The Place: Dominican Joe
The Cup: David informed me that Dominican Joe is the home of the very best white chocolate mocha in all of Austin. And that’s just what he ordered. Before getting this tip, I had already ordered an iced coffee, or as they refer to it at DoJo’s, an iced toddy. If you have nothing better to do with a thirty minute chunk of time, you might enjoy this going down the iced coffee vs. iced toddy research rabbit hole that I just had to pull myself out of. This is a great place to start. I shudder to think of many hours I’ve lost over the years in the name of “research”.
The Background: A few weeks back I got an email from 2014 TED Fellow and Coffee With A Stranger Cup 76, Erine Gray. He wanted me to meet his friend David, who, in addition to being a kind and fascinating guy, happened to be launching a new business he thought I’d be interested in hearing about. Erine was right. On all counts.
David is passionate about many things. Some aren’t particularily unusual or surprising, like soccer, coaching, his mom’s baking and tacos al pastor. But others – like the role of volunteerism in education, being a mentor and positive role model for kids, journaling every morning, building a business around the idea of creating delightful experiences – were not what I was expecting from this young entrepreneur.
Before we get into all that, let’s cover some:
Common Grounds:
- What’s your guilty pleasure? Slice of Home Slice pizza.
- How did you make your first buck? Helping my mom sell flan. (David’s mom had a successful dessert business in Austin for almost 20 years.) We were in Central Market demoing flan every Saturday.
- What is the best place to eat in Austin? Al Pastor on East Riverside. It kind of a hole in the wall, but they have the most amazing tacos al pastor.
- What is the best way to unwind? Playing soccer.
- What is the last thing you fixed? The shopping cart feature on the BrightBox website.
- What’s a food you can’t live without? Arroz con pollo or Puerto Rican churrasco.
- What is one of the best books you’ve ever read? Purple Cow by Seth Godin. In fact, it partially contributed to the BrightBox idea – the ideas of purposeful marketing and creating unusual, delightful experiences.
- What’s the best gift you ever got? Eight or nine months ago, when I was living in Dallas and working all the time, my mom sent me a package with all the stuff I needed, but didn’t have time to get. It was around Easter, so it had Easter candy, chocolate, and stuff I needed, like shaving cream.
Burning Out
Five months ago, David was living in Dallas, working 75+ hours a week at job that he’d lost his enthusiasm for. The extra hours he spent working meant fewer hours for the things that mattered to him – like spending time with friends and family. He tells me he was at a point where he was feeling unfulfilled and drained, and, he says, “I wasn’t taking care of me. Or anyone around me for that matter.”
Then he got a gift, and an idea.
Love in a Box
A care package from home, sent to lift his sprits and remind him that his mom was thinking about him, created a spark within David. Ignited by that exciting feeling you get when you go to the mailbox and find something unexpected. Amongst the bills, grocery store circulars, and credit card invitations was a little something special. Just for him. For no reason other than to let him know he was loved and that someone was thinking of him. As David said, “It wasn’t about what was in the package. It was the meaning behind it.”
What if he could help other people feel that special feeling? And what if he could make it really easy for someone to send something that created that feeling?
The Leap
David believed he had an idea worth pursing and just 90 days ago, he generously gave a month’s notice at the company he’d spent the last several years working for. As he helped the company train his replacement and prepare for his departure, David was getting more and more excited about getting his idea off the ground.
According to the site, SendBrightBox.com, BrightBox offers “Handmade, customizable gifts for people that matter in your life.” David was thoughtful enough to bring me my very own BrightBox and I have to say, it lived up to the promise! The box is small in size, but big in specialness. A handcrafted wood slice keychain with a lovely reminder to “Enjoy the Journey”, a delicious shortbread cookie and a special note with a link to a video made just for me. How cool is that?
David tells me, “I love things that make other people feel special. And I knew it had to be physical mail. There has got to be a reason we all still check the mail. We’re always hoping for something special.”
Off the Ground
Perhaps due to his entrepreneurial family background, or his innate drive and ambition, David poured himself into getting his business ready for launch and did so at record speed. In fact, when I ask about the most significant thing that’s happened for him in the last 30 days, he tells me it’s shipping his first orders and landing his first big client.
While BrightBox is certainly on the forefront of David’s mind, we do venture onto a few other topics in our time together. For example, if he had a year to get really good at something, I ask David what he’d focus on. He tells me he’d perfect his Spanish. He admits he understands Spanish very well, and he’s definitely capable of carrying on a conversation in Spanish. But David tells me, “One thing I’ve missed in my life is having a really great conversation with my grandmother back in Puerto Rico.” David reminds me that there’s a difference between basic communication and meaningful conversation. His abuela would be so proud!
Giving Back
According to David, the biggest issue facing society today is around our notion of giving. And David thinks the solution involves building the idea of giving back to our community. Specifically, purposeful giving and connecting and supporting others.
David spent a year with AmeriCorps working for a program called Communities in Schools, which pairs youth-at-risk with a mentor. David tells me, “It was amazing. It was harder than I expected it to be. I had a case load of 25 kids or so and I met at least an hour a week with each of them. The experience showed me the power and impact of giving. Also, you learn a ton about yourself when you start giving to others; about who you are, and how you view life.”
Write it Down
Something David does on a daily basis that he feels contributes to his overall success and happiness is writing. David says, “It’s the first thing I do – writing, reflecting and goal-setting. It helps me build intention and purpose into what I do. There is something about the act of writing that commits things to memory and puts things into action.”
Keep Going
I ask David about his best character trait and he tells me, “It’s my persistence. I’ve built some amazing things in the past. It’s about refusing to give up. Whether it was selling flan or carpet, I love the notion of giving things your all. I love getting wrapped up and involved with whatever I’m doing.”
On the flip side, I want to hear what he thinks his worst character trait is, or his biggest challenge. David admits, again, it’s persistence, adding, “There are times when I get so caught up that I forget to pay attention to the other things in my life.”
I am really impressed by David, and if I’m being really honest, I’m in awe of his ability to move from idea to action. I ask how that works for him, explaining that people have great ideas all day, every day. And yet so few actually move off the starting line. For David, the secret is writing. He says, “I am very tied into strategic goal setting, Setting ambitious goals, ahead of yourself. Everything starts with planning and being purposeful. I break goals down into smaller goals and go from there.”
That sounds so simple. And I guess it is. Simple. But not easy.
I have to know, so I ask, “Do you ever have doubt?”
“Of course!” he assures me, then adds, “but doubt fuels the fire for growth. Doubt pushes me. Doubt is my driver.”
Ready or Not
If he had 30 seconds to make a speech to the world David tells me his message would center on BrightBox. He says, “Sending a gift can uplift someone’s day. A small, caring gesture has an impact. It’s someone taking the time to show they care. Whether it’s a call, a letter, a gift, or something else entirely.” He laughs a bit and adds, “I’m so not ready to deliver that speech.”
Oh, I would have to disagree.
David is a guy with a great idea. But he’s so much more than that. Great ideas are a dime a dozen. I’m guessing there’s a notebook in every house, maybe more than one, that contains dozens and dozens of great ideas. Dreams scribbled on scratch pads. Business plans mapped out on the back of napkins. Very few of those great ideas, dreams and business plans ever make it off the page.
David has plans for moving beyond key chains and cookies, but he didn’t wait until he had the entire trajectory of the business figured out before he got moving. He mustered the courage, gave his idea wings, and now it’s out there in the world, brightening people’s days.
What a terrific reminder that nothing happens until we do something. Harry Truman may have said it best when he said, “Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction.” David took action and every day, he takes more action. Like all of us, he’s familiar with doubt. But rather than let it paralyze him, he uses it to drive him. David is ready to make that speech and every person who ever has the pleasure of receiving a BrightBox will benefit!
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Ready to send a BrightBox and make someone’s day? As a little incentive, David is offering to pay the shipping for all Coffee With A Stranger readers. Just use the code TALKTOSTRANGERS and free shipping is all yours! SendBrightBox.com Thanks David!
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