Coffee People: Max Zelenevich, Brainwave Coffee Roasters

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Guest: Max Zelenevich,
Company: Brainwave Coffee Roasters
Role: Head Roaster & CoFounder • Based: Roxborough (Philly), PA
Online: https://brainwaveroasters.com/ • @brainwaveroasters
What they drink: An analytical review:

Look at the menu.
Find the most interesting tasting notes.
Try the intriguing pourover to see if it is a winner.
If all else fails, default to cappuccino

There is vulnerability in entrepreneurial creation. When you put the thing out into the world, be it a song, a pair of knitted socks, or a bag of coffee beans, you’re often left without the immediacy offered when you give a cafe customer their cappuccino. In hospitality, you often see the joy (or sadness) a great drink or product can provide.

For those of us working from home or without regular engagement with the consumer, the dopamine hit when an order or note of support rolls in is intense but often inconsistent. Being a maker is akin to screaming into the void and hoping for a response.

Max feels that angst with his roasting. When an order goes out, he wonders if the recipients enjoyed it. Will they buy it again? Could I have done something different? Should I just give up? Is this bringing anyone joy…

It is easy to spiral. Reinforcement comes in communing with those who appreciate his craft, engaging with those whose opinions he trusts, and, of course, when the reorders roll in. It doesn’t hurt to win a few awards right out of the gate.

Max thought he botched his Hacea Coffee Source Roasting competition entry.* Even after his victory was announced on social media—the only way we know something is real**—he struggled to believe it was real. That vulnerability reared its head.

It has to be a mistake, he thought. I don’t know if I deserve this. A conversation with the ever-wise Emily Smith at Hacea*** reminded him that he needed to trust his gut. Not only that, he needs to believe that he knows what he is doing. Hearing it enabled him to accept and feel it. He believes.

My advice to entrepreneurs struggling through the dark period of imposter syndrome and analysis paralysis is to share it with those around you. Scream into the void. You are not alone. That isn’t an echo. It is the reverberation of joy from those of us ahead of you in that dark hallway. We are screaming back. Encouraging you to chart your own path.

*I was there tasting as part of the judging panel. He didn’t. It was one of a few that really stood out as exceptional.
**Just kidding. The internet is the wild west of truth.
***Emily created the roasting competition parameters and lead the event.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE PODCAST

Max didn’t know there were prizes and prestige attached to the Hacea Coffee Source roasting competition (there were!). He entered as an exercise to advance his craft. He was seeking unbiased feedback on his roasting effort.
Max is an environmental scientist. By nature, he is analytical and data driven. His scientific background has enabled the development of skill sets that lead directly to success as a coffee roaster. For example, creating replicable roast experiments to record incremental data, tracking said data, and seeking for opportunities to either improve or create consistency. If you were to brew a roaster in a lab, those are some of the key skills…
Brew a roaster in a lab…see what I did there…Brew a roaster…That is objectively hilarious.
Max’s First roaster: The Fresh Roast SR 800
Quality time together (even quality suffering time) is essential! Bikepacking, or bike touring in my case, gives Max and the rest of us who choose to suffer the opportunity to explore the odd corners of our minds, face any demons we may find, and push beyond where we thought we could go.

Riding a bicycle from point A to point B is a reminder that you’re accomplishing something every day—maybe right now! You’re not just always looking at the future.
Lychee is a fruit found throughout Asia, but often cultivated in southern China, Malasia, and some variations in the Philipines. The fruit is floral and sweet. It is smaller than it looks in the photo below, clocking in at about 20g.
Lychee fruit has a tough exterior, soft white fruit flesh, and an inedible brown seed at the center. Photo credit: ©By Ivar Leidus - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Finally, analysis paralysis is REAL! You’ll see references to analysis paralysis across the internet in reference to decision making. The Cleveland Clinic attaches it to ADHD with the following description:

“ADHD paralysis isn’t a medical diagnosis. But it’s a term commonly used by people living with ADHD to describe moments in which they feel insurmountably overwhelmed and derailed by everything that’s going on around them. It’s not a true paralysis, at least not in a medical sense, but it often feels like:

Getting stuck on one task or activity.
Being caught up in a loop of indecision.
Being enthralled by other distractions.
Brain fog and an inability to direct your focus.”

In short, you’re overthinking and it is causing you to get stuck. You don’t need to be diagnosed with ADHD to suffer a bout of analysis paralysis. It can occur anytime you’re struggling with a decision—big or small. Trader Joe’s is famous for its theory that enabling customer’s to avoid by offering less options is a key to their success. They don’t offer 65 different ketchups to choose from, they only offer two, allowing for a quicker decision.

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