The Universe Has a Way

My brother and I learned everything from our father, who was in hospitality. He always pushed us to do our best. Sadly, neither of our parents lived to see us become a respected coffee shop. What they did see, time and again, was failure. We’d open the doors of this very same place, the one that now has queues out the door, and nobody would come.

I remember one failure vividly. I’d prepared everything. Fridge stocked, posters out, uniforms ironed, music playing. I opened the door and waited. Absolutely no one came. After six hours, I closed up. That was eighteen years ago. Maybe it just wasn’t the right time.

We failed many times after that. Years felt wasted. But we persevered. Then came the last hope. We spent whatever we had left, gambling that the last twenty years wouldn’t be in vain. This time, we got lucky.

I have many regrets. One of the biggest is that my mum and dad never saw me running this place. But the one regret I don’t have is stopping. Maybe I should have spent more time with my family. I missed so many years, too engrossed in this pursuit.

Now we’re number 1 in the UK. I know some people will say it’s just a list. For me, that doesn’t matter. We’re number one in the eyes of our customers. The genuine happiness I feel when they tell me they’re so happy for me, it makes the last 20 years somewhat worth it.

I’m not sure why I’m writing this. It’s 11:02pm, and I’m sitting here alone in the coffeehouse, thinking about how much work we put in to get where we are. If only my parents could have seen it. But my children see me, my family see it and most importantly my other half.

To the small dreamers out there, pursue your dream, no matter how unrealistic it feels. I didn’t have much money, but I truly believed in it. The universe has a way of making things happen.

#enterprenuership #smallbuisness #coffeeshop #ottomancoffeehouse #scotland