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Mark, Co-founder and President / CEO at Caffe Luxxe: Advize Career Interview
A career path from bond trading at a major bank to co-founding and leading a successful coffee company, Caffe Luxxe, offers a compelling narrative.
This individual's journey highlights the unexpected turns a career can take, emphasizing the importance of pursuing passions and fostering a strong team culture.
The interview reveals a dynamic work life filled with both strategic planning and impromptu problem-solving, showcasing the blend of business acumen and people skills crucial for success.
The advice shared—from embracing curiosity and continuous learning to not being afraid to ask for what one wants—provides valuable insights for students navigating their own career paths, regardless of major.
A key takeaway: success stems from aligning work with genuine enjoyment and building a supportive team, transforming daily challenges into opportunities for growth.
The coffee industry, far from limiting, offers a diverse array of entry-level roles, proving a fertile ground for those with diverse skills and backgrounds.
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Mark Wain
Co-founder and President / CEO
Caffe Luxxe
UC Berkeley
University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business MBA
Economics
Restaurants & Hospitality
Strategic Management and Executive
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
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Career path of a Co-founder and CEO at Caffe Luxxe
Mark's career path took an unexpected turn from computer science to finance, initially working as a bond trader before transitioning to technology at Citibank, where he helped launch internet home banking. This experience, coupled with an MBA and a shared passion for coffee with a future co-founder, led to the creation of Caffe Luxxe after observing that "this is really good flavor, really good coffee, but look at where we're sitting," noting the disconnect between quality coffee and ambiance.
Main Responsibilities Of A President And CEO At Caffe Luxxe
Mark, Caffe Luxxe's Co-founder and President/CEO, focuses on "driving the company strategy," including setting the five-year growth plan and working with departments to achieve annual goals. A significant portion of the role involves "coaching and mentoring" the team and fostering a motivating work environment to achieve ambitious growth and engagement targets.
A Day In The Life Of A Co-founder President And CEO At Caffe Luxxe
Mark's day-to-day responsibilities as Co-founder and President/CEO at Caffe Luxxe are highly unpredictable, ranging from "six o'clock" emergency calls about operational issues to "kitchen hours" where the team brainstorms ideas. A significant portion of the role involves meetings, coaching, and maintaining "a team-oriented, excellence culture," setting high standards and regularly monitoring cafe performance, including notable celebrity visits.
Most Important Skills For A Co-founder And CEO At Caffe Luxxe
Mark, Co-founder and President/CEO of Caffe Luxxe, prioritizes "being curious" and a continuous desire to learn above specific skills. While highlighting the importance of data analysis, the interview reveals a reliance on "excel" as a crucial tool for understanding and interpreting business data in their executive role.
Favorite Parts Of Being A Co-founder And CEO At Caffe Luxxe
Mark, Co-founder and President/CEO of Caffe Luxxe, finds the most rewarding aspect of his role is "the people who work for us," emphasizing the excitement of seeing their professional growth and success within a "tight-knit team." This highlights the importance of team dynamics and shared success in his career journey.
Biggest Challenges Faced By A Co-founder, President And CEO At Caffe Luxxe
Mark's biggest challenge as Co-founder and President/CEO of Caffe Luxxe is the immense responsibility of his role, stating that "if I make a mistake...all 100 of us are out of a job." This necessitates carefully balancing calculated risks with the need to protect the team and empower future leaders to make decisions.
Favorite Parts of Working in the Coffee Industry as a Co-Founder CEO
Mark, Co-founder and President/CEO at Caffe Luxxe, appreciates the "awesome people" in the coffee industry, noting its surprisingly tight-knit nature. The enduring connections Mark makes with colleagues across different roles and companies are a significant source of enjoyment in their career.
What Type Of Person Thrives In The Coffee Industry According To A CEO At Caffe Luxxe
Mark, Co-founder and President/CEO at Caffe Luxxe, identifies a "demonstrated passion" for something—be it "music, art, food, or sports"—as key to success in the industry. This passion, and the ability to channel it, is what enables individuals to thrive.
What a Co-founder and CEO at Caffe Luxxe Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Coffee Industry
Mark, Co-founder and President/CEO of Caffe Luxxe, reflects that a crucial lesson learned is the importance of pursuing a passion, stating, "if you don't love what you do, you should do something else." This realization underscores the value of aligning one's career with genuine enjoyment, rather than solely focusing on external factors like monetary gain.
Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Coffee Professionals
Contrary to common assumptions, Mark, Co-founder and President/CEO at Caffe Luxxe, highlights that the coffee industry offers diverse entry-level roles beyond barista positions, stating "a coffee business is a business like any other". Therefore, students can pursue roles aligned with their academic backgrounds in areas like accounting, marketing, or sales, demonstrating the broad career opportunities within the industry.
Significant Career Lesson From a Co-founder and CEO at Caffe Luxxe
Mark's most significant career lesson is "don't be afraid to ask for it," emphasizing the importance of clearly identifying one's goals and directly communicating them to leadership. This proactive approach helps create the conditions for success, as the ability to articulate desires allows the manager to support the employee's aspirations.
College Experiences That Helped a Co-founder and CEO at Caffe Luxxe Succeed
Mark's college experience provided a crucial lesson in humility, shifting perspective from a "big fish in a small pond" to understanding the need for continuous improvement to compete amongst high-achieving peers. This experience fostered a mindset of self-improvement, a key factor in their subsequent career success as Co-founder and President/CEO of Caffe Luxxe.
How Identity Influenced a Co-founder and CEO at Caffe Luxxe's Career
Mark, Co-founder and President/CEO of Caffe Luxxe, advises social science students lacking detail-orientation to "try a bunch of things" to discover their passion, emphasizing the importance of finding work that excites them—"if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life." This approach, reflecting his own career journey, prioritizes finding fulfilling work over meticulous planning.
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