How Did We Get Here - 2019
Sam Cornford • December 18, 2019
How Did We Get Here
Hi!
Just a quick few minutes of your time to let you know how things for Beyond have been during 2019 and what we are aiming for next year.
Firstly, a quick thank you to everyone you has come to see us this year, whether you’ve offered advice or made a purchase I massively appreciate it. This year has been… well, pretty mad actually. I started the year as an engineer desperately trying to figure out how Beyond could ever be sustainable enough to provide us with any form of ‘living’ and now I’m ending the year (nearly) in that position. I definitely didn’t think we’d be ready to go full time with it, that’s for sure!
This year we have;
• Attended over 45
events
• Built our corporate
offering, with regular monthly visits
• Upgraded
all of our equipment
• Built a second setup
that can work indoors or outdoors
• Improved and fully incorporated our branding
• Launched a new website
& online shop
• Crafted over 8000
hot drinks
• Sold over 120
reusable cups
• Over 120
bags of coffee taken home by you
• Opening a coffee bar
• Gone full time
with Beyond Coffee
I think everyone starts something, whether a business or a personal goal with hopes of what they want to achieve and that was me last year. Maybe I played it a little safe with not imagining going full time, but then I guess we were trying to keep a very small human alive, which I can assure you we have achieved! Sometimes I think jumping in at the deep end can really be the best way of getting the most out of yourself, the start of this year I was in full time employment travelling the country, working 15-hour days, desperately trying to attend as many events with Beyond as possible and looking after our 4-month-old son. If you want something enough, there’s always time.
Next year I’m setting our sights high, perhaps being a little too ambitious in terms of sales but… why not! I’d like to cut our weekend events & festivals down and just attend the event we want to go to and actually have some time off. Growing our brand within our local community is a main goal for next year, we don’t attend too many things around here but are starting to build our corporate exposure and I’d like to keep that going as well as showcasing our new coffee bar for people to drop in whenever they need their Beyond fix. I’d also like to continue to grow our reputation and start to become the go to coffee hire company, this one is a hard one, especially with the ever increasing competition but I honestly believe Beyond can offer some of the best ‘coffee hire’ experiences.
Our goals will change and adapt throughout the year but they are a good starting point and we will set smaller targets to help achieve them. To sum up… we want to get out there and spread the Beyond name!
Lastly, I know I’m going on a bit but I’d just like to say thank you… to everyone who has supported us this year. I know its cliché to say but I honestly would not be doing this if none of you visited us. Massive thank you to my wife, Emma for kicking me up the arse to go for it, family & friends for your support and encouragement and to Luke & Steve at Code Fitness for giving Beyond Coffee its first home!
Here’s to a year of change and looking forward to getting going in 2020!
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!
Sam :D
