people’s lives and telling their stories blogging. We are telling our own story, but we’re sharing it with people. So I just know that it’s this like point of seems like Maggie’s like she oriented toward people she likes this thing about connection and

Maggie:
It’s a strange

Rich:
There’s something about connecting people. You know, what’s funny

Maggie:
What

Rich:
So I want you so I’m just gonna end there and I want to hear more from you but I never said this to you. I don’t I don’t think but I have long considered your superpower to be connecting people.

Maggie:
I would agree with that. And

Rich:
Because there’s you as far as long as I’ve known you again. I mean, it’s just straight back to you

Maggie:
Can be annoying about it

Rich:
Flashback to 2020 when your friend James was producing Bagels. Oh, yeah local businesses just like on the side and everyone got their their pandemic baking hobby is how I got into baking too. Yeah. He’s making Bagels. I had already had some over at grams coffee parlor and then turns out you know the guy and then you emailed me and trying to like connect the two of us. And all right. I have a I’ve had a draft saved for the longest time. I’m pretty sure of a response to you. But what I was gonna write was that Maggie has anyone ever told you that you’re super power is connecting people or like networking, you know. shout out to that and anything you want to say on my observation that you That’s yeah, that’s something I noticed between

Maggie:
Yeah, I think that done I think that is What’s led to my success? I think everybody has a strength. and there are times where I’m I sort of like go quiet and I get really introverted and I like I don’t know how to describe myself as a like maybe in extroverted introvert or something. I don’t know but I I just it’s I’m more of having more comes from a motivation of wanting to help people because I get a tremendous amount of of joy and fulfillment from helping somebody. and with zero expectation and it has to be like you have to have zero expectations because if you if you have expectations You can lead to disappointment. So I’ve just always tried to have zero expectation and not try to I used to really try to force things on people but then I realized like that wasn’t appropriate. So now I just sort of like put stuff out there and it’s up to them to make it happen if if they want to make it happen, but I do Connecting People is definitely a superpower of mine for sure

Rich:
That’s super cool. You know what stands out to me or walking around as you were saying that is is the the word service? You know we talk about you know, where we’re in service Industries. We

Maggie:
Are you

Rich:
Well, yeah. I said we we’re in service Industries we but anyone who says that right you use that word. Oh, yeah. I’m in I’m in service. And the thing is though that very often or customer service, right? But you’re putting something out there and this I don’t know what people think about this. But I mean, I’d be curious to hear you’re putting something out there where I am giving to people. Making my resources or my strength available for someone else was Zero expectation. And I really think it’s rare that someone actually is in service quote unquote with zero expectation of the people they’re trying to to help or serve. Push back though. Maybe maybe that’s out there. Maybe that’s more than I maybe more people need credit for that than then like I’m giving but I tend to think I mean, I’m also pretty cynical maybe a little jaded. But that’s that’s just that’s something that stands out to me about what you’re saying is is that’s that sounds like true definition of service,

Maggie:
I think. Depends on someone’s motivation.

Rich:
Yeah, I think I think you’re right. Say more.

Maggie:
Yeah, well A lot of people think real estate agents have a bad reputation. Right? I mean have you I don’t know if you’ve heard that or not. I mean or that

Rich:
Um, well you would know better than me. I haven’t dealt with enough and the ones I know tend to be pretty. Okay,

Maggie:
Cool. Well and I mean I maybe for our area where we live we live in the capital region of New York State maybe real estate agents around here. I would say for the most part. My peers are good group of people to do business with but in general they like You know nationally. I think real estate agents can have a bad reputation because they’re greedy can be greedy and motivated by the money. I mean, there’s a lot of money to be made in real estate. Yeah. So I made a conscious decision when I started my career in real estate that I wasn’t going to be motivated by money. And I was never going to let my commission stand in the way of either my clients dream home or helping them sell the house. And so I just that’s just sort of a philosophy that I adopted. and and you know, what like people can see through when you’re like desperate to sell something like if you Are selling something because you really need the money people know they will pick up on that real quick. And so I just made a decision like I’m not gonna let the money affect me. I’m not gonna I’m not gonna spend the money before I earn it in fact I am a squirrel when it comes to money like

Rich:
A good stories.

Maggie:
So

Rich:
You don’t even know where all your money?

Maggie:
No, I don’t. I really don’t

Rich:
Literally this world always

Maggie:
World and Brandon calls it my cash stash but it’s true. Like I just I and it’s just one of those things where I mean even to the point where like I Thrift the majority of my clothing and furniture like I’m just very frugal person. Yeah. for many reasons but Much like money is just not something that I’m motivated by. And I think it’s it. This is like going really deep into my history, but I think it’s because I grew up really poor

Rich:
And

Maggie:
Maybe I would like I am okay with not having a ton and I’m not a super flashy person. So yeah,

Rich:
That’s like a deep do you go from there like deep dive into

Maggie:
It and that’s another thing

Rich:
Just a personal history trauma and where we come from all

Maggie:
That stuff.

Rich:
I laughed earlier while you were when you you made a comment about people see through like when you need to sell something and I laughed because I literally have a listing right now on Facebook Marketplace for one of our espresso machines. And as you know, it’s a great it’s a great thing and like and so but I wrote in there I was like we’d keep it but we need that cash flow, you know, and I literally wrote that in there.

Maggie:
Yeah, because

Rich:
You know, but you’re right people. Yeah you threw it and I I own that I totally yeah, I’m here to embrace like

Maggie:
Have you got any hits on that?

Rich:
Just a scammy one?

Maggie:
Okay,

Rich:
I mean, you know as an espresso machine and even though it’s like a great value because of the brand and the

Maggie:
Just to put into context for our audience. What is the list price of this?

Rich:
Oh this machine. I’m the other thing is it’s like it’s a 2012. So it’s literally 10 years old, but it’s got It’s So and it’s been it’s been a phased out because it’s a legacy model, but when it was retailing it probably would have been 15,000 500 dollars.

Maggie:
Wow. Yeah easily. That’s that’s just

Rich:
Excuse me. Yes for sure. 15K is like anywhere from 10 to 15 is your average days espresso machine for Quality now, don’t get me wrong. You can get it from Machine new for less money, but you’re not getting the quality that you really want to be getting

Maggie:
So many questions. I

Rich:
Have so much to say So this particular machine when we purchased it used not to give you all these details but again,

Maggie:
But I think it’s important because like I mean to put into context like people could be thinking. Oh, it’s only $800 or they could be thinking. Oh, it’s yeah.

Rich:
Well, right so I’m listening this machine for 4,995 dollars.

Maggie:
Yeah. Okay. So

Rich:
$5,000 I purchased it again in 2018. It was a 2012 I first did for 6,500 this used machine and

Maggie:
I still has a lot of life.

Rich:
Well, the thing is I’ve replaced both of this boilers inside. So this this press machine has two boilers in it one for Steam for steaming lattes and producing hot water for tea and all that stuff. And the other one is dedicated specifically for Brewing the coffee itself the espresso and that’s what makes a machine like this. So special especially from this company. Is just the that just the way it’s like designed and so both of those boilers are new within the last five years. So I when I bought it at the one had been installed in 2018, and then while I had I had to replace the other one, which is an extra 1250 so that you know just it’s a good increases the value of it. So it’s sort of price to sell is kind of what I acknowledged and

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
In the post but it’s still a lot of money for anyone who’s not like actively shopping for a good value on a totally on espresso machine which you know, locally. There’s only so many people So anyway, lots of

Maggie:
No

Rich:
Get a little perspective into the things I deal with on a on a daily basis.

Maggie:
How did you get to learn so much about coffee

Rich:
I had to just when I went into this thing it was I think I talked a little bit about this last time like, you know, I knew I wanted to have a coffee shop, but I didn’t know what was separate. any old coffee shop from You know. Like not doing it poorly. I don’t know if so in other words. Yeah,

Maggie:
I had a really crappy cup of coffee today from a long story. This sucks. Not from story from another from another local. Place, you know, I won’t name them

Rich:
It happens, but we’ll never name names that we think are.

Maggie:
This is not the same not

Rich:
The best

Maggie:
Scared that I get a story.

Rich:
Well, first of all, you invented that so yeah, the one from stories the one from story. Yeah, so sorry about that. We’ll tell you about the security decaf and the in the future time. No doubt. Okay to answer your question. So in other words I realized as I was getting into coffee 2018 that I had always gone into certain to coffee shops, but I realized like after all like a certain variety and by then I had been going to this other set of coffee shops in Albany and Troy. And I realized like there’s something different about these places and I started to when I was looking into like okay what are wasn’t gonna take for me to do this thing. What are we gonna be all about? I started looking at like some patterns. And I looked at okay what kind and I was also online and I discovered a little hashtag on a friend’s Instagram post that changed the game for me. Okay, and this is kind of a buzzword and it’s like it’s like played out in a little bit. But at the same time it’s helpful for reference. Okay. It was hashtag Third Way of coffee. You heard me say that last time but literally dude I was like thoroughly of coffee. It keeps seeing this 2018. Okay. I keep seeing this thing like pop up and I tapped on that little thing on my friends post Because He Lives living in New York City. And he would go to these coffee shops and always like post the pictures and so he was like I had like curve on this even for me. And I started looking at like what’s what’s third wave coffee? What is defining that you know, what are the defining characteristics and I started to notice like okay. We got a whole new realm going on here that I never even realized and I realized that the shops that I was into and having good coffee and like just a little bit of an elevated experience from locally where more characterized by the things that I was noticing with this third way of coffee idea, so You know, you won’t hear me say a third wave all that often. You’ll hear me just be a little more General and say things like modern approach to coffee or modern coffee movement. That’s a little bit more of the language. I like to use because I think it that’s a little easier to grasp. You know, you can you can explain things from there, but either way That’s kind of what got me going and I realized okay. There’s a certain. there’s a select few Brands when it comes to Espresso Machine makers and there’s a select few Grinders and I noticed kind of everyone had the same things and the same piece of equipment and I was like, that’s

Maggie:
Doesn’t weren’t you also have already What It Is by cat and Cloud,

Rich:
Yeah, shout out cat and Cloud coffee and they’re highly influential podcast called cat and Cloud podcast

Maggie:
And the owner’s names are

Rich:
Oh boy, Chris and Jared and Chuck are the three guys who founded can cloud and I say that just to say like they have been really influential in the coffee industry over the last probably five six seven years. They started a podcast in 2015. And I discovered them in 2018 which was two years after they had launched their first brick-and-mortar in 2016. So yeah, I found their podcasts or inadvertently. Through the algorithm and shout

Maggie:
Out to the algorithm. Yeah.

Rich:
It got me really invested in like understanding what my philosophy behind owning a business and being a leader in my business and how to think about coffee, you know, there there are people who are really deep in the coffee game, but They don’t talk like especially in 2018, you know, they didn’t they weren’t your hipster Barista types quote unquote. Um, Chris, you know as a skateboarder and he looks like a skateboarder on his coffee tutorial videos and that really stood out to me because I you know, I’m also a skateboarder and then Jared who, you know, you mostly people mostly reference Chris and Jared because they are the

Maggie:
Faces. The

Rich:
Faces Chuck’s a little bit more like behind the scenes. he comes on the Pod every now and then but Jared’s like a surfer, you know and and a baller and so they’re just like different they’re just very non-traditional quote unquote business owners and and even in coffee, they don’t really fit certain. Third wave like

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
Caricature.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
And so just that I think that stands out to people and then they talk again they’re deep in the game. They’re they’re all they’ve all

Maggie:
Well Chris and Jerry and everybody.

Rich:
Yeah, totally relatable. They’ve experienced like everything in coffee as far as like even into Barista championship. Realms and but they talk about in a way that’s just so accessible both coffee itself. They

Maggie:
Sent me their videos you sent me some like tutorials of videos and I’ve like oh, yeah,

Rich:
They’re super easy to use so they talk about coffee itself in a like a non. Again, inaccessible relatable way and they also talk about business ownership in a in a really accessible. Just I Opening way and I think for me I was a sponge when I was getting into how am I gonna learn coffee? And so those guys really gave me an education as I just caught up on all their back podcasts up till then because again three years of PODS already out and then it caught up to real time because they kept going with the podcast into you know late 2021. I think I don’t think they did much last year, but actually they’re as far as I can tell from Instagram. They seem to be really during the studio again seems like getting some news ready. So I don’t know that any have dropped but I am a little out of the loop with them. Shout out to Chris who followed our

Maggie:
I know you were so excited this

Rich:
Pocket followed our Instagram our Instagram.

Maggie:
How’s coffee pod when we

Rich:
Started when we I followed his account. Yeah

Maggie:
From House Coffee

Rich:
House Coffee. Then he followed us back which was pretty dope. So

Maggie:
I

Rich:
Got to meet him in 20

Maggie:
Rich Fanning over here.

Rich:
Listen, you brought this out. Okay, it wasn’t my I wasn’t even going near that. I

Maggie:
Actually think that yes. I’m a super very

Rich:
It’s

Maggie:
Very certified permanent like since I’ve known you rich Like you have a signed skateboard in your shop from Chris Baca. So like you like since I’ve known you you’ve always always talked about cat and Cloud. So you were influenced by them

Rich:
Heavily

Maggie:
Heavily and Obviously storied the best own unique brand, but

Rich:
Yeah, I think that’s all I’m trying to do is just like say like yes, I was I was super shaved by this. this entity and I did talk a lot about them and Especially back then but I’m also grown into who I am as a coffee person and you know story it is its own thing. And so Major shout out to the influence that cat and Cloud had on me and on storied and and will in the future, but also, you know, I I don’t. I’m also my own personal and I don’t like to live or or I don’t have to filter out everything. I say through total that anymore the way I used to feel like I

Maggie:
Got it. So what led you to what was the moment when you were like? I’m gonna start a coffee shop.

Rich:
At that moment think I touched on that. As clearly as I can

Maggie:
Like probably when did you start executing on it? Because like we kind of know the background story. Yeah,

Rich:
So

Maggie:
And so when we’re when was it was December,

Rich:
It was the fall of 2017. I was still working at short and stout Tea Company. but I was also actively looking into how to purchase equipment that I have was discovering that all my third wave Heroes shops had so I was like, all right, the Lamar zoko espresso machine. I need the ek43 malcone and grinder and just like all the other little things, you know, and I was trying to shop at where to find that and that was late. That was probably November. Of 2017 and by December of 2017. I

Maggie:
Pop-ups.

Rich:
Not yet.

Maggie:
Okay.

Rich:
No by December of 2017. I had filed the articles of our Organization for our LLC which would become storied coffee in the very near future. Now we weren’t doing pop-ups until the next couple months. So the very spring or very early spring of 2018 I think actually as early as January we did a pop-up at the Dilly Bean in scarcity we got introduced to our friend Abby who owns that business and it just she had opened not long before us not or not long before then and we had the opportunity to just collaborate and do some pop-up things there largely just to put ourselves put our name out there and like get some feedback on taste testing and that’s what I was gonna say is that was the only thing I had done up until that point all through again, those last few months of 2017. I was thinking about what kind of coffee we would serve and at that time. I was getting into the Chemex as like a pour over coffee style. I was making at home and whenever I would find it out and about I would start ordering that so I found that really that was even Angel learning how to brew coffee in that way was really educational back then and tasting everything I could from different places. So yeah late late 2017 into 2018 was really the formational time. for for stories starting to lay the groundwork there by April. By April we had signed a lease on the building which would become storied coffee. So it started for April 1st, I think. in Scotia so yeah that whole like six month period Was kind of how we when I was learning it all I could about coffee and digging up all the videos and podcasts and going to all the shops that I could travel to within reason.

Maggie:
Yeah. and when you what time what date did you open? Because it like I don’t know. Do you want to talk about like leading up to opening story or do you want to save that for a future story because there was a lot that went involved with that.

Rich:
Yeah. You’re so right. You know, I think. Oh,

Maggie:
You have to save that. Yeah that dude. I think it’s okay to save that because that’s kind of the stuff of like the details

Rich:
Of

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
How storage started? Which I’m super excited to talk about.

Maggie:
But

Rich:
I think I think we’ll hold off man. You got me going about almost about my stuff really flipped the script on that one. No sweat. No problem at all.

Maggie:
We should ask our audience what of the stories we told today? Like what would they be interested in us elaborating a little bit more? And so yes audience audience member. What are you interested in a collaborating on do you have questions for Rich? Do you have questions for me?

Rich:
Yeah, let us know. Yeah, so I think we’ll table some of that story stuff for next time and it’s just a lot of stories. So we got to share and I think we’ll continue. Next time with some pieces of advice maybe that we have for

Maggie:
Folks advice that we were given. Yeah,

Rich:
Actually that’s what I meant advice that we’ve been given some of the best pieces of advice I have. Actually have a really cool piece of advice that was given to me early on in starting storied the answer to my question. The best views of advice is literally just the next thing I would say in the story that I’ve been telling so perfect and you got some good things to say and we also want to talk about now. Here’s the thing. I’m not super stoked on this topic because I just never I didn’t really get into it. I don’t know I missed the boat. I had a lot of friends into it, but we’re gonna talk about The Enneagram so that’s fine. I’m down for that. Actually what we want to know is I’m really into it. I know and that’s why it’s gonna be fun to talk about.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
Because a lot of people have different thoughts on things like the Enneagram personality assessments, etc, etc. And at this point, you know, it kind of like asking myself as the Enneagram. Like was it a fad? Are we passed that is the Enneagram played out? I don’t know maybe

Maggie:
In my opinion but it has been around for centuries. So I don’t know if it’s played out.

Rich:
Well, you know a lot of things I’ll have certain shelf life. Okay?

Maggie:
So I

Rich:
Will be interested to hear how you have found that the Enneagram helps you in your business. Yeah, I think a lot of people would probably be interested in that kind of thing. Probably a lot of people would say the same, you know, I I will admit when I found out I was a nine. Apparently I was It was it was insightful. Yeah,

Maggie:
And

Rich:
Also not surprising given the characteristics described for a number nine. And Maggie is a number six six so much so that she didn’t believe that I was a number nine when I told her that so skeptic y’all can just stay tuned for that. We’ll chat about it next time and if you got thoughts before that drops hit us with those questions or or your own stories about the anagram and maybe we’ll be able to incorporate them.

Maggie:
For next time. Yeah, we’re excited take your shirt. We’re so excited that we just lost track of time and have to stop recording because we have to get back to our lives in businesses and stuff so but We truly appreciate you sticking around and listening and if you want to find us on all the platforms, we are at House Coffee podcast on Instagram. We are House Coffee podcast.com for our website. If you want to look at our show notes and photos and we are also House Coffee podcast at gmail.com for inquiries.

Rich:
Shout out.

Maggie:
Yep.

Rich:
All right. Well good chat later next time.

Maggie:
If