Goals Gone Wild December 8, 2006

Success in Every Cup

Matthew Poepsel, LeftBrain/Co-Founder

Quick! What are the key ingredients of personal success? Vision, planning, discipline, and persistence are all good answers. (Well done!) So are initiative and the willingness to ask for help along the way. I personally feel that there's another key success ingredient in my life: caffeine.

I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but I've become a coffee kind-of-guy. When my wife told me that a new coffee shop opened up down the road, I was intrigued. When she told me it was a Marylou's coffee house, I jumped in my car and raced over there.

In business school, I read an article about Marylou's and now I had to check it out for myself. (I'm a sucker for a good success story.) It turns out that in 1986, Marylou Sandry had been working for a big company. Like many people, she was underwhelmed with her current job, and she decided that she wanted to make a change. She wanted to try her hand as an entrepreneur.

Marylou made the tough decision to leave her comfort zone, she set big and beautiful goals for her new business, and she followed through. As a reward for her courage and efforts, Marylou now has 19 coffee shops on the South Shore of Boston. (She really should open one in my basement to make it an even 20.)

Marylou set an example by demonstrating several key ingredients of success:

• Determination. It would have been easier for Marylou to stay cooped up in corporate America than to bring her vision to the world. Even so, she wasn't about to compromise and she made up her mind to succeed on her own terms.
• Clarity. The winning model at Marylou's is made up of three core elements: a welcoming shop environment; a friendly and knowledgeable (and attractive) staff, and outstanding coffee. The combination works beautifully and she has stayed true to each of those fundamentals.
• Style. The Marylou's in my town sports a neon pink awning in order to beckon patrons. Once inside, a quick glance at the menu board proves that this coffee shop doesn't do boring. With flavors like Hawaiian Chocolate Nut, Raspberry Strudel, Snick-A-Doodledoo, Tiramisu, and the popular Funky Fanabla, Marylou earns major style points.
• Momentum. Can you guess how many shops Marylou opened to get started? That's right, one. (Hanover, Massachusetts to be exact.) She learned from her early experiences. Then a second shop was added. More learning. To her credit, she successfully parlayed those early wins into more shops and even more happy customers.

By applying these principles, Marylou accomplished her original goal and she shows no signs of stopping any time soon.

Even if you're not a coffee drinker (is that even possible?) you can still learn from Marylou's example and emulate her success. Are you dissatisfied with some aspect of your current personal or professional life? Commit to making a change. Do you know the key ingredients of your personal vision for future success? Pick a few that work well together and keep a laser-tight focus on them.

You have what it takes to define and achieve a successful life for yourself - so go out and get it!

And while you're at it, pick me up a large Funky Fanabla (iced). Thanks.

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