We were lucky to catch up with Josh Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Josh, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Often the greatest growth and the biggest wins come right after a defeat. Other times the failure serves as a lesson that’s helpful later in your journey. We’d appreciate if you could open up about a time you’ve failed
My story is littered with perceived failures. I started my professional life doing ministry, and after 10 years I left there feeling like a failure. But that failure led me to discovering my passion in hospitality. When we launched our business, we couldn’t get funding- and it seemed that time after time we kept hitting roadblocks. But we pivoted- and launched a mobile coffee truck.
We built the truck up until we were able to open a brick and mortar. After 6 months, COVID hit our area. We were forced to drop to about 10% of our original revenue and slowly continue. I felt like a failure then. I felt like I let my staff down, my family down, myself down. But it also lit a fire in me- and focused me into survival mode. And we did just that- survived. Post COVID life brought its own challenges, but we have continued to persevere.
Most recently, we were working on financing our new location- and no bank would touch us, mainly due to our dips in Revenue in a post covid world. Every option was slowly burning in front of us, and down to the wire we finally secured private financing.
Sure- each of these failures ends as a success, but I have learned to expect the failures, and to see them as the midpoint, not the end. I have told people, “Start working on Plan Z while you watch Plan A burn.”
Have you ever had to pivot?
When Covid-19 hit and all restaurants had to close down to indoor seating- we were left with a difficult choice. Our concept is based on building an atmosphere, and we had to switch to all to-go drinks.
We quickly reached out to a online ordering software which literally kept us afloat during those times, and I started hand delivering bags of coffee all around town.
We dug deep, being honest and upfront with our staff, and we didn’t have to lay off a single staff member. Rather- staff who still lived at home or in college gave up hours to those who had bills. We all worked together.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I have become a massive reader in the last few years. Specifically biography and non-fiction. There are a few business books I have loved, but more than anything- exploration books have taught me so much about leadership and entrepreneurship.
The Lost City of Z, a book about Percy Fawcett who disappeared searching for El Dorado, taught me about passion, and a hunger to get what you dream of.
Lion In the Whitehouse, a book about Theodore Roosevelt’s presidential career, taught me that leadership doesn’t have to operate exclusively in black and white. I learned that I don’t have to be a “hard boss”. Instead, Teddy sought to live for his convictions, and to bring people together in the middle rather than bring people only to his point of view.
Books like “What You Do Is Who You Are” by Ben Horowitz, “Business Made Simple” by Donald Miller, and ”
But the book that had the most impact on me would be “Setting the Table” by Danny Meyer. It is the go to guide for the hospitality industry and the realities of what it takes to make someone feel special. it is chock-full of useful things and inspirational stories.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cohesivecoffee.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jhwilliams
- Facebook: Facebook.com/cohesive.coffee
Image Credits
Emmanuel Hollifield Tony Palacino Josh Williams