We’re all familiar with the “pay it forward” concept–when the person ahead of you in line buys your cup of coffee. That $4 gesture can make your morning a little brighter and your smile a little bigger. There’s plenty of other ways to improve the lives of people around you, and it often starts with simply being kind. Megan Harden and Alex Pikul, cousins and Texas Coffee School Coffeepreneurs®, built their entire coffee business on this idea: introducing Fairhope,
A Motorcycle Garage Sees a Business Growth Opportunity
Not long ago, Pop’s Garage Fabrication was a busy motorcycle repair and fabrication shop in Roswell, Georgia. The business occupied one half of a 10,000 square foot building in a high-trafficked area, dense with car and motorcycle dealerships. Business partners Colin McDonald and Gordon Erickson saw a business growth opportunity when their direct neighbor, a kitchen and bath store owner, decided to retire and sell his half of the building.
Meet Shannon Neffendorf, co-founder of Oak Cliff Coffee, father of four, coffee origin aficionado, and friend of Texas Coffee School. His love for coffee culture was birthed in Milan, where he observed crowds of people laughing at coffee bars and a refreshing absence of laptops. In 2006, Shannon began roasting green coffee beans on a stove top whirly pop. By 2008, he and his new wife, Jenni, were roasting beans on a gas grill and selling coffee to the neighbors.
Many of our incoming coffee business students ask us for a successful coffee shop to study as they create their own business plan. In 2020, we shared success stories from some of our former students who have recently opened coffee shops. We showcased the resilience, business savvy, and innovation of small business owners throughout the country. These Coffeepreneurs® did more than keep their businesses alive in a roller coaster year. They found ways to thrive.
Kim Vanderpol and Cate Kelly met when they were two years old. As kids, they grew up on the beaches Jupiter, Florida. As teens, they traveled together as competitive surfers. And now, they’re the owners of Carve Surf and Coffee, in Tequesta, Florida, right on the beaches they grew up surfing together. Carve’s coffee shop concept is a direct extension of Kim and Cate’s lifestyle.