Why Persistence Pays Off with Mike McKim Co-Founder of Cuvee Coffee

Dec 27, 2018

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Mike McKim is the co-founder of Cuvee Coffee Roasting Company. Cuvee Coffee Roasting Company has been providing independent coffee houses and coffee enthusiasts with sustainable artisan blends, single origin, and estate coffees since 1998. Mike is also a board chairman at the non-profit, Operation Supply Drop that supports today's active duty military and their families. Cuvee Coffee is a nationally recognized specialty coffee roaster with its roots firmly established in Texas. Cuvee Coffee and cold brew can be found at their website, Whole Foods, Heb, Central Market, Target, and soon to be limited Safeways.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:35] Jeremy introduces his guest, Mike McKim.
[2:45] What is Bunker Labs? How did Mike get involved?
[5:45] Why does Mike introduce himself including his failures?
[9:30] Mike talks about serving in the military.
[11:45] What was post-military life like for Mike?
[16:45] How did Mike end up starting his own coffee business?
[20:00] What are Cuvee Coffee popular products? Why cold brew coffee?
[28:00] Misconceptions about CBD products.
[30:45] Why high-quality ingredients can make all the difference.
[36:00] Mike talks about his wife’s role in the business.
[37:30] Coming up with new products and ideas for the business.
[39:00] Expanding the team at Cuvee Coffee.
[40:30] Mike shares how the business has evolved over the years.
[43:30] Tools and resources that Mike and his team use to succeed.
[45:20] Mike’s lowest moment in his career.
[47:00] The power of networking.
[48:20] Mike shares some proud moments in his career.
[50:00] What led Mike’s son to follow his footsteps?
[51:45] What is Operation Supply Drop?
[54:30] How to connect with Mike and Cuvee Coffee.

In this episode…

Does persistence pay off or is that just a common lie we’ve all believed? Should you keep working toward something that you struggle to gain ground with or move on to something more promising? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and business leader, Mike McKim. In his conversation with Jeremy, Mike opens up about his time in the military, why he mentions his failures, what led him to start his own coffee company, challenges he has faced along the way, and much more. Don’t miss a minute of this powerful episode featuring Mike’s story! As you survey the values you hold, which one stands out more than the others? What would the people you work with and your close friends and family say are your closely held values? Drawing on his time in the military, Mike McKim points to persistence as the trait that has stuck to the core of his development as a leader. Through all the ups and downs of his military career, Mike is thankful for the lessons learned, the most important one being that persistence pays off. This value didn’t just transfer over to Mike’s personal life; it is cemented in the foundations of his business, Cuvee Coffee. When most people think of coffee, they think of Seattle, not Austin. When most people think of the beverage of Texas, they think of sweet tea or Shiner Bock. Why would a military veteran decide to go into the coffee business in Texas of all places? Following his passion for coffee, Mike McKim decided to expand the passion project and take it from roasting coffee beans out of his garage and to a larger platform. Mike went to work making cold calls and drumming up any business he could to get his new venture off the ground. As it often does in Mike’s story, persistence paid off! Now Cuvee Coffee is a thriving coffee roaster based out of Austin, TX. What can you learn from Mike’s journey? What is more important to an organization, profits or integrity? It all depends on the character and values of the person at the top of the organizational chart. At Cuvee Coffee, Mike McKim leads an amazing team that is willing to adapt and change as the market demands while holding to its values. Heeding the words of wisdom he received from his uncle, Mike is dedicated to keeping his ingredients high quality, refusing to cut corners to increase the bottom line. This attitude in business doesn’t just happen overnight; you have to bake this dedication to quality into the very foundation from the start. To learn more about Cuvee Coffee, make sure to check out the link in the resources section at the end of this post! Have you figured out how to play to your strengths and minimize your weaknesses in your career? How did you identify your strengths? What led you to notice your weaknesses? Any successful business leader will be able to tell you pretty quickly where they excel and where they delegate, can you say the same? Learning the hard way, Mike McKim discovered that he should stay away from the financial side of his business and yield to his wife’s strengths on that front. Having learned that valuable lesson, Mike and his wife thrive in their current roles at Cuvee Coffee. Don’t be afraid to admit when you need to play to your strengths; it’s not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of wisdom!

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