Banker Turns Barista

Success stories are such day brighteners. When blended with coffee, it’s a perfect combination. When a bad situation is turned upside down and made into a success story, and blended with coffee, it doesn’t get much better. Katya Wachtel shared one such story this week, a story about a banker named Joe Meagher. Not long ago, Joe was a loan officer in Great Britain. With the economic downturn, he was offered a redundancy package and decided to accept it. With the funds, last summer he set up a coffee shop, a longtime dream of his. Trading his banker’s hat for a flat cap, he then named his coffee business after his cap. The choice to leave banking for the lure of owning his own coffee business turned out to be the right one, as his shop is becoming a great success. Not only that, but Joe’s barista profession is giving him a fantastic return. He took two barista courses which are paying him big dividends. As proof, he just won a regional barista championship which qualifies him for the UK Barista Championship in London. One of the important aspects of the barista competition is latte art, one quality of which Joe’s shop is very proud. Joe feels that winning the competition confirms that he made the right choice to follow a dream rather than stay in a less than successful but possibly more secure position. His is a story of taking a risk and winning, but Joe is not alone. Many others made the same choice in the recent economic downturn – a choice to accept a buyout and retire early, not to really retire, but to start another career. In Joe’s case, the returns came quickly.