Bill Smith: From Roasting Coffee To Founding Double Iron Consulting
Bill Smith began his journey into entrepreneurship and business early, thanks to his family’s business Royal Cup Coffee and Tea. This experience would create the foundation of skills that Bill would later use to start his business Double Iron Consulting where he helps other companies find their goals and reach them.
Growing Up and Family Business
William Smith grew up surrounded by business-minded people. His grandfather, Billy Smith, bought the Royal Cup Coffee and Tea company back in the 1950s. Billy Smith passed away one year before Bill was born, Bill’s parents and uncle ran the business. With Bill Smith’s parents running the business, Bill gained awareness and exposure in the family business because of his parents, primarily his father as well as his uncle. Young Bill would spend his summers interning for the company throughout his high school and college days.
Bill got his Bachelor’s Degree in Latin American Studies at Davidson College and would get his MBA in business from Emory University Goizueta Business School.
It wasn’t a cushy office job either. Bill spent his summers taking orders, roasting coffee, and making deliveries. This frontline work gave Bill Smith a complete understanding of keeping a business running from the ground up. This diverse knowledge meant that he was immersed in many different areas of the company and able to see it from many perspectives.
The experience gave him a solid knowledge of business that he would pull from later in life.
Royal Cup: Stepping Into Leadership
Bill Smith would slowly learn more and more about the intricacies of how the family business was run as he took on broader management roles and jobs. He moved into the Operations Division, where he had a management role.
Through his leadership of this division, Bill increased the departments’ capabilities under his care, earning him executive leadership responsibilities including Operations, Commercial Sales, and Office Coffee Service.
In 2014, he officially became the President and CEO of the Royal Cup company. He also joined the board of directors for the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama in 2019.
His leadership led to a rebranding of the company and a significant investment in large-scale infrastructure.
Starting Double Iron Consulting
In 2020, the family and board decided that it was time to hand leadership of the Royal Cup company over to non-family to enter its next phase of success.
In 2021, William Smith launched Double Iron Consulting to help small and family businesses achieve success and clarify their goals. While he had to learn by facing new challenges, Bill hopes to use his years of knowledge and experience to help others get through the same situations he had to face.
Double Iron Consulting got its name partly from Bill’s hometown of Birmingham, known for its iron and steel production, and partly from Bill’s lifelong love of fitness, from running and cycling to swimming. He’s even training for a triathlon for the end of 2021.
Bill treats his consulting jobs the way he treats his athletic training, with clear goals broken down into manageable steps and putting in the work. He’s most excited about the opportunity to help people succeed in their business ventures and achieve good team results.
A Typical Day
Bill Smith likes to break his days up into four key areas:
- Mental: he’s currently learning different languages, such as Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
- Physical: improving his fitness and training for triathlons.
- Professional: investing time into his new business and finding improvements.
- Social: connecting with and encouraging people to empower themselves to follow their interests.
These areas help him to focus on what matters to him and maintain those skills. Anyone can have ideas, but it takes systems to get results.
Bill also makes a point of listening to influential leaders and people in business that he respects to learn new ways of going about his business. Even those with plenty of experience like Bill can still learn new things when they open themselves to the opportunity.
Advice for Entrepreneurs
Regardless of your business, William Smith believes that physical fitness is one of the most important things to be consistent about.
When it comes to hiring advice, Bill says to find competitive people. A team of solid people who want to innovate and improve is what makes you a competitor.
As for Bill’s advice to his younger self, he wishes he had focused on gaining new experiences coming out of college, including traveling and seeing more cultures.
If you want to consult with Bill Smith or enjoy some mentoring, you can connect with him via email or LinkedIn profile.
Final Thoughts
Bill Smith took his early experiences working for his family business to help and guide others who are just starting out whether small or family-run companies. Bill’s passion motivates others to establish their goals and go after them like an athlete training for their next big competition.