LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – If you think it’s too late to pursue your dreams, then you need to meet this guy.
His name is Luiz Oliveira. He had a comfortable life as a hotel executive until one day during the great recession, it all went away, and he was laid off.
At a time of his life when many of his friends were laying out retirement plans, Luiz was laying out his next chapter. And the decision to open a specialty coffee shop was a natural because he’s the grandson of a Brazilian coffee farmer.
John Huck FOX5, “I’m told you were very young when you had your first cup, how old were you?” Oliveira exclaimed, ‘I was 7 hahaha.”
For years while making a comfortable life as a hotel executive, Oliveira had that dream…to open a coffee shop.
The great recession hit, and like so many other Las Vegans, Oliveria lost his job.
It proved to be the kick in the pants he needed.
Oliviera said, “I remember the first day we opened, December 18th, it was a Saturday, and after all the work, 7 months and I remember walking at 6:30 in the morning thinking “what now, if no one shows up.”
He went on to explain, “And suddenly, we’re packed! We were breaking records on the financials. I said wow, this is going to be an amazing year.”
Until it wasn’t, for Oliveria or anyone else when Covid hit.
“I remember moving everything away and packing everything and I was like OMG this is going to be my end,” Oliviera described.
PPE loans got him through and today he runs 4 locations.
Oliveria and Sambalatte may be back…but it’s not quite the same.
“And I tell you, until this day, the business side has never been as it was pre-Covid,” Oliveria continued, “The pandemic changed people’s behavior, a lot more people work from home.”
John Huck FOX5 asked Oliveira: What would you tell others who want to make that leap into owning their own business?
Oliveira warned, “Have experience in the business, when you have the experience, you have confidence, have passion, otherwise you are just a business, and it’s never too late. I turned 65 and I want to continue another 15, 20 years.”
One other thing Oliveira does differently…he imports his coffee beans from Brazil. He likes to say his coffee is farm to cup.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
This post was originally published on here
