The Goalposts Never Stop Moving

"The business teaches you.
Then it quietly asks you to become a different person so you can keep growing with it."

If you'd asked us back in 2017 what the plan was, we probably would have given you a completely different answer to where we've ended up today.

To be honest, we didn't really have a business plan. I know you're probably supposed to say you had a beautifully thought-out five-year strategy sitting in a folder somewhere, but that wasn't us. We had ideas, we had ambition and we had a willingness to work hard, but most of all we were curious. We wanted to build something people genuinely enjoyed being part of, and we figured we'd work the rest out as we went.

Looking back, I'm glad we did.

Because if we'd committed ourselves too tightly to the plan we thought we wanted back then, we probably would have missed the opportunities that completely changed the direction of the business.

I still remember when selling ten kilograms of coffee in a week felt like a huge goal.

That was it.

If we could just get to ten kilograms, we'd be flying.

Then we got there.

Not long after that, ten kilograms didn't seem like much anymore. Fifty kilograms became the goal. Then it was roasting our own coffee. Then finding a warehouse. Then supplying other cafes. Then growing wholesale. Then building a website that people across Australia could order from.

The funny part is that none of those goals existed when we started.

They appeared one after another.

Sometimes we'd reach one and promise ourselves we'd slow down for a while, enjoy what we'd built and catch our breath. It never seemed to last very long. Before one of us had even become comfortable, the other would inevitably say something like, "I reckon we should be doing this next..."

And just like that, the ship would change direction again.

To our own annoyance most of the time.

We've laughed about it over the years because none of us seems particularly good at sitting still. We tell ourselves we're happy with where things are, then an opportunity appears, or we notice something isn't working as well as it could, or we become fascinated by a new idea, and before long we're moving again.

Sometimes that's exciting.

Sometimes it's exhausting.

Most of the time it's both.

I don't think that's because we're chasing bigger for the sake of bigger.

It's because owning a business changes the way you see the world.

You stop looking at things the way they are and start looking at how they could be. You notice inefficiencies. You see opportunities that didn't exist six months earlier. You meet people who challenge your thinking. You learn new skills and suddenly realise there's another path you hadn't even considered before.

The business teaches you.

Then it quietly asks you to become a different person so you can keep growing with it.

That's something nobody really tells you.

The version of you that opens the doors for the first time probably isn't the version that's needed five years later.

You have to keep evolving.

Your thinking changes.

Your confidence grows.

Your priorities shift.

The things that used to keep you awake at night eventually become second nature, and new challenges take their place.

I suppose that's why the goalposts never stop moving.

Not because success is impossible to enjoy, but because success changes what you believe is possible.

Once you've climbed one hill, you can suddenly see another one in the distance.

That doesn't mean you're ungrateful for where you are.

It simply means your perspective has changed.

One thing we've learnt, though, is that constantly moving the goalposts comes with a responsibility.

You have to stop every now and then and look backwards.

Business owners spend so much time looking at the next problem that we rarely stop to appreciate the problems we've already solved. We become so focused on the next milestone that we forget there was a time we'd have given anything to be where we are today.

That's worth remembering.

It's healthy to keep growing.

It's healthy to keep innovating.

We honestly think that's part of owning a business. The world changes too quickly to stand still. You have to move towards what's working, be honest about what isn't and have the courage to pivot when something no longer makes sense.

But don't become so obsessed with the next chapter that you forget to enjoy the one you're living in.

Because one day you'll probably look back at this version of your business and realise it was another goalpost you once dreamed of reaching.

And if history has taught us anything, you'll probably move it again..... kind of like introducing new coffee from a special place in the world call Honduras. If you want to come on the journey with us and immerse yourself into the Honduran culture read more ab out what these fantastic growers are supplying us with. 

Here we go again!