Journal & Press
bits & pieces
Simple things done well
It all started long ago, wanting to have my own business. I think you are born with it, it’s just in you. What is it ? Entrepreneur spirit, ambition or just thinking you are always right? I don’t know. I guess I always knew I would one day have my own business.
This sums up why Canteen started. Going into a café, ordering a coffee and getting this, very bad coffee but it’s not even what I ordered. A cappuccino was my order and this is not one. I knew I could do better. It’s easy. Simple things done well. Buy good ingredients, treat them well. “simple things done well” has become my motto for canteen, both for the food and the coffee.
Simple things done well!
I may have been facing financial ruin, opening in a recession ? But what’s worse, owing money or the disappointment of looking at myself in the mirror every day, never having tried. Or every time you get bad food or coffee saying “I could do better” being forever the hurler on the ditch. Never the hurler on the field.
This is what it looked like when I got the keys. Not much ? But I had a head full of ideas, a little money, Ikea and about 3 weeks, what could go wrong. A lot really; leaking pipes, leaking roof, well leaking everything else needed fixing and rewiring. But with a great carpenter and many long nights and some tears, we got there and opened on the 6th june 2012.
Some say starting a business is hard. They’re wrong. That’s the easy bit. The hard bit is running a business; the mistakes, the wrong turns, the stress of paying the bills and wages every week, not having enough to pay myself so weeks. We got some things wrong, but most right and it’s only the beginning of our journey. We stuck to the plan; “simple things, done well”. Like our coffee. Brock does the hard work; selecting and roasting amazing beans. We do the simple work, pulling shots and foaming milk to make it perfect for you.