Nick Stone

If you can't pay your rent and you're trying to build an organization, I think that's tough.

If you can't pay your rent and you're trying to build an organization, I think that's tough.

When I was starting Bluestone Lane, I had an extraordinary amount of people that said to me, it won't work. I actually never had ever made coffee at all. I just missed that feeling of being a local where I walked in and they knew my name, face and order. So we had to make a difference to the coffee culture in the US. I'm not really in the game of products on shelves that don't talk back.

When I was starting Bluestone Lane, I had an extraordinary amount of people that said to me, it won't work. I actually never had ever made coffee at all. I just missed that feeling of being a local where I walked in and they knew my name, face and order. So we had to make a difference to the coffee culture in the US. I'm not really in the game of products on shelves that don't talk back.

I'm in the theater of humans working together congruently as a team. And when COVID hit, we lost 87% of our revenue. So we went from 51 stores to 14. We had to keep stores open for three reasons.

I'm in the theater of humans working together congruently as a team. And when COVID hit, we lost 87% of our revenue. So we went from 51 stores to 14. We had to keep stores open for three reasons.

No, well, it's a pleasure to be here. I actually never had ever made, whether it was commercially, professionally, or even at home, I'd never made a coffee at all. I was also a coffee snob. It was entirely dependent on these great independent coffee shops and cafes making beautiful flat whites as we talk in Australia.

No, well, it's a pleasure to be here. I actually never had ever made, whether it was commercially, professionally, or even at home, I'd never made a coffee at all. I was also a coffee snob. It was entirely dependent on these great independent coffee shops and cafes making beautiful flat whites as we talk in Australia.

And yeah, Blue Stone Lane, we had to make a difference to the coffee culture in the US. We've made a little dent, but hopefully it keeps gathering more momentum.

And yeah, Blue Stone Lane, we had to make a difference to the coffee culture in the US. We've made a little dent, but hopefully it keeps gathering more momentum.

Sure. So I grew up in Melbourne, Australia. I grew up playing a variety of different sports, but probably the one that I love the most is a football code that's Indigenous to and really only played in Australia. It's called Australian Rules Football, AFL of footy. My father played, my uncle played professionally, my grandfather played at a very high level.

Sure. So I grew up in Melbourne, Australia. I grew up playing a variety of different sports, but probably the one that I love the most is a football code that's Indigenous to and really only played in Australia. It's called Australian Rules Football, AFL of footy. My father played, my uncle played professionally, my grandfather played at a very high level.

So that was the one that I resonated with the most. And in my final year of high school, I got selected in the Australian Football League draft And I was drafted. So my childhood dream became a reality. And I played six years professionally. I played at three different teams. I got cut from three different teams. So effectively, you have your childhood dream squashed three times in six years.

So that was the one that I resonated with the most. And in my final year of high school, I got selected in the Australian Football League draft And I was drafted. So my childhood dream became a reality. And I played six years professionally. I played at three different teams. I got cut from three different teams. So effectively, you have your childhood dream squashed three times in six years.

And by the time I got delisted for the final time, I was only 23 years of age. I was very, very grateful that I went to university at the same time. pro and supportive of players studying at the same time. They will pay for your university education. They will make sure that clubs give you at least one day off during the work week to attend university.

And by the time I got delisted for the final time, I was only 23 years of age. I was very, very grateful that I went to university at the same time. pro and supportive of players studying at the same time. They will pay for your university education. They will make sure that clubs give you at least one day off during the work week to attend university.

So it took me a three-year full-time bachelor's degree. I did it over six years part-time. So when I got finally delisted by the third team, and I was very fortunate to be in Melbourne the whole time, I then transferred to, I began an internship at an investment bank and then that sort of kicked off my finance career and that led me to New York City where I arrived in late 2010.

So it took me a three-year full-time bachelor's degree. I did it over six years part-time. So when I got finally delisted by the third team, and I was very fortunate to be in Melbourne the whole time, I then transferred to, I began an internship at an investment bank and then that sort of kicked off my finance career and that led me to New York City where I arrived in late 2010.

It's a very good question, and I certainly think it helped that I was very young of age. I was, in many respects, naive, and there was a level of innocence about me that, oh, just dust yourself up and go again because I'm only 19. And there was a couple of things. Certainly I had the...

It's a very good question, and I certainly think it helped that I was very young of age. I was, in many respects, naive, and there was a level of innocence about me that, oh, just dust yourself up and go again because I'm only 19. And there was a couple of things. Certainly I had the...