Why Going Slower Built a More Durable Business (feat. Red Rooster Coffee) | S1E11
In this episode of Builders, Makers, Doers, Andy and Elliot sit down with Haden Polseno-Hensley, co-founder of Red Rooster Coffee in Floyd, Virginia, to talk about what it really takes to build something that lasts.
Most small businesses don’t fail because they lack talent.
They fail because they scale faster than their discipline.
This isn’t about coffee. It’s about restraint.
Haden didn’t come from the beverage industry.
He came from construction.
From the National Park Service.
From graduate school.
From 184 square feet and a six-pound electric roaster.
He and his wife started with a simple question:
What if we did this at the highest possible level?
Not fast.
Not loud.
Not for attention.
But for quality.
Fifteen years later, they roast 350,000–400,000 pounds of specialty coffee a year.
And the most important lesson wasn’t about growth.
It was about slowing down.
This is what you’ll discover:
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Why most “overnight success” stories are really 5–7 year grinds
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The tension between mission-driven leadership and financial reality
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How working harder than necessary can quietly damage your life
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Why constraints create discipline — and discipline creates durability
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What small-town operators understand about reputation that big brands don’t
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How culture evolves as your team grows beyond the founding core
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Why solving one real problem is better than chasing 10 shiny opportunities
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How producer debt cycles mirror the hidden fragility in many businesses
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Why going slower can actually accelerate long-term growth
Haden also shares something most founders only admit years later.
He said yes to everything.
And it cost him more time than it should have.
This episode isn’t about scaling fast.
It’s about building something strong enough to withstand time, scrutiny, and growth without breaking.
If you’re an owner, operator, or builder trying to grow without losing yourself in the process, this conversation will feel familiar.
And grounding.
Chapters
00:00 – From construction and Alaska to roasting coffee03:25 – The “pinball machine” career path
05:05 – Learning independence from entrepreneurial parents
07:30 – A freezing winter and the pivot into coffee
09:15 – Practical logistics vs. the dream side
11:35 – Daring to aim for national recognition
13:05 – The 5–7 year “overnight success” reality
15:00 – Awards, validation, and measuring quality
17:55 – The challenge of building in a rural town
19:50 – Mission-driven leadership vs. financial pressure
20:35 – Starting in 184 square feet
22:00 – Growing through space constraints and bootstrapping
24:10 – Early culture: tight-knit and passion-driven
26:45 – What happens when your founding team grows up
29:15 – Building childcare to solve a real problem
36:30 – “What’s the problem? Let’s fix it.”
39:30 – Why going slower would have changed everything
43:05 – The hidden debt cycle hurting producers
45:00 – Building systems that protect long-term resilience
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