People, Coffee & Purpose: Tayler Paterson on building Homebrew

Episode summaryTayler Paterson is the co-owner of Homebrew Coffee, a Waikato coffee business that has grown from a $204 first day in Cambridge into six locations and a team of 25. Tayler and her husband Blair set out to build something they genuinely loved, with a big goal of five locations in five years — and plenty of lessons learned along the way.In this episode, Tayler opens up about what it really takes to grow a business, the sacrifices that come with building something from scratch, and why genuine relationships have been at the heart of Homebrew's success. We talk leadership, team culture, marriage, raising a young family, community and the reality of trying to find "work-life balance."Honest, funny and full of heart, this is a conversation about building a business that reflects who you are — and creating something that gives back to the people around you.In this episode• How Homebrew Coffee started and the journey from a $204 first day to six Waikato locations• Why Tayler and Blair set themselves the goal of five locations in five years• How relationships and unexpected opportunities helped Homebrew find new locations• Why Tayler believes genuine relationships are more valuable than transactional networking• Building a team around culture, character and the right "vibes"• Why leading by example is one of the most powerful tools in leadership• How Homebrew looks after and rewards its team• The influence of Tayler's upbringing and the work ethic she learned from her mum• The realities of building a business while raising young children• Why Tayler doesn't necessarily believe in traditional "work-life balance"• How Tayler and Blair have built a business that can work around their family• The importance of knowing your own strengths and finding people who complement them• Why Tayler believes you should do something you genuinely loveChaptersTimestamps are based on the raw recording, nudge them once the intro is trimmed in the edit.• 00:00 Welcome and getting to know Tayler• 12:44 From $204 on day one to six Homebrew locations• 14:05 How the second Homebrew location came about• 28:05 Building a business while raising a family• 29:13 The sacrifices that come with building a business• 31:25 Is work-life balance actually possible?• 34:29 Growing up in the States and the lessons Tayler took from her childhood• 39:19 Why being yourself is part of Homebrew's success• 40:23 Tayler's approach to leadership• 41:09 Leading by example and putting your money where your mouth is• 42:10 Building a team and rewarding people properly• 43:34 Tayler's hot take on networking groups• 44:37 Building genuine connections and community• 53:55 Tayler's final thoughts on life, business and family• 54:22 Why you should do what you loveAbout TaylerTayler Paterson is the co-owner of Homebrew Coffee, a growing Waikato coffee business she runs alongside her husband Blair. Together they have built Homebrew from its first Cambridge location into six locations across the Waikato.Tayler is passionate about people, relationships, community and creating a workplace where her team genuinely enjoys coming to work. Her approach to leadership is deeply personal — she believes in leading by example, looking after people properly and staying true to who you are.Alongside building Homebrew, Tayler and Blair are raising their young family and have deliberately built their business around the things that matter most to them.LinksHomebrew Coffee Website