I spent the better part of a decade in global advertising as a Creative Director — 200+ brands, a Kyoorius Blue Elephant in the cupboard, the usual stuff. The more useful thing corporate gave me wasn't the work. It was a habit.
Building things on the side.
One of those side projects became an AI-powered IELTS mock test tool I designed and built for a UK partner. It won its own awards, and gave me a graceful exit from the agency world in 2023.
"The other side project was coffee." ↑ this one's still going.
I started brewing specialty at home while still in corporate, and opened @caffeinatedjoe in December 2021 — mostly to learn in public. That turned into Delhi Coffee Collective, which I co-founded with a friend in November 2023. Two people in a room. Now 1000+ members strong, with monthly meetups, workshops, and a network that stretches into coffee communities across other Indian cities.
Spillinbean began inside that world — first as an Instagram Live series. Baristas, cafe owners, growers, home brewers, anyone in the coffee value chain willing to talk shop. 40+ guests, 20+ episodes, a lot of messy honest conversation later, the format wanted to be bigger than coffee. In September 2025 I relaunched it as Spillinbean — a proper F&B podcast.
Expect relaxed conversations. I'll have done my homework. I'll ask the questions the audience actually wants answered — not the polished ones.