Old Boy Profile

Daniel Dick (2007)

Tell us a little bit more about yourself and what you’ve been up to since leaving CGS?

After finishing in 2007 I took off to the USA working at the YMCA of the Ozarks as ‘Director of Fun’ at the summer lodge that hosted families from around the Midwest and then spent a number of months travelling around the country. Once I returned I commenced a Bachelor of Arts at Monash University before transferring to a Business Degree at RMIT which I also didn’t finish, deciding Uni just wasn’t for me.

I married my wife Alexandra in 2017, whom I met at a party when I was in Year 12. We’ve been together for nearly 13 years. We’ve lived in Hawthorn in an apartment we bought in 2015 for nearly five years and love it there.

Besides owning cafes I’ve worked for ST. ALi Coffee Roasters for around five years in various capacities including Head Barista, Venue Manager, Barista Trainer and Sales. I’ve been given a lot of opportunities to represent the company and travel a bit working with cafe owners and managers helping improve their coffee and businesses.

What did you enjoy most about your time at CGS?

Not being an overly academic sort my biggest enjoyments at school were extracurricular. I was a Staff Sergeant in the Cadets, performed in a number of school plays and musicals but most of all loved playing footy, cricket and athletics. Footy being my favourite took us to Broome and Perth in my senior year which is a trip I’ll always remember and despite not necessarily gaining as much success

as we’d liked, led to me joining the under 19’s at the Old Boys whilst still in Year 12.

Most important to me was the guys I met and maintain close friendships with to this day. You really never meet better friends than the ones from school.

What advice would you give to our Year 12 boys as they embark on life after CGS?

Take your time and consider the best option that matches your values. There are many different paths to consider but you don’t need to decide straight away. Be honest with yourself about what you want and what you enjoy. I loved working in cafes and making coffee and following my passion has opened up lots of doors for me. Friends I know have made multiple changes before finding the right one that suited them. Talk to people who’ve done the sort of things that you want to, you’ll be amazed how generous people are with their time and advice.

What story will your colleagues tell about you at your CGS reunions?

I’d come straight from a long lunch before our ten year and was a touch under the weather... probably seen as the bloke who enjoyed himself a little too much.

Let’s talk about your experiences and how you got to the point of opening Nigel and running your own business?

I’d always worked in restaurants but once I dropped out I wanted to try day time hospitality and got a job at a cafe making coffee in 2011 and have been in coffee ever since. I opened my first cafe Age of Sail in 2015 with two partners and sold my share about 18 months in.

Owning another cafe was always a goal for me but it wasn’t until my Grandfather Nigel Dick passed that I had the motivation to take another risk, he’d always been a big advocate of me embracing my entrepreneurial side and so I opened my humble coffee shop on Burke Road in March 2019 and named it in his honour.

The opportunity itself came via one of my previous business partners who had identified the location and begun negotiating purchase of the business but withdrew and referred to me. I saw a lot of potential in the location and the owners of the business had really let it slip taking a prolonged holiday. Eventually I was patient enough that they gave up the lease without me having to purchase the business. We took it in December 2018.

What do you enjoy most about running your own business?

There is something extremely validating about having a concept in mind for a business, negotiating the conditions to make it viable, planning and executing your vision and then having literally hundreds of people a day walk through your door and spend their hard earned money on an experience you’ve cultivated.

What does the future hold for you?

I love being around people, chatting and making really delicious things, in particular coffee. It seems simple but being able to deliver on those values consistently really sets Nigel apart from our competition and encouraging my employees to share in that vision is a great way to spend your time. Seeing your business grow over time and becoming a part of the community that surrounds it is something that really satisfies me.