“The nerds in any industry are small compared to the number of customers you need.” — John Neate
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John Neate is the founder and CEO of JJ Bean Coffee Roasters, a 22-location coffee chain based out of Vancouver and Toronto, Canada.
In this episode, we run the gamut from John’s experience growing up in the coffee business to his expertise in drinking coffee black (straight, no chaser).
Here are a few ‘snapshots’ from our conversation:
On Guerrilla marketing:
“I did everything possible to get my logo everywhere.”
“Ultimately you want your brand sitting in someone’s kitchen. We would give away bags of coffee so for 5 or 6 days, your brand is front and center with people.”
On the power of service and relationships:
“My dad was the ‘House of Yes.’ Whatever anybody wanted, he would say, “Not a problem.”
“Because the relationship was so strong, we could charge whatever we wanted for coffee.”
“My dad was all about making deposits so that whenever he went to make a withdrawal, no body would flinch.”
On the key to a thriving coffee business
“You want a thriving coffee business? You better have a thriving food business.”
“How are you going to be better than Starbucks? Because if you’re not better than Starbucks coming out of the gate, no one’s going to come see you.”
On negotiation (one of John’s superpowers):
“Every good deal starts with ‘No’. It’s amazing how many people then come back on a different footing and try to convince you. You force the other person to do the negotiation.” — John Neate
Which reminds me of a quote about negotiation from Naval Ravikant: “The person who cares the least, wins.”
Lots of golden insights from John in this episode — tune in now. 🎧
Find out more about John Neate
☕️ Check out JJ Bean Coffee Roasters
🤝 Connect with John on LinkedIn
