It seemed like all was lost after Nicholas “Nick” Stone was cut from three different teams during his sports career. However, he used this setback to transition into finance, eventually founding Bluestone Lane, a successful coffee shop chain. Despite having never made coffee before, his love for the premium coffee culture of his home country, Australia, inspired him to transform the U.S. coffee experience into a more personalized one. In this episode, Nick joins Ilana to share how he transformed an 87% revenue loss into an opportunity for innovation and reinvention, emphasizing his commitment to community, human connection, and exceptional quality.

Nicholas Stone is an Australian businessman, former professional athlete, and banker. He is also the founder and CEO of Bluestone Lane, a premium coffee and café brand inspired by Australia’s rich coffee culture.

In this episode, Ilana and Nick will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:50) The Resilience That Took Him from Sports to Finance

(07:13) Moving from Australia to Chase a New York Dream

(09:15) Building Connections and Networks in New York

(12:23) Founding Bluestone to Fix U.S. Coffee Culture

(14:59) Keeping His Day Job to Launch Bluestone Lane

(20:35) Creating a People-First Café Experience

(23:09) Tough Lessons on Expanding Too Soon

(25:52) Filtering Advice in the Early Stages of Business

(27:33) The Hidden Challenges of Running a Café Chain

(32:33) How Nick Manages Founder Stress with Support

(37:35) Surviving the Pandemic After Losing 87% of Revenue

(45:02) Why Bluestone Sticks to Quality Over Shortcuts

(48:40) Nick's Focus on Values and Promoting Internally

(50:21) The Power of Celebrating Small Wins in Business

Nicholas Stone is an Australian businessman, former professional athlete, and banker. He is also the founder and CEO of Bluestone Lane, a premium coffee and café brand inspired by Australia’s rich coffee culture. Under his leadership, Bluestone Lane has become the fastest-growing premium café brand in the U.S., raising $70 million in venture capital and expanding to over 65 locations. Nick has been featured in The New York Times, CNBC, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, and more.

Connect with Nick:

Nick’s Website: https://bluestonelane.com/

Nick’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicholas-stone-49465767

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Bluestone Lane Founder: How Nicholas Stone Is Redefining the U.S. Coffee Culture With Zero Coffee Experience | E72