He Went Bankrupt at 21. Then Built One of Australia's Most Respected Coffee Brands. With Peter Wolff

At 21, Peter Wolff was declared bankrupt after unknowingly signing a personal guarantee for his family's business. Years later, he walked away from Veneziano, the coffee company he co-founded, after a partnership that had turned toxic. Then, just eleven weeks after opening a new café in Brisbane, COVID hit. He’s had chefs walk out, he’s broken down in the kitchen, and spent the next nine months cooking every service himself. Today, Peter is the founder of Wolf Coffee Roasters, one of Australia's most respected specialty coffee businesses. Alongside his wife Penny, he's built a business that has trained nearly 15,000 coffee professionals around the world and helped shape Australia's modern coffee industry. In this episode Peter is refreshingly honest about bankruptcy, business partnerships, conflict, burnout and the fear of losing everything twice. He talks about why trust is the most valuable thing a founder can build, the role Penny has played in every chapter of the business, and why sometimes the only way through is one plate, one customer and one day at a time. You'll hear: 0:00 Four decades in coffee and the business Peter built 6:23 How Wolf Coffee Roasters started from scratch 15:03 Why he walked away from the company he co-founded 19:18 When a business partnership became toxic 22:01 What leaving a business really feels like 29:04 Building multiple businesses at the same time 36:55 The family bankruptcy that changed everything 41:00 The $68,000 debt he never knew he'd signed for 45:15 Opening a new café just weeks before COVID 50:10 The week every chef walked out 52:29 Breaking down in the kitchen 54:07 Nine months cooking every service himself 57:08 The one lesson every founder should build their business around Connect with Peter: linkedin.com/in/peter-wolff-40475aba See behind the scenes over at:   / danmoussa_thirdwayadvisory   Or LinkedIn -   / daniel-moussa-thirdway   And if you need help to find the hire that will completely change your business, reach out over at https://www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au/ Hit follow wherever you're listening so you don't miss a single episode.