From School Dropout to Coffee Entrepreneur: The Power of Learning from Industry Experts

Join me, Jacob, entrepreneur and investor, as I share my unconventional journey from leaving college at age 16 to building Philz Coffee into a thriving brand with over 80 stores, and discover the lessons learned along the way.

1. Jacob is an entrepreneur and investor who started Philz Coffee with his dad.
2. Instead of going to school, Jacob learned about business by finding five of the best people in the world at what he wanted to do and learning from them.
3. Jacob's father grew up in Palestine in a large family that valued community and hospitality.
4. When Jacob's father moved to the United States, he opened a grocery store in San Francisco and later became interested in coffee as a way to bring people together.
5. Jacob helped his father with the business after school and they experimented with different ways of making coffee.
6. Jacob decided to leave school to work on the business full-time, with his father's support.
7. One of the most important things Jacob learned from his father was how to "make something out of nothing" and be resilient in the face of hardship.
8. Jacob believes that finding mentors and learning from people who are ahead of you is one of the best ways to grow and learn.
9. To scale quality as Philz Coffee grew, Jacob and his father questioned traditional methods and applied first principles thinking to come up with better solutions.
10. Philz Coffee has three core values: obsessing over customers, pursuing better, and being kind and keeping it real.
11. Hiring the right people and investing in training were key to creating a positive culture at Philz Coffee.
12. Jacob believes that creating something truly great is the best way to attract support and opportunities.
13. Philz Coffee's fourth store was opened at Facebook's headquarters after the social media company's employees expressed their love for the coffee shop.
14. Jacob thinks that entrepreneurs can come from any background, but having a strong work ethic and gratitude for what you have is important.
15. Instead of always striving to be the smartest person in the room, Jacob believes it's more important to avoid making stupid decisions.
16. Jacob's father taught him that resilience, optimism, and a good attitude are crucial in business and in life.
17. Jacob believes that limitations in life are often due to the people around you, so it's important to surround yourself with people who inspire and challenge you.
18. To learn from the best, Jacob suggests finding them on social media or the internet and reaching out, even if it takes persistence to make a connection.
19. Philz Coffee started with one store and is now approaching 80 stores, with each new location requiring careful attention to quality control and adherence to the company's core values.
20. Jacob's journey from leaving school to building a successful coffee business was driven by his desire to grow and learn, with support from his father and mentors along the way.

Source: EO via YouTube

❓ What do you think? What is the most important factor in achieving success and scale: innate ability, hard work, or strategic relationships with others who have expertise and experience? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!