Joseph's "Just My Thoughts"

Production and processing create added value. Wealth is the accumulation of this added value. Distribution shares this added value among economic entities. Cultivating coffee trees generates added value for green coffee beans, while roasting those beans adds further value to the coffee product. Grinding the beans and extracting them with water creates and consumes the added value of a cup of coffee. Finance enables the distribution of the added value generated by this production and processing through the use of money, facilitating the easy accumulation of that value. However, finance can leverage its power only because there was prior production and processing. The challenge arises when the compulsory circulation power of currency enables the ownership of labor and resources that underpin production and processing, along with real estate, which is foundational to its existence. If production, processing, and distribution are dictated by money’s compulsory circulation power, who will g...

To be in debt is to draw the future into the present and consume it. Thus, living in debt leads to an empty future. The future becomes bright only by filling that void. However, some individuals sell time to people by pulling the future into the present. Starbucks Korea does this. The company requires customers to pay in advance for coffee they have not yet purchased through the membership program . Korean customers pay for coffee today, trusting that Starbucks will serve it in the future. Without this trust, no customer would pay in advance. Therefore, credit holds significant importance in economic principles and serves as the foundation on which the economy operates. After understanding the attribution and essence of the counter-presentations ( the object of transaction and consideration ) linked to debt, the wealthy utilize debt to their advantage. Starbucks Korea becomes a debtor to customers who pay for coffee in advance; however, even though it must provide coffee in the fu...

The philosopher Aristotle stated, “ We are what we repeatedly do . Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit .” If the repetition of an action is a ‘habit,’ then this ‘habit’ emphasizes the connection between the actions. For instance, if you consistently drink coffee after a meal, it suggests that the preceding ‘meal’ holds more significance than the coffee. In contrast, the connection of coffee following that meal is essential. Even if you cannot drink coffee, you can survive; however, if you cannot eat, your survival is at risk. Meals are important, and they take precedence over coffee. In other words, for an action to be repeated, the persistence and repeatability vary based on the priority of the actions that occur before and after the habit. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Adenosine is released when our body is tired, making us feel exhausted. Rest serves as a complementary action for fatigue rather than a mere exercise of will to “take a rest.” The caffeine in coffee prevents the sensation of fatigue by interfering with adenosine’s binding to neuronal receptors in the brain. It doesn’t eliminate the substance that causes fatigue; it simply disturbs the senses. Humans have negative elements, and while removing them is the fundamental solution, they often misunderstand the impact of caffeine on their senses as a remedy. Ultimately, without rest, a person can become overwhelmed. Problem-solving should begin with acknowledging reality, but if we view illusion as a solution, there will be no answers. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

In 2019, the coffee shop franchise Banapresso had 47 branches in Seoul, 35 of which were concentrated in the Gangnam and Seocho districts. There were even other Banapresso stores within 200 meters of each other. It was denser than Starbucks. 100% of orders were placed through kiosks and mobile apps. The elders thought it would be hard to place an unattended order, but when they tried it, they were impressed with how seamlessly they were connected to the register. An Americano costs KRW 1,500 (about USD 1.27). There was only one employee. Everything was ordered at the touch of a button and the coffee was served within 40 seconds. All the bread was made at a nearby headquarters and distributed in batches. Banapresso was the antithesis of a traditional coffee franchise. Its parent company is an IT company that operates a ride-hailing app. The same business can be completely transformed into a different business model, due to the interpretation and context. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Starbucks Korea sells a 355ml tall size cup of Americano at KRW 4,500. It contains 3.5% solid matter to at least manifest tastes and flavors. The rest is just WATER. We should simultaneously drink 96.5% of the water to get just a few 3.5% together. The average production cost of 1ml of tap water in Seoul is KRW 0.00051. That's the same as paying about KRW 4,000 for a cup of tap water of about 350ml. We would think of how much we make money by selling coffee, but it's our misunderstanding. As an excuse for a few solid matters of "coffee", they're selling tap water at the unbelievable price of over KRW 4,000. They're making money with the cheapest solvent 'WATER', not 'COFFEE'. But almost all businessmen are trying to sell the solid matters of 3.5% at a high price. The reason, businessmen cannot make money is they make the wrong selection which cannot make money since the beginning. The making structure is first, and the effort is second. - Josep...