Family politics help Adrian embrace coffee culture

He may have been true blue for over a quarter of a century, but Adrian Mills possesses a head for business passed down by distinguished UK bloodlines.

Adrian, who has launched Australian-born Cafe2U mobile coffee franchise in the Canningvale territory last month, said being self-employed was the most nerve-wracking aspect of his new career. Adrian is no stranger to the art of selling, having been in the sales field for over 30 years and having sold everything from drinks and confectionary to hand tools and garden power equipment.

“But having your own business means managing your own cash register, monitoring your own stock levels and other aspects you may not have taken into account when you have a specific role with a company working for someone else.”

A Perth local for the duration of his 26 years in Australia, the avid movie fan, who has his own home cinema, nominated lifestyle considerations as paramount in his decision.

“I decided on a lifestyle change and this gives us flexibility and time to do the things we really enjoy. My wife Jacquie and I also love to have dinner and pool parties and it allows us to work around the things we love to do.

Adrian wanted to be his own boss and in addition to this the marketing of the mobile coffee franchise is second to none. The branding of the mobile franchise is distinctive and stands out in a crowd, and Adrian needes to stand out in this line of business. But he tool the approach that he was not going to worry about competitors, they could worry about him.

Adrian had his coffee-producing vehicle custom-built in Sydney and then shipped to WA, where he picked it up from his local Mercedes Benz dealer.

“A lot of time and research has gone into this next chapter of my life, so I’m prepared to work very hard to succeed. When you work for yourself, the harder you work the more you are rewarded. I like that aspect very much.”

Adrian’s attitude to his growing customer base means that he is unable to nominate any notable businesses on his daily run.

“All my customers are notable and all are important to my business, from the largest to the smallest,” he said.