We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Richard Giorla a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Richard, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I come from a childhood of scarcity, divorce and emotional neglect where survival was essential. Growth, learning opportunities and coping tools/resources were a byproduct of my survival strategy. As a child, youth and adult, I was not offered guidance or direction, though as long as I remember, I always strove to give my all in any job or task given. I was a shy, introverted youth that had an inherent self-reliance and confidence that served me as a teacher, leader and owner. Resilience and perseverance appears to have been innate. Forging forward in spite of obstacles has always been my motto… One of my favorite quotes that I strive to live by: “You don’t drown by falling in the water, you drown by staying in the water.”
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am an enterpreneur that is passionate about developing and creating businesses close to my heart. I had a sucessful fitness franchise, called Cardiobarre that was rooted in my passion for dance and fitness for 23 years. After having a successful 20 year run of Cardiobarre, the pandemic comletely shut down my business, which made it difficult to recover to its’ prior status. After serious consideration, I needed to come up with a product that would prove to be pandemic and recession proof provided my past experience. This was a turning point in my career in which I had to make a decision to reinvent. I brainstormed the possibilities and inspiration struck me! My love for freshly roasted and brewed coffee reminded me that I had already had experience with a coffee shop once, I owned and operated the cofee shop, The Boom Boom Room, back in the 90’s; I could do this again in an innovative and elevated way this time around! I set out to create a freshly roasted, dark, rich, complex, chocolate, smooth and low-acid roast that would reflect the classic style of my Italian roots. I decided this time around, to build a brand as I had learned from the Boom Boom room that a coffee shop is a high traffic, low profit margin business. I desire to create a brand that the masses can enjoy and build a community lovers around. The cafe is a launch pad for the Giorla’s Coffee brand. The brand strives to offer smaill batch, zero carbon footprint, freshly roasted coffee beans from around the world… the perfect harmony of tradition, innovation and excellence.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
As a previous business owner, I had the privildege of learning from my prior mistakes by applying that knowledge in order to succed and move forward. In this line of work, having the capability of having people skills, as well as being a good, humble and gracious listener goes a long way. I would also say being ambitious, driven, task oriented and then applying what you have learned by working quickly and efficiently is how I tend to function.I like to set trends, not follow them, by creating a product that speaks to me and my tight-knit circle.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am genuinely always looking to collaborate with people and businesses that align themselves with my vision of delivering excellence. I am dedicated to expanding my brand on a national and international level to stores, restaurants, catering and beyond.
Contact Info:
- Website: giorlascoffee.com
- Instagram: giorlascoffee
- Yelp: giorlascoffee
