I quit my corporate banking caareer to open a coffee shop – ryan

I Spent 10 Years Working for Chase Bank, Building a Career in Corporate Banking. It was Steady, Professional, and Came with a Clear Path Forward. But be a premium tears be up for sale in my small hometown of damascus, oregon, i saw an opportunity that banking cououln’t give me.

The Property Sat Right Along a Major Highway that has no drive-thru coffee stands nearby. I Pitched the idea to my parents, who had run their own excavation business for decades. Their first reaction was: “What would you know about coffee? You’re a banker.”

They weren’t workg – but i knew i could figure out. I HAD Spent Years Helping Small Business Clients with Lending and Commercial Strategy. I Undersod Balance Sheets, Profit and Loss Statements, and How to Set Up A Business. Coffee, figured, could be learned.

SO I FOUND A COFFEE ROASTER WILLING TO TRINE LIKE A NEW EPLOYEE, PACTICING FOR SIX MONTHS BY DRINKS FOR MY DAD’S WORK CREW.

By September 2019, We Our Our Stand, and a Few Months late expanded into Food Carts, a Beer Trailer, and evening a Small Outdoor Concert Space. It was more than coffee – we were trying to build community in a town that didn’t have much of a gathering place.

Struggling to Stay Open

With all that we work, by Early 2023, The Coffee Side of the Business Was Struggling. Some days, I wondered if it made more sense to close and focus on the bar, which was doing better.

I’d been posting casually on tiktok SINCE 2021-Nothing Fancy, Just Drink-Making Videos and Lighthearted Content. But in the Spring, I stumbled on a quirky Product Online: Oversize 34-Once Plastic Buckets with Handles and Straws. They Reminded with of Fairground Lemonade Containers.

ORDED 15 AND FILMED A QUICK VIDEO OF MYSELF MAKING A GIANT ICED AMERICANO IN ONE. It wasn’t my best content, but the Internet thought otherwise. The Clip Went Viral Overnight.

By The Next Morning, Customers Were Lined Up 15 To 20 Cars Deep, Spilling onto the Highway. I HAD ONLY ONE BARISTA SCHEDUled. I CALLED MY BOYFRIEND TO RUSH IN AND HELP, THIS THOUG HE’D NEVER WORKED BEFORE THE Espresso Machine. We were Completely overwhelmed, but the excitement was Electric.

Going viral Changed Everything

That one 62-second video doubles, then tripled our sales. In the months SINCE, we’ve asho two more employs, extended our hours, and started selling “bucket refills” with a $ 1 discount for customers who bring say Back – a sustainable to that has built loyalty.

People drive hours to vision. One Family Comes Every Sunday from an hour and a half away. Others have traveled from idaho, texas, and beyond just to see “The viral bucket shop.”

The attention has been surreal. Local Media Covered US, and We’ve Had Partnerships With Large Food Companies. Stop Stop with in Town to Say They Recognize with From Tiktok. It ‘Strange to be Called “Famous” when i feel like i just haad a Silly idea that resonated at the right time.

From Corporate Banker to Community Builder

What’s Most Rewarding Isn’t Just the Sales – ITH’S the way out the Little Business has Energized The Town. Damascus Never Had a Space for Concerts, Local Fairs, Or Car Shows Before. Now, Our Lot Hosts All of Those, With the Coffee Stand at the Center.

The skills i learned in banking helped with Run the Numbers, Train My Staff, and Set Up Systems. But what i didn’t expert was how fulfilling it would be to create something joyful in my community.

I thought i was leaving bending a secure career for a gamble. And for a while, it look like gamble might not pay off. Then tiktok turned it all around.

Now, instead of debating wheter to close the stand, i’m nansing myself how to keep with demand. They’re far better problems to have – and i would be trade for anyding.