What happens when you risk a profitable side hustle for the chance to scale? Maurice Contreras, the founder of Volcanica coffee, spent 15 years building a side hustle and then bet a big portion of his retirement savings and personal funds (plus zero-interest credit cards) to build a 14,000 sq ft roastery after his son pushed him to think bigger. Host Andrea Marquez walks you through how Maurice sketched a full business plan on his flight home from a Costa Rican coffee farm, taught himself HTML, CSS, and SEO to turn a freezer-stocked garage into a booming e-commerce hub, and calculated every penny before deciding that real growth meant risking the comfort of what he’d already built. If you’ve ever wondered whether comfort is the enemy of growth, Maurice’s story proves that the greatest leaps often come when you risk what you’ve already earned.
Got a bold leap of your own? Share it with us in an Apple Podcasts review, Spotify comment, or email us at thisissmallbusiness@amazon.com – you might hear it in a future episode.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
(02:19) Can a seventh-grader selling leather belts foreshadow a lifetime of entrepreneurship? Maurice made his first profit long before college.
(04:04) Is marketing billion-dollar brands enough? After two decades in wireless marketing, Maurice felt the pull to build something of his own.
(05:28) Can a single trip redefine your career? A Costa Rican coffee-farm visit led Maurice to draft a full business plan on his flight home.
(07:19) How do you transform a freezer-stocked garage into an online empire? Maurice taught himself HTML, CSS, and SEO to launch Volcanica’s e-commerce hub.
(12:14) What tells you it’s time to quit your day job? Hitting $100K in net profit – and an office relocation – gave Maurice the push to quit his day job.
(15:43) What justifies a nine-month payback on an investment? His son’s roasting-plant proposal and razor-sharp profit models made the risk unavoidable.
(21:56) How do you juggle rapid growth, family life, and massive overhead? Maurice leveraged retirement funds, credit offers, and bold vision to scale at lightning speed.
(25:03) Can calculated risk become your superpower? Maurice reflects on why deep research, resilience, and embracing discomfort are the keys to entrepreneurial growth.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.