I'm excited about this. This one's a good one. Chicago coffee roaster grinds to halt.

That's right. We're going to hear a story of a business that didn't go so well. You normally

hear about business ideas and projects that are up and running, or something that seems

to be going in the right direction. In this case, not so much. It is in fact a collection

of short stories about mistakes, missteps, disasters, and of course failure. Well, that's

the description for failure Friday. Today, you're going to hear one of those stories,

specifically a Chicago coffee roaster who tries to cash in on a caffeinated side hustle.

Why is it a poor over decision? Like a poor decision, you know, but like poor over. Okay,

I had some fun with that, but you're probably ready for the story. I understand. Let's hear

from Bill. His name is Bill. About this particular struggle. I'll come back at the end

with a quick wrap up.

Hey there, I'm Bill, a passionate coffee lover from the heart of Chicago. It was this

very passion that percolated the idea of starting my very own coffee roasting business. I envision

turning the windy city into the coffee city. As it turns out, I might have been too late.

Everywhere here. Well, let's start from the beginning. To kick things off, I invested

in some prime quality beans from Ethiopia and Colombia, a roaster that seemed to have

more buttons and knobs than an aircraft cockpit and an aromatic chickery wood. I promised

a unique Chicago style roast. After countless hours of taste testing, I finally developed

a blend I was proud of. I was confident with the product, plus having a business in a city

that consumes caffeine like it's going out of fashion, it seemed foolproof. My eyes were on

the big price, the bustling coffee shops and cafes lining Michigan Avenue. Ah, but here's where

the grind got rough. I quickly discovered that whilst I was brewing up grand plans, Chicago's coffee

...