Meet Tony Santoro

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tony Santoro. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tony, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Time can help gain confidence. Time can help gain wisdom. But I won’t lie here… Im not sure there is such a thing as overcoming imposter syndrome.

Every day for the last 12 years of business I have felt inadequate (and 40 years of inadequacy in my personal life). I get better at things, but as we go on new problems arise. I then have to lean into something that I feel ill-equipped to handle.

I believe in my core that acknowledging that I don’t have it all figured out is one of my best strengths.

So instead of overcoming it, I harness it. Accepting that I don’t have it all figured out gives me the ability to be authentic, put less pressure on me, and ask for help from my team.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Enderly Coffee is our company. We are nearly 20 year residents of Enderly Park, our West Charlotte Neighborhood. We take a lot of pride in being where you are. My grandma was known to say, “You can not change The World… However you can change the sliver you’ve been given.” Enderly Park is part of that sliver. We are not trying to change it, but to be good neighbors and put down roots. In that, we seek to be kind and believe relationships over time can change our world.

As a coffee roasting company it is very important to ethically source our coffee from suppliers who are transparent and trustworthy. So we source great, ethically traded coffee and roast the coffee right in our production warehouse on the edge of Enderly Park. We love the world of coffee, we truly do… But the coffee is what allows us to connect with people. It allows us to connect with customers in our cafe along with customers around the country in their kitchens. We are a part of weddings, baby showers, church services, office coffee breaks, restaurants, apartment lobbies, etc. It is truly humbling.

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?

Sacrifice – Building a business is tough. It is not for the faint of heart. The time it took/takes away from my wife and 4 kids is a sacrifice. The years of little and underpay is a sacrifice. Many are not patient enough (translated to “not willing to sacrifice enough”) to see their business grow to where they desire it to be.

Kindness – There are abundant opportunities for us, it’s an infinite game. This mindset allows us to be better to people, both in the company and out. Scarcity mindset forces people to feel fear, to make everything all about themselves. It changes how one may treat others as they build their business.

Trial & Error – There is always room for improvement. Take notes, collect data, and plan for your next try. Always look for adjustments that will improve systems, quality, or efficiency.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

As we grow, so does our team. As a team grows, so does our responsibility. Managing people is hard. I do not identify as a “Leader” naturally. So when I looked up after 8 years and found a small team that I was responsible for, I second guessed everything. This is not what I signed up for.

But it was exactly what I signed up for.

I will admit when I do not know… So hear me when I say I do not know how to lead a team well. However over the last 5 years I have pushed into it. I listen to a lot of podcasts (Ente-Leadership, Cat & Cloud, and Business Made Simple come to mind) and read books (Simon Sinek is a great leader I learn a ton from). I listen and learn, then apply and adjust. I see how that works, then keep on trying, keep on adjusting.

Most recently I have hired a Coach to help. He has much more experience in managing people and I learn so much applicable information from him. Currently we are working on the structure and flow of managing a staff. It has helped tremendously and we are continuing it.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Johny Walker (Blue Label Visuals)
Jonathan Cooper (Coopernicus Photos)

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