Josh Guttenbeil-Smith opened his Buzzy Bean business on the day he turned 18 Photo: RNZ / Emma Andrews
A young entrepreneur has opened a new coffee bar in the small coastal Taranaki town of Ōpunake.
Three weeks ago, Josh Guttenbeil-Smith's dream of owning his own business came true when he opened his Buzzy Beans coffee bar on his 18th birthday.
" What I love to do is talk to people and make people good coffee. So I'm living exactly what I want to do."
Inspired by his half brother who was sworn as the 'best barista in Ōpunake', Guttenbeil-Smith started barista training in high school with hopes to fill big shoes.
During his time at Ōpunake High School he also ran his own barista club, but learnt to make coffee the 'proper way' from Tane at New Plymouth's Proof and Stock coffee.
Tane's two-to-one teaching style has encouraged Guttenbeil-Smith to want to do the same with the rangatahi at his old highschool.
"That was one of the big factors that made me want to help our students, as well as there's no opportunities in Ōpunake, and I want to give students an opportunity, just like I was able to.
"School gave me an opportunity to go work at proof and stock and get trained. That led me to working at Tika, which led to chasing my dream."
Last year, he put his skills to use at Tika restaurant in Hāwera and saved the majority of his income with his mind set on Buzzy Beans, but it came with sacrifice.
" I completely stopped partying, hanging out with friends, just cut out all my social life just to focus in on my future really.
" I found it really hard when I was younger to be able to fund my dreams.
"[I wanted to go] down basketball, I wanted to go down computers, at one point I wanted to go down MMA, but it's just the money side just holds you back," he said.
Guttenbeil-Smith said his dad raised him as a businessman learning sales, which set him in good stead to 'someday' run his own business.
" He'd take me to all his conferences and treat me like his manager.
" He'd be like, 'here's my manager' and I was only 13 - 14 at the time speaking just pure facts," Guttenbeil-Smith reminisced.
Ever since, he knew he wanted to be his own boss.
The business has been 'buzzing' since January 29 Photo: RNZ / Emma Andrews
When the young entrepreneur isn't frothing up latte's, he's either carving waves or training in Muay Thai.
His lifestyle also incorporated into the decor of the shop, with a TV playing non-stop MMA, and a wall full of hand drawn shaka's and quotes.
" In the other spare time that I have, I joined an entrepreneurship group, [and it's] about building businesses and building yourselves. So that's where the majority of my external time is going to."
Now the Tongan, German and English descendant has an even bigger goal in mind... he wants to have enough steady cash-flow to put his mum into retirement.
" My mum is all about helping out people. She works in healthcare helping out the elderly with their day-to-day life. So, she really brought me up helping people, which is what I want to do in life."
"I believe I'm here to help, not here to take people's money and build my own career when I can help other people build their careers."
He wants rangatahi with big dreams to not listen to words of doubt.
"[If] you've got a dream, chase it. One day, you'll soon conquer it, and once you've conquered it, chase another. Don't ever stop dreaming."
Guttenbeil-Smith will be making coffee with Proof and Stock at Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga from February 24 - March 1.
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