WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.100 where you're located, the name of your business, 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:06.219 and then we'll get further into our definite 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:10.140 podcast and what we'd like to talk about. Thank 00:00:10.140 --> 00:00:12.759 you for having me, Jovinka. I'm Bob Bush, the 00:00:12.759 --> 00:00:17.059 CEO of Mutombo Coffee. The location question 00:00:17.059 --> 00:00:20.219 is always an interesting one because we're located 00:00:20.219 --> 00:00:25.019 everywhere. We source our coffee and cocoa from 00:00:25.019 --> 00:00:27.079 eight African countries and three Latin American 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:31.050 countries. and we sell globally into everywhere 00:00:31.050 --> 00:00:33.630 from the middle east to asia into the united 00:00:33.630 --> 00:00:38.649 states and so i am constantly either working 00:00:38.649 --> 00:00:41.049 on the side of supply or working on the side 00:00:41.049 --> 00:00:44.590 of demand in the united states we have a roast 00:00:44.590 --> 00:00:49.149 a roast three network that starts uh in las vegas 00:00:49.149 --> 00:00:52.390 that runs across the united states and ends in 00:00:52.390 --> 00:00:56.840 new orleans We have a fulfillment center in Memphis, 00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:59.759 Tennessee, et cetera. So literally when you ask 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:01.920 me where I'm located, if you're asking about 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:04.819 me, the joke is, well, where is Bob today, right? 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:10.659 Today I am in Orlando at the Four Seasons. I 00:01:10.659 --> 00:01:14.060 will be on a plane shortly thereafter on my way 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:16.519 to Atlanta and then Denver and some other places. 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:23.620 So I am... right outside about 30 minutes from 00:01:23.620 --> 00:01:26.239 the airport, I think, and that can change day 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:30.180 to day. Our business is about social impact. 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:35.519 My partner, Dikembe Mutombo, I've known for several 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:40.040 decades. He was a global humanitarian, an NBA 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:43.920 Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, he passed about 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:50.480 six months ago. And our vision is to be the most 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:52.959 socially impactful coffee company in the world. 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:57.079 And our mission is to do that through great conversations 00:01:57.079 --> 00:02:00.680 where it's not just about the coffee, it's about 00:02:00.680 --> 00:02:04.540 how coffee can be used to create community and 00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:08.419 collaborations and productivity. But what inspired 00:02:08.419 --> 00:02:12.460 you to be a part of this journey? Well, I was 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:18.599 inspired by the 30 years of work that Dikembe 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:21.300 had already done through his foundation. And 00:02:21.300 --> 00:02:26.719 so he's a very passionate person and had a personal 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:29.400 reason why he was so passionate about the Congo. 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:33.560 He came to the United States as a teenager to 00:02:33.560 --> 00:02:39.539 go to Georgetown. He was blessed with seven foot 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:42.699 two height, but did not play basketball in his 00:02:42.699 --> 00:02:47.219 first year. at Georgetown. He was a very studious 00:02:47.219 --> 00:02:51.099 person, a smart young man with ambitions and 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:53.740 he was considering becoming a medical doctor. 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:57.159 He was on a state department scholarship, not 00:02:57.159 --> 00:03:01.120 a basketball scholarship when he went to Georgetown. 00:03:01.479 --> 00:03:04.620 And so watching his career progression as he 00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:06.979 moved from being just a basketball player to 00:03:06.979 --> 00:03:10.240 a W humanitarian was truly inspirational. Now 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.300 I had known him since we were both teenagers. 00:03:13.979 --> 00:03:17.939 But I had taken a more of a commercial business 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:21.879 investment banking path. I went to Wall Street. 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:26.120 And when we were together about five years ago, 00:03:26.199 --> 00:03:30.039 I was working for the government of Dubai, an 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:34.060 advisor to the prime minister. And he was sitting 00:03:34.060 --> 00:03:36.879 on the Special Olympics Committee. And so over 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:41.360 lunch and dinner, we started talking about ways 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:44.219 in which we collaborate. And it became apparent 00:03:44.219 --> 00:03:47.759 that his passion and my sense of purpose. So, 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:50.759 you know, I'd like to say that he's clearly he's 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:52.979 the face of the brand. We put his name on the 00:03:52.979 --> 00:03:56.080 10, so to speak. And my job was to make sure 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:59.620 that those trains ran on time. And so his passion 00:03:59.620 --> 00:04:02.460 and my purpose were this, you know, very complimentary 00:04:02.460 --> 00:04:08.240 partnership. And we were looking for a product 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:14.099 that would allow us to be supportive. of African 00:04:14.099 --> 00:04:17.040 commerce. So the foundation is about charity, 00:04:17.339 --> 00:04:21.199 but as a social enterprise, this is about commerce 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:24.060 over charity. This is about teaching farmers 00:04:24.060 --> 00:04:27.079 how to make their own money, not giving them 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:30.300 grants, et cetera. And we're intentional about 00:04:30.300 --> 00:04:33.560 that. We like to identify farms and cooperatives 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:36.759 where women play a significant role because the 00:04:36.759 --> 00:04:40.019 women are the glue in their communities. They 00:04:40.019 --> 00:04:42.740 carry what we call a double burden. which is 00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:45.639 not only are they harvesting the beans, but their 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:48.319 mothers and their sisters and their caretakers, 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:51.959 all of that combined. So they have very long 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:55.019 days. And so we're intentional about looking 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:57.879 for a great coffee. First, the coffee's got to 00:04:57.879 --> 00:05:00.439 be great. And now we know we have a great cause 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:03.079 because we know that the demand that we're creating, 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:05.519 the work that we're doing is going to be very 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:08.839 impactful in these villages. And then with my 00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:12.009 partners. celebrity status, we knew that we could 00:05:12.009 --> 00:05:15.370 bring attention to it. He had a wonderful career 00:05:15.370 --> 00:05:17.769 and he's got a lot of friends. One of the benefits 00:05:17.769 --> 00:05:20.990 of being old is that we both have a lot of friends. 00:05:21.069 --> 00:05:24.069 We have a very good social network. And so his 00:05:24.069 --> 00:05:28.129 combination of being able to go on ESPN and get 00:05:28.129 --> 00:05:30.930 the Charles Barclays and the Shaquille O 'Neal's 00:05:30.930 --> 00:05:34.329 of the world to interview and the world that 00:05:34.329 --> 00:05:36.470 I come from, which is on the commercial and financial 00:05:36.470 --> 00:05:39.389 side. we were able to really get the company 00:05:39.389 --> 00:05:42.110 launched. Now, you got to be careful though, 00:05:42.129 --> 00:05:45.810 because we decided to do this and six months 00:05:45.810 --> 00:05:50.129 later, the world stopped COVID. And it's tough 00:05:50.129 --> 00:05:53.509 to do international trade. One, it's tough to 00:05:53.509 --> 00:05:59.589 do international trade in Africa. Two, it's really, 00:05:59.670 --> 00:06:02.329 really tough to do African trade in Africa doing 00:06:02.329 --> 00:06:05.269 COVID because the whole world shut down. And 00:06:05.269 --> 00:06:08.449 then unfortunately, a couple of years into building 00:06:08.449 --> 00:06:13.230 the business, Mr. Mutombo was struck with cancer. 00:06:13.430 --> 00:06:18.589 So we had COVID and cancer that have impacted 00:06:18.589 --> 00:06:22.589 our business. But we're still going strong. We 00:06:22.589 --> 00:06:26.509 are continuously adding new suppliers and adding 00:06:26.509 --> 00:06:29.730 more demand. And so the business is, it's been 00:06:29.730 --> 00:06:33.560 challenging, but it's been flourishing. because 00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:36.019 we are true to our mission, true to our cause, 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:40.259 and true to your podcast, true to the vision 00:06:40.259 --> 00:06:46.290 that we set out five years ago. Yeah. It's interesting 00:06:46.290 --> 00:06:49.569 when people talk about COVID and the pandemic 00:06:49.569 --> 00:06:53.329 and how I've always said that when you had a 00:06:53.329 --> 00:06:55.230 business or if you had a business during that 00:06:55.230 --> 00:06:57.689 time, it could make or break you, right? Because 00:06:57.689 --> 00:07:00.870 if you were someone like yourself, having to 00:07:00.870 --> 00:07:03.430 go to Africa or having to travel in order to 00:07:03.430 --> 00:07:05.750 get the business out there or to meet and greet 00:07:05.750 --> 00:07:08.379 individuals that you'd had. you'd like to partner 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:11.180 with, that was a challenge. So you guys stepping 00:07:11.180 --> 00:07:15.040 over that and then, you know, God rest his soul, 00:07:15.259 --> 00:07:18.800 Matambo, you know, coming in and now having some 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:24.040 health issues. What's keeping you going? Well, 00:07:24.100 --> 00:07:26.000 what keeps you going, which is why I was happy 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:29.420 to come on your show, is you have to have a vision. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:32.259 And that vision is we know where we're going. 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:35.240 We know why we're getting there. And there are 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:36.860 some very, you know, there's some very practical 00:07:36.860 --> 00:07:40.079 things that have to happen to get there. So, 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:44.459 you know, we are very intentional and we have 00:07:44.459 --> 00:07:48.160 processes and we have systems. And in a very 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:52.439 odd way, COVID, you know, actually helped us 00:07:52.439 --> 00:07:56.480 be very refined in our thinking and our steps 00:07:56.480 --> 00:07:58.560 because we didn't have the luxury of sort of 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:02.459 easing into this. And as an entrepreneur and 00:08:02.459 --> 00:08:07.189 as an investor. Whether it's COVID or cancer 00:08:07.189 --> 00:08:12.009 or issues with routine or slow adaptability with 00:08:12.009 --> 00:08:14.410 your customers or what have you, just know that 00:08:14.410 --> 00:08:17.230 they're going to be shocks, right? Building a 00:08:17.230 --> 00:08:20.509 resilient business, building a business where 00:08:20.509 --> 00:08:25.230 you are thoughtful and intentional, this is the 00:08:25.230 --> 00:08:27.810 true capital. You know, a lot of small businesses 00:08:27.810 --> 00:08:30.589 are concerned about having enough money and obviously 00:08:30.589 --> 00:08:34.649 money is an accelerant. But if you don't have 00:08:34.649 --> 00:08:36.990 the right kind of alignment and if you don't 00:08:36.990 --> 00:08:38.669 have the right kind of strategy, if you don't 00:08:38.669 --> 00:08:41.309 have the right kind of why, it doesn't matter 00:08:41.309 --> 00:08:43.610 how much money you have in the world. That business 00:08:43.610 --> 00:08:46.669 long term is not likely to be successful. Or 00:08:46.669 --> 00:08:49.649 if it is successful for a minute, it's not sustainable 00:08:49.649 --> 00:08:53.429 in its success. And so what keeps us going is 00:08:53.429 --> 00:08:56.009 that there was a meeting of the minds. There 00:08:56.009 --> 00:08:58.450 was a meeting of the spirit. And then we put 00:08:58.450 --> 00:09:01.669 a plan together and that plan baked into it very 00:09:01.669 --> 00:09:07.120 early on. the requirement, the necessity of having 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:10.019 contingencies and having resilience and leveraging 00:09:10.019 --> 00:09:13.299 financial capital and social capital and spiritual 00:09:13.299 --> 00:09:16.500 capital and emotional capital. All of those elements 00:09:16.500 --> 00:09:19.340 went into our business model. What parts did 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:22.039 you two play in actually getting this pushed 00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:26.340 off immediately and so quickly? Yeah, I think 00:09:26.340 --> 00:09:28.440 there's a lot to unpack in what you're saying, 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:32.250 Jovinka. Every business needs to be able to distinguish 00:09:32.250 --> 00:09:34.649 itself. It doesn't matter if that distinction 00:09:34.649 --> 00:09:39.009 comes because you have a famous partner. It doesn't 00:09:39.009 --> 00:09:41.210 matter if that distinction comes because you 00:09:41.210 --> 00:09:45.429 have a truly innovative product. But you've got 00:09:45.429 --> 00:09:49.509 to have an edge. The world is competitive. So 00:09:49.509 --> 00:09:54.549 what is your advantage? And yes, we had the advantage 00:09:54.549 --> 00:09:58.210 of both being in our 50s. Experience matters. 00:09:58.940 --> 00:10:01.279 We had the advantage of him being able to be 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:09.000 the face and 35, 40 years of authentic work and 00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:13.320 reputation, as did I, right? We had the advantage 00:10:13.320 --> 00:10:16.899 of being able to, even despite COVID, one of 00:10:16.899 --> 00:10:19.919 the blessings for us is that when a lot of the 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:23.980 coffee companies, coffee shops and roasters. 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:27.100 were not doing any business if they were really 00:10:27.100 --> 00:10:30.019 really business busy they would not have actually 00:10:30.019 --> 00:10:33.919 uh been able to take our calls we use the fact 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:36.580 that things are in a standstill to negotiate 00:10:36.580 --> 00:10:40.620 with manufacturers opportunities to work with 00:10:40.620 --> 00:10:42.899 us because they were more interested who are 00:10:42.899 --> 00:10:45.139 these crazy people calling talking about coffee 00:10:45.139 --> 00:10:48.600 when there's nobody in the office right um to 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:53.279 to uh to consume it you know we our initial interest 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:57.779 was to put the coffee in the arenas around the 00:10:57.779 --> 00:11:00.759 NBA. Well, guess what? Everything went to Orlando. 00:11:00.759 --> 00:11:04.840 It was in a bubble, right? So there's always 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:06.980 going to be advantages if you're smart about 00:11:06.980 --> 00:11:08.740 it. There's always going to be disadvantages. 00:11:09.340 --> 00:11:12.519 There's no perfect time. There's no perfect brand 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:15.759 ambassador. There's no perfect situation. The 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:18.840 challenges are going to come. And so absolutely 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:23.940 it was an advantage that my partner had put in, 00:11:24.379 --> 00:11:29.159 40 years of authenticity and work but ask him 00:11:29.159 --> 00:11:34.320 if if that was overnight now right um you mentioned 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:43.799 sort of the the leg up right so you still have 00:11:43.799 --> 00:11:48.820 to have all of these other elements that need 00:11:48.820 --> 00:11:50.679 to come together for something to be successful 00:11:50.679 --> 00:11:55.580 and so And we all have those things. We may not 00:11:55.580 --> 00:11:58.860 realize that we do. Maybe the platform that I'm 00:11:58.860 --> 00:12:01.539 able to speak on and he's able to speak on, I 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:04.340 was able to speak on, might be greater in some 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:08.940 sense. But in your community, are you the person 00:12:08.940 --> 00:12:12.840 at your school or in your office or in your neighborhood? 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:16.679 We all have these advantages and edges. Some 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:18.720 have bigger platforms than others, but I can 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:21.620 assure you, before we could go out. and try to 00:12:21.620 --> 00:12:25.080 conquer the world of coffee first try to conquer 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:27.940 your own neighborhood first try to conquer your 00:12:27.940 --> 00:12:31.419 city first try to conquer your state right and 00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:35.379 so you build up this the these capabilities you 00:12:35.379 --> 00:12:38.620 build up this experience and that none of that 00:12:38.620 --> 00:12:42.659 comes uh easily that that is work and we are 00:12:42.659 --> 00:12:46.429 still pulling in the work Absolutely. And I tell 00:12:46.429 --> 00:12:49.389 you, I can only imagine. I mean, you're all over 00:12:49.389 --> 00:12:52.110 in different countries. I can only imagine the 00:12:52.110 --> 00:12:55.370 work that you have to do in order to be sustainable 00:12:55.370 --> 00:12:59.990 and still have that vision and passion. As far 00:12:59.990 --> 00:13:03.769 as being like an unexpected impact, how has Mutombo 00:13:03.769 --> 00:13:09.730 Coffee impacted you beyond the business? Thank 00:13:09.730 --> 00:13:12.950 you for that. You always have to have a learner's 00:13:12.950 --> 00:13:16.889 mindset. right so i have look i i brought i brought 00:13:16.889 --> 00:13:20.269 a learner's mind a mindset of learning into the 00:13:20.269 --> 00:13:24.830 business as did my partners as did my uh mr rotombo 00:13:24.830 --> 00:13:28.230 and then there's the skill set right and so we 00:13:28.230 --> 00:13:31.289 the combination with the mindset a skill set 00:13:31.289 --> 00:13:34.710 and a good community that wants to support what 00:13:34.710 --> 00:13:39.129 you're doing we're pretty good um the unexpected 00:13:39.129 --> 00:13:43.490 impact that is expect the unexpected just expect 00:13:43.490 --> 00:13:48.210 it so how does it personally affected me the 00:13:48.210 --> 00:13:53.490 in many ways but i've seen the movie before i'm 00:13:53.490 --> 00:13:57.889 led by the vision i just assume that their the 00:13:57.889 --> 00:14:00.269 currents are going to wax and wane and things 00:14:00.269 --> 00:14:03.789 are going to happen and so fortunately my team 00:14:03.789 --> 00:14:06.769 is built for it my investors are built for it 00:14:06.769 --> 00:14:09.370 we're hoping that our customers and our partners 00:14:09.370 --> 00:14:12.100 are also built for it And so once you have the 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:15.279 mindset that even if it's unexpected, it's just 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:19.120 another problem to solve. I know that I don't 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:20.639 want to take up too much of your time, but I 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:24.080 always have a favorite question of my visionaries, 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:27.039 such as yourself, of my leaders. And I'm going 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:30.279 to pop it on the screen. What are the greatest 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:34.789 joys of what you do? Thank you for that. I haven't 00:14:34.789 --> 00:14:38.129 had that question yet. I have had the question 00:14:38.129 --> 00:14:40.990 about happiness, and I think there's truly a 00:14:40.990 --> 00:14:44.549 difference between happiness and joy. And the 00:14:44.549 --> 00:14:48.909 distinction is happiness requires happenings. 00:14:49.009 --> 00:14:52.629 You're always needing something to happen. And 00:14:52.629 --> 00:14:57.850 if you have your happiness from happenings, you're 00:14:57.850 --> 00:15:00.679 going to be chasing things all the time. And 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:04.700 so now joy is different. And joy cometh in the 00:15:04.700 --> 00:15:06.840 morning for those readers that know what I'm 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:09.480 talking about. I think you might as well. And 00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:13.539 so there's an inner purpose that when your calling 00:15:13.539 --> 00:15:18.399 matches your mission and your mission is in alignment 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:21.120 with your vision and there's an alignment between 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:24.519 who you are as a spiritual being. who you are 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:28.100 as a thinking being, how you put your hands to 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:30.539 work, how do you put your heart into things. 00:15:30.700 --> 00:15:35.039 When those things are connected, I think that 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:40.200 then you can truly find joy because the joy is 00:15:40.200 --> 00:15:45.620 going to lead you to, you know, you have all 00:15:45.620 --> 00:15:47.259 these different visionaries that come on in your 00:15:47.259 --> 00:15:52.440 show. But I'm convinced that all visions lead 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:55.600 to the same. destination. And that destination 00:15:55.600 --> 00:16:00.500 is ultimately to glorify God. And so when you 00:16:00.500 --> 00:16:03.940 are able to recognize that it's not about the 00:16:03.940 --> 00:16:07.399 happenings, it's about the connection, literally 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:10.480 from head to toe, and having that aligned, and 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:14.919 recognize that all of this is ultimately around 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:18.580 the fact that we are spiritual beings in human 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:21.570 form, I believe you can find joy. Thank you for 00:16:21.570 --> 00:16:23.590 being here today. I'm really happy that you tuned 00:16:23.590 --> 00:16:25.870 in to Vision Pros Live. I'm looking forward to 00:16:25.870 --> 00:16:29.169 seeing your reactions as these episodes continue 00:16:29.169 --> 00:16:30.929 to move forward. This is going to get more and 00:16:30.929 --> 00:16:32.950 more fun. We'll have more and more engagement 00:16:32.950 --> 00:16:35.070 as well. We'll invite people to participate in 00:16:35.070 --> 00:16:37.230 the show. And thank you for giving us your time 00:16:37.230 --> 00:16:39.529 and attention. Have an excellent time building 00:16:39.529 --> 00:16:41.870 out your vision and becoming a vision pro yourself.