Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Buck. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ryan, appreciate you joining us today. What can you share with us about the story behind how you found your key vendors?

For us we were very lucky in that we had a lot of local support and vendors that approached us. But for those we need to find it was spending the time going around to other coffee shops to get some insights on who they use. That’s one of the surprising things for me is how open and friendly the coffee community is. We have not had a single negative interaction with any coffee owner or worker.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve spent over 15 years in technology and automation, leading teams and building solutions that streamlined operations for major financial firms. While I loved optimizing systems, a spontaneous moment with my wife, Kirsten, led us down an unexpected path—opening Aromas On Oak, a coffee shop in downtown Roanoke, TX.

What started as a lighthearted joke became reality when we found the perfect space and realized we could turn our dream into something tangible. At Aromas On Oak, we’re creating more than just a coffee shop; we’re building a welcoming community space where people can connect over great coffee and a warm atmosphere.

I’m most proud of bringing this vision to life alongside Kirsten, blending our skills and passions into something meaningful

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

We were initially looking at getting a small business loan either through SBA or just a conventional business loan. However, after 15+ years at the same firm I had enough from the severance to be able to self-fund at least for a portion of the setup. That was our backup plan, however, once we started looking at the cost of the loans over the long term, we were a bit concerned at the long-term cost.

The first location we were looking at was going to cost at least a couple hundred thousand to overhaul and get to where we needed, so the thought of having to front that much was a little scary. However, in the middle of figuring out the funding, we were notified another location opened up and thankfully it had more space and was already pretty close to turn-key ready. So we jumped in with self-funding and saving a little bit in the long-run.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I’ve managed teams for over 12 years, and always found taking the approach of “what can I as a leader do to make them more successful” instead of looking at it like “what can THEY do for me to make us successful”. I found that from one of my leaders, Matt Brodman, that always stuck with me. Additionally, making sure to take the time to thank them for their work and show them true honest appreciation. It might be as little as saying thank you, or bringing some breakfast randomly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aromasonoak.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aromasonoak/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AromasOnOak

Image Credits

Ben Ankaro