Meet Billy Schiel | Founder & Cultural Architect

We had the good fortune of connecting with Billy Schiel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Billy, how do you think about risk?
Every major decision in life includes some form of “risk management” whether it be consciously or subconsciously. When I was in my early 20’s and young married life my risks were not as calculated or educated as they are now. In general, I tend to operate from “my gut” or instincts in my decision making and am rarely okay with just playing it safe. My wife however, is the opposite. It makes for a great partnership in life!

I’m also wired as an “achiever” by nature, so I’m always looking for the next opportunity and don’t tend to sit back and relax for very long. However, before I started out on the journey of enterprenuership fear of the unknown played a large role in keeping me from taking risks. All it took was taking that first leap to follow my passion into the specialty coffee world in 2013 to help push any doubts or fears of not succeeding behind me. It became a journey of self-awareness along the way. I began to grow in understanding my strengths and weaknesses as it relates to organizational leadership and it showed me that I needed to bring in people to offset my weaknesses and support my strengths.

That was huge. Now, I truly believe that not taking a risk is actually the biggest risk of all! I feel that the illusion of control plays a big factor in whether we want to actually take a risk or not. The old adage is true, “No risk, no reward” or “Low risk, Low Reward”. In general, risk is necessary for any worthy enterprise and I’ve found that I need to have a good form of “pressure to perform” that spawns creative solutions, products, and services to produce the necessary outcome. Risk is a big part of that.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a full-service neighborhood espresso bar and specialty coffee roaster. We offer a full assortment of artisan coffee beverages including, espresso based drinks, cold brew, nitro cold brew, drip coffee, single brewed specialty teas, as well as locally sourced pastries both savory and sweet. We also offer a line-up of in-house designed and curated brand merch including tee shirts, hats, sweatshirts, mugs, candles, and editorials. We host live music shows monthly under the reach of our 130+ year old Live Oak tree in the backyard.

Our product, team, and exceptional hospitality set us apart from others. The way we extend “honor” to every customer and the attention we place on every detail of our operation from design to crafting beverages. People are the reason we’re in business and we want each customer to feel loved and have a great coffee experience every time they come through our “living room” on Houston St.

I’m most proud of the way our products represent our passion and ethos in both design and coffee making. Our vibe is modern with clean lines and just the right pop of color to help make things really come alive. Our approach to space is minimalistic combined with functional design that is both aesthetically eye catching and useful in our day-to-day operation.

It hasn’t necessarily been easy getting to this point. I don’t think anything worth doing is necessarily easy, but it’s definitely rewarding! There have been many seasons along the journey filled with the normal emotions of fear, anxiety, and doubt that have ebbed in and out like the ocean’s tide.

At times along the way, it was just easier to let the dream lie dormant in the corner spaces of my heart and mind while trying to hold on to the hope that someday it would become a reality. Once we found our location in June of 2022, I would say things have gone relatively smooth and have continued to grow because of our HS team it’s been a fun ride so far!

I’ve learned many things along the way so far, but of most importance is that no one else is going to care as much about what you’re building than you. You have to establish the culture and values you want to replicate from the beginning. If you aren’t constantly refining and thinking through improvements you’re not going to create opportunities for growth and improvement.

Honor Society Coffee Co, is a people business. We exist to serve our community and the people that come through our doors. We want to be a respite in the busyness of the day and a place to enjoy connecting with others. Our coffee is prepared with passion and precision by the best coffee-making squad around. We take pride in developing an array of rotating seasonal and fun in-house beverages inspired by our team of baristas. Our motto is “Never Drink Bad Coffee”, there’s no reason to ever do it. We’re “sling’n & sip’n the good stuff”, so, come see us for all the coffee & vibes.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Man, Houston likes to say we’re “The culinary capital of the South”! I wouldn’t disagree with it either. So, I definitely have a short list of restaurants that we would visit and eat our way through the city. I also have a list of coffee bars, men’s retail spots, and hang outs. So, here’s my list of “What’s cool in H-town”.

Eats
Coltivare – A favorite in the heights. Pizzas and the burrata are amazing! Great drinks also.
Field & Tides – Vibey little third coast inspired spot also in the Heights. Cool little cocktail bar connected with outdoor seating.
Superica – Super delicious TexMex spot from acclaimed Houstonian restauranteur Ford Fry.
Loro – This Asian smokehouse & bar from Uchi founder Tyson Cole and Aaron Franklin of Franklin BBQ is outstanding.
Tiny Boxwoods – Outstanding brunch and beverages in the middle of a plant nursery. So fun!
Tejas Barbecue – Our next door neighbors in Tomball. Top 15 best barbecue restaurants in the Lone Star state. Don’t sleep on the pork belly nachos!
Graze – Our other neighbors in Tomball on the corner of N Elm St & Houston St. Really good shrimp & grits and the catch of the day is always a win. They fly fish in direct from the Pacific Northwest and it pairs great with their bar offerings.
Uchi – Top 3 meals I’ve ever eaten. So fresh, so good, so creative.
Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen – Authentic Mexican flavors that come together in fresh ingredients. Don’t sleep on the serrano, cucumber, margarita!

Espresso Bars
Honor Society Coffee Co. – of course
5th Vessel
Tenfold Coffee
Little Dreamer Coffee
Catalina Coffee
Tiny’s Milk & Cookies
Luce Coffee Roasters
Blacksmith
A 2nd Cup
Slowpokes
Brass Tacks

Hang outs
8th Row Flint
Moontower Inn
Permission
13 Celsius
Saint Arnold Brewery
Paradigm Brewing Company
Eureka Heights
State of Grace
River 9
The Rustic
Postino
Karbach Brewing Co
Anvil
Cottonwood

Retail
Manready Mercantile
Reserve Supply Co.
Sid Mashburn
Faherty
Buck Mason
Madewell
Forth & Nomad
The Covey Apparel Company

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Where I am at in life is a culmination of the great love, support, encouragement and mentorship of many. The love and support from my wife of almost 25 years JoJo is a great gift to me. I love you! Also, my parents have always encouraged and supported me to pursue “what God puts in front of me” with diligence and perseverance. Thanks Dad & Mom! Also, I’ve been blessed to have a great number of influences through friendships over the years who have continued to speak into my life with support and insight for leadership, business, and family. I wanna shout-out a few of those including my buddies Jason Shepperd, Jeff Lokey, Raan Parton, Andrew Bacon, my cousin Darrel Schiel, and many others along the way. Thanks for all the love and support y’all!

Website: www.honorsocietycoffeeco.com

Instagram: @honorsocietycoffeeco

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billy-schiel-253b8138/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honorsocietycoffeeco

Image Credits
Credit Honor Society Coffee Co.