Dominic Calabro made an unexpected career change when he introduced Australian-born Cafe2U, the world’s biggest mobile coffee franchise, to Wetherill Park West in January this year. But for Calabro, who has volunteered for six years at his local soccer club Prospect United as a coach and committee member, the allure of fresh air and freedom proved too strong to ignore.  

“It has given me that personal space and freedom I craved, I’m not confined to an office and I love working outdoors making great coffee,” he said. 

“I’d worked in an IT environment with IBM Australia for nearly 17 years, so it was probably a unique decision to some. Through IBM I had come from a background of strong internal support and I’m used to working in a team environment. But I’ve found Café2U are like that anyway, they follow-up with you, see how you are advancing and keep good contact so there is that feeling of support that I’m accustomed to. That aspect has proven an unexpected bonus.”  

Despite the challenges Calabro faced during his initial foray into the new venture, he recently reached a personal milestone with the business – just as his franchise head office predicted.  

“After three months I have hit the target mark which Café2U projected would be my daily turnover after that exact period. Now the next step is to maintain that figure and build on it.”  

After researching online and looking at factors like franchise costs, Dominic went on a daily run with an operator to see hands-on what the job entailed before committing to the franchise.  

“There wasn’t a lot of research; I liked what I saw very early on. I would have been with IBM for 17 years in March, working logistics as I had for the past six years. I just wanted the change and people shouldn’t be afraid to take a chance. It is paying off.”