Why I work so hard.
Since this is the first blog post of our new website, as well as the launch of our new roaster, I would like to take this time to say a few words of gratitude to our wonderful customers. Please allow me to get a little personal and to share a little bit about myself because I consider everyone that steps foot into our business a friend, rather than a customer.
When I started Waterbean Coffee a little over three years ago, I did not expect much, but I always knew deep down that, if I stayed true to myself, to my family, and to my community, everything would be okay.
From early on, I knew what life was like when you didn’t have a lot. My parents made the hardest decision of their life when they sent me, their 8-year-old son, to the United States to have a better future than they would. I was lucky enough to be able to immigrate to Hickory, North Carolina, where I lived until I attended UNC-Charlotte.
When I left Vietnam in the spring of 1991, I left behind my parents and two younger bothers. During that first lonely flight, I promised myself that I would work as hard as possible to make sure that everyone in my family was taken care of and that I would never disappoint my parents.
A lot of people close to me may wonder why I always work so hard and why it seems like I don’t have time for anyone or to enjoy life. The answer, of course, is because I’m always striving to fulfill the promise I made twenty-seven years ago on that airplane.
I’m very good at hiding my emotions and daily stresses because I don’t want my family to worry. I work, not for myself, but for the future of my family. Sometimes, it may seem like I don’t spend a lot of time with family or friends because I’m so wrapped up in my jobs.
I just know that, for Waterbean Coffee to be successful, I must do everything correctly and give it my all, even though the majority of my time is spent working another job. When other people go to sleep at night, I work my hardest. I know I can get ahead while everyone else is taking a rest.
In life and in business, I know that simply following what other people are doing means that you will always be behind.
I recognized that there was a need for a specialty coffee shop in our area because there were none at the time. So I set out to find the best equipment, the best coffee, even the world quietest blenders, because I want our customers to enjoy our coffee without any distractions. We were the first specialty coffee shop to offer manual brewing methods such as Pour-Over, Aeropress, and French Press.
I can’t sleep at night because I know how fortunate I am, and I don’t want to waste a single minute. If you’d grown up with nothing before being offered the amazing chance to live the rest of your life in this great country where you have opportunities unlike any other, you wouldn’t be able to sleep either.
As each day passes, I do not take anything that I do for granted. I know that, at any moment, all my hard work and dedication in life and in business could be gone. But, as long as I give it my all and continue to provide our amazing customers with the best products, I feel very confident in Waterbean Coffee’s long success as a company.
To wrap up my first blog post, I would like to end with a quote: “Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up.” Again, thank everyone for your amazing and continuing support during the past few years!
Tony
