Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Turnage.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In September 2013, after seven years of honorable service in the United States Marine Corps, I decided I was ready to move on. I moved to my wife Kathryn’s hometown of Woodstock and shortly after began my college career at Kennesaw State University. I majored in Business Management and earned my BBA in just 2.5 years, graduating Magna Cum Laude in July 2016. Going from an active duty Marine to a 27 years old college student, I had the drive to push each semester to the maximum and save enough of my Post 9/11 GI Bill for a potential graduate degree.
During my BBA, I took an entrepreneurship course and found my passion. I originally tried to open a smaller coffee shop in downtown Ball Ground in 2017 but was unable to find the proper location. I hit pause on that ambition and decided to go back to school for my MBA at Kennesaw State University starting the Summer 2017 semester. With limited coverage remaining on my Post 9/11 GI Bill, I again had to maximize each semester. I earned my MBA in July 2018 with zero coverage remaining but by now, the need for a whole-home remodel of our 1970’s house had been identified. So Kathryn and I began investing all of our time into ensuring that the project went flawless. With a start date of August 6, 2018, there wouldn’t be much time left in the year to focus on starting a business; or so we thought.
One week before I graduated, we had met another couple in downtown Ball Ground who were aging unroasted coffee beans in freshly dumped bourbon barrels, roasting it out of their garage and selling it on a cottage license at farmer’s markets and a little storefront in town. While visiting the storefront, I was instantly drawn to the coffee and decided to approach the couple with thoughts of teaming up for a brick and mortar coffee shop. We instantly hit it off and decided to start the planning process.
During the planning phase, we identified a future location but knew it wouldn’t stay available for long. We met for dinner and as we were discussing a potential start date that coincided with the end of our whole-home remodel, we saw the landlord of our future location showing it off to a potential tenant. We forgot everything we just discussed and marched across the street and pitched our business. The landlord loved us and we signed a contract the next week. Luckily, the landlord needed about two months to finish construction as the building was much older and needed upgrades. This gave Kathryn and me enough time to complete our home remodel while planning out the coffee shop business model and design. We finished the home remodel Oct. 11, 2018 and I began our buildout Oct. 13, 2018. Just 6 short weeks later, we had our soft opening to capture the crowd during Ball Ground’s Annual March of the Toys Parade. Although we had little to offer in regard to product options, we were an instant hit.
During this time, what nobody else knew was occurring, was my wife’s employer had filed bankruptcy and she was no longer receiving her paycheck starting in November 2018. With me being the only partner able to work full time at the coffee shop, our household was bleeding money while Kathryn searched for a new career. In April 2019, she hurt her knee badly and needed an x-ray to determine the type of surgery. She wasn’t sure so to be safe, she checked “possibly pregnant” and sure enough, she was 3-4 weeks! Now, needing knee surgery but unable due to being in the first trimester, as well as needing a steady paycheck until the coffee shop was profitable enough to support our household, job hunting became an endless array of rejections. After 12 months of zero income and just a couple of months before our child was due, I decided to pass the torch to Kathryn and return to the workforce. Our son was born in January 2020 and Kathryn was self-employed without maternity leave benefits. She would take just a couple of weeks off and get back at it. Mind you still nursing a recovering ACL and meniscus tear surgery while also caring for an infant.
My wife started out on this venture in the shadows, not wanting to have much control of the daily operations. But she’s a true entrepreneur and an all-around badass of a woman. [paraphrase however you want, but she’s badass]. She gripped the helm with both hands and has never backed down from the challenges of ownership. For over 3 years, Barrel House Coffee Company owes its success to the leadership of Kathryn.
In September 2020, the partnership ended in a mutual buyout. There just wasn’t enough profit to go four ways in a small town. Kathryn and I have been sole owners ever since and are grateful for our customer base, friends and family for continuously supporting us through all of the hectic times presented during the COVID19 pandemic. We have soared above all expectations we set and couldn’t be more proud. Most importantly, we are thankful for the amazing team we have built. Our “Brew Crew” is family and we take care of each other. Without them, we would not have this business.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Yes and no. We have luckily never questioned whether we could afford our bills or payroll. However, we went a long time without compensation and even longer with less than minimum wage to ensure our growing business had the capital required to maintain operations.
Spring 2020 is a nightmare/distant memory we are grateful to have behind us. Kathryn’s knee required a year of rehab, we had a newborn, I had a new career which took me away from the house for 40 hours a week, we weren’t bringing home any income from the coffee shop yet, and to top it off, COVID19 hit. For a couple of months, we were uncertain if we would be able to operate or if we even wanted to stay open. Little did we know, having everyone working from home meant skyrocketing return customers, a large regular base and the opportunity for many patrons to work from our coffee shop all day. We came out on top, but we were on pins and needles for a bit.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I personally now work for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics supporting the C-130J Sustainment line of business through supply and logistics efforts. I’m proud to provide a continued service to our warfighters and allies.
As for Barrel House Coffee Company, I handle all of the production requirements except the actual roasting of the coffee. I manage barrel procurement, filling and dumping of all barrels, and ensure the lead roaster has ample raw material to keep up with demand.
We specialize in aging unroasted coffee beans from various origins in freshly dumped bourbon barrels. We utilize mostly barrels from Atlanta Spirit Works or ASW in midtown Atlanta. Our partnership with them has been a blessing to be able to include a touch of Georgia in what we do and watch ASW flourish as a distillery.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Stay positive and don’t be afraid. Take a leap in the direction you truly believe will bring you the success you want, but also, don’t let money be the only perception of success. Value the time you have with family and loved ones. Owning and operating your own business rather than the business owning and operating you. It’s a hard mission to accomplish but will bring you much joy once you find that even ground.
Once we decided to move forward with the buyout negotiations, Kathryn was the only one able to focus on the daily operations of the business. We had already hired an incredible person who showed the potential, so we decided at this moment that it was more important for us to have peace of mind than more money. We promoted our lead roaster, Tim Crane, to assistant manager, among other hats he wears. Having Tim step up has allowed us the ability to breathe when we are away from the shop, enjoying time with our son and family. But it’s also important for Tim and our other employees to have those same experiences with their families. We implemented a PTO program for all employees who are with us for one year to allow them much-needed time off without fear of missing rent or utilities or simply saving money for future goals. Having our team mentally and physically healthy is far more important than money in our pockets. They allow us to have that even ground to provide us with peace of mind. So take care of your people and they will take care of you.
Shout out to the “Brew Crew”: Tim Crane, Baylee Watt, Autumn Smith, Kevin Yardis, Sarah Drury, Ashton Martin, Chantelle Reeves, Hannah McCown, Bekah Holaway, Hailee Martin and our dear friend Aaron Tewksbury.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BarrelHouseCoffeeCo.com
- Instagram: @barrelhousecoffeeco
- Facebook: @barrelhousecoffeeco
