Mondays suck. Especially if you hate your job. But the day doesn’t have to be a total waste. You can now look forward to reading about ReadyMakers who have worked their way into f*&%ing awesome jobs—and maybe find a little inspiration to jumpstart your own career in the process—right here, every Monday.

Duane Sorenson is a man of few words, but that makes sense; dude is busy. Since opening a coffee roastery and a small chain of shops notable for easy-cool atmosphere and obsessively perfect coffee drinks in Portland, Oregon in the early 2000s, he's been growing his business tirelessly—Stumptown Coffee beans are popping up in quality-oriented cafes in more and more areas. And these days, Sorenson is hard at work on plans to open an East Coast roastery in the mixed industrial-residential neighborhood of Red Hook, Brooklyn.

VITAL STATS Occupation: Founder/president of Stumptown Coffee
Location: Portland, OR; Seattle; New York City
Age: 37
First Job: Picking berries and beans in Washington
Best Job: Stumptown, duh.
Greatest Professional Challenge: Getting to bed early

Hi, Duane Sorenson. How did you get that f*&%ing awesome job?
I started my own coffee roasting company.

 What's distinctive about Stumptown, and where'd you get the idea?
We source and roast the finest coffees on Earth. I got the idea when I traveled Central America in '96.

How did you get started working with coffee?
Started in college. I was addicted to the stuff.

When did you know you wanted to own your own business?
After spending time with coffee farmers in Central America.

 Did you have any role models along the way?
Lemmy of Motorhead

What were the steps you had to go through between having the idea for Stumptown, and making it real? Skills you had to acquire, hurdles you had to jump through, loans you had to nail down?
I started Stumptown with my savings. At that point I already had the experience of roasting coffee and being a barista.

What is your typical day like?
Tasting coffees, inspiring/hanging out with my staff.

What are the biggest pleasures of the job? What could you do without? 
Making people the best cup of coffee they've ever had. I could do without the ulcers.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to do something similar to what you've done?
Let it ride!

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