Café Biz Brisbane – Panel Discussion: Success by learning from others.
Former café reviewer Adam Thomson and his wife Rejoice have gone from strength to strength since opening Dovetail on Overend in the tranquil Brisbane suburb of Norman Park. Adam’s considerable experience and knowledge across the media and café industries will be at the forefront when he presents as part of Café Talks’ panel on learning from success.
Adam and Rejoice opened Dovetail on Overend in 2014 after Adam had spent years working in another industry but in love with cafes. “For a long time, spending lots of time in cafes was just something I enjoyed doing in my spare time. But eventually I realised that I just wasn’t satisfied with my previous career and I simply had to pursue my true passion.” This led him to appreciating the cafes through reviews in Beanhunter, which were occasionally picked up by other publications, and that helped his brand grow. “Over several years I started to get to know a lot of people in the industry in southeast Queensland, and I started to learn the craft of working in a cafe and then learning to roast, cup etc. By the time I walked away from my IT career, I had a very clear picture of what type of experience I wanted to share with others visiting my cafe.
Cultivating relationships within the industry is “crucial, particularly if you’re aiming to provide a truly quality product. Regardless of how talented you are or how effectively you manage your time, you simply can’t do everything”. That means relying on products or services, which meet Adam’s high standards. “Developing those relationships just helps you to work better together, to innovate and evolve.”
Adam acknowledges some might consider his business approach ‘conservative’ – “I’m not one of those businessmen who can say they’ve failed 10 times before becoming successful”. He says he has learnt a lot from success thus far, but admits he has “a lot of work ahead before I can truly say I’ve succeeded to the extent I aim to”.
He counts himself fortunate to have been helped in his journey by “so many other café owners and experienced industry colleagues”. The generosity of his colleagues is why he’ll be sharing at Café Talks. “I’m really passionate about doing what I can to help the local cafe scene in Brisbane continue to evolve and thrive, so I’ll happily share my thoughts to help others to contribute to achieving this.”
