Dragonland and Dreams

“Well, in Dragonland…” That’s the verbatim start of no less than half the statements coming out of my 7-year-old’s mouth nowadays. He and his best friend dreamt up the imaginary world of Dragonland, where there’s a different dragon for everything: from the “Ice Dragon'' to the “I-always-insult-myself Dragon” to the “Backwards Dragon”. Talk to him about coffee and you may hear him immediately respond with: “Well, in Dragonland... the Upside-Down Dragon would be able to drink that coffee with the mug turned upside-down.” Seriously. We cultivate and celebrate wild imagination with our kids. Not only is it cheek-pinchingly delightful, but it trains the next generation to see the world for its possibilities instead of its limitations. If I responded to my son’s fanciful statements with: “You know, bud, there’s no such thing as Dragonland. That could never be possible.” ...then I’d be a Dream-Killer. Dream-Killers can be those naysayers, or disappointing failures, or crazy uncontrollable circumstances. I started 2020 with high hopes, knowing it would be the year we’d finally pay off Taproom’s startup debt and would see record-high sales levels. I was enjoying the stability of the business and I was dreaming of possibilities for growth and expansion. Then COVID hit. My Dream-Killers became quarantine, schools shutting down, widespread fear, and genuine loss. Taproom had to close its cafe seating for the sake of public health. Our new coffee bar location in a high school shut down permanently when classes went virtual. Every one of our food vendors either went out of business or got acquired by other companies. Who has the luxury of dreaming when you’re facing threats to your survival? When the dust settled, I took stock and realized that maybe, just maybe, we’d be okay. Our community rallied to ensure that we would persevere. The Dream-Killers were real threats for sure, but perhaps there was a way to look beyond the present dark times and dare to dream again. Could it be that on the other side of all the turmoil we could maybe pull through, refined by fire and ready to start the next exciting stage of our journey? What if the phrase “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” could also have some version that goes “what doesn’t kill you could also sharpen your entrepreneurial spirit and equip you to bounce back with a momentum to tackle new frontiers with gusto and resolve”? (...or something like that.) Economic recessions have actually been historically proven to be fertile breeding grounds to launch some of the best and strongest companies of the world. The hardship of recession and a COVID-quarantined world has been a Dream-Killer for many, but it’s likely also opening the doors of opportunity for those who would move on dreams conceived in that darkness. I became one who would dare to dream. So this is the start of a wild new journey. It’s connected to, but still distinct from, my first long-term business of Taproom Coffee. Over the following weeks and months I’ll use this blog to reveal to you all the details and document the saga, sprinkling into the status updates my commentary, thoughts, stories, and musings about business and life and constant faceoffs with the Dream-Killers. Thanks to all of you who support me and my family. Thanks for coming along for the ride, or for cheering us on from the sidelines. If you want to keep the most up-to-date, subscribe to this blog. I’m committing to updating it at least once every two weeks until the last chapter closes on the dream, or at least until the “Stomps-on-Daddy’s-fingers-so-he-can’t-type Dragon” pays me a visit.