We recently connected with Michael Carty and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Michael with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I like to think I’ve always had a good work ethic. I believe this stems from childhood as I was raised by two working parents who instilled in my brothers and I that if we wanted something, we had to work for it. Very little was ever handed to us. When I got my driver’s license and wanted to buy a car, I assumed my parents would help me out, but no, my dad asked how much money I had in the bank, $350, and he told me to take it out of the bank, get the newspaper want ads, and find a car for $350. That’s when I realized I needed to get a part time job to fund my passion for cars and motorcycles!
To me having a work ethic means not necessarily being the best at something, but showing up on time, giving 100% while you’re doing it, and learning from your mistakes. This applies to everything regardless of the size or importance of the task, whether it’s cutting the lawn or starting a business from scratch.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
After retiring from Ford Motor Company and moving to Wendell, NC, I decided it was time to start a new hobby: roasting coffee. Spending hours in the garage roasting, refining and drinking coffee at my old workbench, the name was right in front of me: Workbench Roasters.
As a retired engineer, I’ve always had an interest in how things work. This was true with coffee roasting too. I studied how to roast coffee at home, in small batches, trying to extract the best flavors out of various beans from around the world. As I developed the skills to produce great tasting coffee, and realized I had an opportunity to turn my hobby into a small business, my goal was, and still is, to provide the freshest roasted coffee to my customers. That’s why I only roast to order, never keeping an inventory of roasted beans. This ensures my customers are always getting the freshest and best tasting coffee.
I enjoy selling our packaged coffee at local farmers markets because this gives me the opportunity to talk directly with our customers. I often get many questions about coffee roasting and other various aspects of the coffee industry. I am by no means an expert in everything related to coffee, but I love to share what I do know with people who are interested in learning more. For this reason I’ve hosted a few coffee classes where I discuss various coffee related topics and do some actual coffee tasting with the group.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Starting a new hobby, and ultimately a new business, required a lot of learning. Coffee roasting was completely new to me. For this reason I read as much as possible about the entire coffee industry, from growing to harvesting to processing, and ultimately roasting, brewing and tasting coffee. I immersed myself in the world of coffee by attending workshops and seminars offered by coffee experts. I also joined various social media groups that were established by like minded people who have a passion for coffee roasting.
Beyond the actual coffee roasting, I also had a great deal to learn about running a business – municipal regulations, finances, taxes, sales and marketing, etc. These are all things I continue to learn. I also realized that part of the learning process includes making mistakes and asking a lot of questions.
The other key item I’ve learned to develop is time management. The administrative, paperwork, and even social media part of running a business takes far more time than actually doing the work, in my case, roasting coffee, But it’s all part of the journey that keeps it challenging and rewarding.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
My wife has been most helpful in helping me with all aspects of our business. She is not only my business partner, but a great sounding board when it comes to new ideas, or looking for ways to resolve an issue. We talk strategy, growth, projection, creativity, finances, basically every aspect of the business, helping keep me focused.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.workbenchroasters.com
- Instagram: @workbenchroasters
- Facebook: @workbenchroasters
- Other: email: workbenchroasters2020@gmail.com
