We recently connected with Tony Miller and have shared our conversation below.
Tony, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My faith and my family. We are not created to do this life alone. Every day there is a voice inside my head that drives me to get out of bed and get going. What needs to get done today? It’s a blessing and a curse: a blessing because I don’t need someone to drive me, a curse because I drive myself pretty hard. I’ve burned out a few times, and it is not fun at all. Although I do keep bouncing back, one very important thing I’ve learned about resilience is to not stretch yourself too hard or you could snap. Resilience needs to be approached with the mindset of building in yourself the ability to keep bouncing back. Life happens, and there will always be obstacles. I don’t need to make it harder on myself than things already can be. To have a lasting resilience, healthy boundaries and rhythms are vital. My faith and family are the bedrock of those rhythms. Daily journaling, reading, prayer, and intentional family time are crucial. A weekly rhythm of resting is also so important for physical and mental health. My family and I try to hold each other accountable to screen time and be intentional to have dinner together more than once a week. Some seasons we are better than others, and when we get off track, we ground ourselves back to why we are here. Why do we do what we do? Who is our strength and reason for living? These are things that give us resilience.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Our family loves community, people, and coffee. Bringing all those together is our sweet spot. Portico means “covered porch” or “covered entry.” The front porch is the entry into the home and into community. In August 2022, Portico Coffee was born. We took a dilapidated 1959 Shasta Airflyte and gave it new life. We believe unforgettable hospitality and great coffee create an environment where community unfolds naturally. We are not your average coffee shop. Our goal from day one has been to “bring our front porch” everywhere we go. Whether we set up in our normal spots in our neighborhood or venture out for a special event, our family serves up quality, craft coffee with that unforgettable hospitality. All five of us make up the Portico team: my wife, our three children, and myself.
We are dreaming of the day when we can open a brick-and-mortar store, combined with our online home-decor business, Salty Home Co. We are committed to investing in our community, so we are patiently waiting for the right spot to open up.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Grit – There were many days I was ready to throw in the towel and just cut my losses. It was a very hard season as we were trying to start something that would be better for my physical and mental health. I was building custom furniture for a living, and it was physically and mentally exhausting. I would tell those close to me that I’m an extrovert living an introvert’s dream–which equaled a nightmare. What we pulled off in that season was insane, full of blood, sweat, and tears. We bought the trailer on July 5th and we were open August 24th. Yes, that was six weeks, and we were fully licensed and running. It was six weeks of sheer grit to keep going to make it happen.
Vision – Know why you are doing what you are doing, and remind yourself during the hardest moments when you are about to call it quits. There will be moments. But don’t forget why you decided to do this. For us, it was first and foremost about community. Sure we wanted it to make money, but community will always be the driver.
Be a learner – We continue to learn so much about community, people, and coffee. We also had to learn a lot about health codes, inspections, licensing, taxes, book keeping, and many other things. As we venture on with the dream of a brick and mortar, the learning continues. Having a teachable spirit and a desire to learn goes a long way. There was a ton we didn’t know about or know how to do. We googled, made phone calls to the health department and city, and watched YouTube videos to figure it all out. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and feedback. Be a learner and keep going!
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Julie, my wife, has been the person who believes in me the most. Honestly, we are the perfect team as we believe in each other. Through all the challenges and ups and downs in life, we have always been the biggest support for one another. There is no one else I’d rather do this life with.
As we pursue the dream of opening our own store, she is the one who reminds us of the dream and the community we can build, while I’m the one who can work out all the details to make it happen. As some friends recently told us, “Julie is in the clouds; Tony is on the ground.” We really do make a great team and it’s the right amount of crazy on both sides to make it happen.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/porticocoffeetrailer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/porticocoffeetrailer/
- Other: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Portico+Coffee/@38.9718112,-104.7267057,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x444628c3e16e3237:0x56d0dcadd1be72af!8m2!3d38.9718112!4d-104.7241308!16s%2Fg%2F11tc6zbqqr?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
Image Credits
Stella Miller (photo of Tony)
Claire Miller (all other photos)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
