Stouffville Train Station

Downtown Stouffville is where we were first attracted to the town of Stouffville when we were looking for a house 4 years ago. It has it own quiet charm and we are always intrigued by how the world goes back slightly in time when we drive east from 9th line. Of course Downtown Stouffville is also where Red Bulb will be located, and it is exciting to hear about the Town’s plans to enhance the downtown core and create a vibrant environment to draw out the Stouffville community.

A Downtown Stouffville Revitalization meeting was held on Monday evening(12th Apr) and it brings together the businesses and the landlords from the downtown area.  We heard from the town officials on the various programs that are being planned and we were also introduced to Anna Rose, our new Downtown Coordinator, who was specifically appointed to lead the Downtown Revitalization efforts.

The efforts from the Town Hall is a great start and to succeed, we need the active participation of the business and residents. As a(soon-to-be) small business owner myself – while I hope that Town will deliver their promises and provide the best support to businesses – I also recognize that I play a critical part in bringing excitment and value to the Town. That means providing the best retail experience and superior products to the folks who are willing to shop in Downtown Stouffville. I spoke with Anna after the meeting and one salient point we agreed on, is the need for businesses to have a collective mindset that it benefits all businesses in the area if we work together to bring out the crowds. True, we are competing against each other, but if we are able to draw out 100 extra people, capturing 10 percent of that will mean an extra 10 customers for our business.

All the plans and effort will not work without the Stouffville community. I know(and I am guilty of) that it is easy and safe to visit the big box stores and drive-throughs but what you are missing is the personal touch and the intricacies of independent stores, most of which have staked their savings on their businesses and work really hard to make things good. My team at Red Bulb has discussed extensively about the need for excellent products and service, and we are fully committed to delivering that to our customers when open our doors in July.

so..folks of Stouffville..would you like to come in for a nice cup of coffee(or tea, we offer choices too ) in a few months? we look forward to seeing you! 

Wore this for almost 3.5 years

Last weekend(7th Feb 2010) marks the end of my second stint with Starbucks. I first worked for Starbucks Singapore in 2002 – yes,even back then, their empire stretched across Asia – when I was going through this ‘what are you doing for the rest of your life’ phase.  Gone through the usual self-help  books like ‘what colour is your parachute?’, and then I realize I enjoy working for myself and I like interacting with people in a non-office setting. Voila.. I could potentially run a cafe and I decided to apply to Starbucks to test out my wild idea.

That spur of the moment’s decision probably changed my career direction. Till then, I was the typical guy who had the fortune of receiving a good education, worked in great companies and even co-founded my own consulting firm; hence, working on my feet making coffee does not look like a food return on investment. However, as i learned more about coffee and understand the cafe culture, the more I realized that this is no longer a job, but a passion. It is the pursue of a dream; something that does not reward the best financially, laborious like hell, but yet so rewarding and and fulfilling.

That passion took a backseat when we moved to Toronto in 2004, as we seek to find our feet in Canada. We were fortunate to land good jobs in our first few years, but deep down inside, I know my passion is still very much brewing. Working at Starbucks again was a good way to rekindle my passion and allow me to experience the coffee scene again. Like the first time, it has been an absolute joy and it lasted 2 full years from February 2007.

So what have I learn?

As much as the third wave coffee geeks have derided Starbucks as a commercial juggernaut, there are many things that Starbucks have done mightily well. It has to be doing something right as it has becomes ubiquitous in North America. It excels in marketing and provided great training to their partners(their term for employees), and by and large, serve good coffee, better than most of the bigger chains in Canada.  However, at the end of the day, a lot more depend on the barista and for a company with over 15 thousand stores, it has become a hit-or-miss situation when you visit a Starbucks store.

I like to think of Starbucks like Tiger Woods(no, not the scandalous version). Much like Tiger bringing in popularity and money to golf, Starbucks has made the coffee scene more viable for smaller entrepreneurs. You have to tip your hat off to Starbucks like we do with Tiger, but yet at the same time, you are thankful for its presence, especially when you know you can definitely do better than them.

I will take away many fond memories of Starbucks, and even though I will be competing with them in a few months, it will always hold a special place in my heart. I have made many friends at Starbucks in Singapore and here in Toronto. I had my tattoo done when I was with Starbucks, I froth milk with the La Marzocco for the first time at Starbucks, and I have met many great customers along the way. I am sad to see it come to an end, but I am excited about the prospect of finally able to run my own espresso bar, with no more memos coming from the head office.

I can hardly wait.

We are optimistic that we could reach a deal(Sabrina has been reasonable so far and we can definitely see her being our landlord)  but we also understand that we have to walk away if the final numbers are unable to justify the business plan.The lease, after all, is the single most critical fixed overhead over the entire life of Red Bulb and we simply have to get it right at the beginning to give ourselves the platform to succeed – meaning that we cannot be subsidizing the rents for the upstairs unit.  My sense is that the various businesses (Moksha Yoga, Red Bulb, and new tenants upstairs) at 6128-6130 Main Street will play off each other, and Sabrina(or Tammi) will be able to generate a lot of interest for upstairs once the dust settles and the economy recovers fully.

September 1 marks officially the 4-months milestone of me leaving Telus and starting on the Red Bulb journey.  Looking back over the last few months, I am thankful I have rediscovered myself and also my passion for work again. Regardless of the financial penalties(it is not nice not seeing your paycheck every 2 weeks and there is definitely a lot of stress), it is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things and hopefully the next 4 months will see the first customers of Red Bulb Cafe.

p/s: On a different note, I came across the company Big Ass Fans when I was flipping through the Elemente magazine. Bet it caught your attention when i mentioned Big Ass. Anyway this is a great example of a marketing tactic of using an outrageous name to promote something as boring as a ceiling fan. True, some folks may be turned off by the words chosen, but regardless, it generates attention and captures the essence of the product. Brilliant!

I guess I was one of those who followed the ‘proper’ way by graduating from university and based on what I have studied, went to work in IT and subsequently consulting .  Heck, I even started my own consulting firm with my mate Yen Pin after we left McKinsey. While I enjoy running our own business, I know working in an office was not exactly my cup of coffee(pun intended ).   Anyway I was sitting outside a Starbucks,  having another random-thoughts day trying to figure out what I enjoy doing, when I realized that I enjoy interacting with people on an informal setting, taking in the smell of coffee,  and having a place called my own. Wanting to test out this sudden thought, I went inside and applied for a part-time barista position.

I did that for 15 months in Singapore and started again at Starbucks Canada from Jan 2008. Not only did I validate my passion through my stints at Starbucks but it has also further my interest and education in coffee and also the tremendous difficulty in running a successful cafe. It is a tough business: stiff competition(ironically from players like Starbucks and Timmies), tight cost margins for success, physical requirements,occasionally irate customers, etc. But more importantly, I also realize is that when I am at Starbucks, I am no longer treating it as a job and I really enjoy what I do. I guess that is what passion is all about – it is not about money or the easy way, but the courage to do something that I love to do.

anyone with me on this?

Memories from SB(Singapore) – celebrating my 31st birthday

With Sching - funny to see pic with no Kay nowadays

SB's regular customers

With Assistant Store Manager, Jialin

Simple commercial: no words required, no product placement. But even without the grandeur imagery, the message is powerful. Success comes with challenges, and it requires tremendous hard work to follow the dream. It is not just about Lance but regular people that we see within the clip, overcoming illnesses and other life’s up’s & down’s. I have not gone a day without self-doubt since I left Telus in May but every time I push myself up the hills on Wagg Road at Stouffville, I know things will be alright if I continue to work at it.

What is your inspiration?

p/s: for those who spotted me @ Popeye’s on a regular $2.49 for 2 pieces of chicken Tuesday,  it is not me.