This month, Texas Coffee School turns 16. That’s a fully licensed-driver of creating, refining, and elevating our coffee business education programs.
Our own journey as a small business has been anything but a straight road. As entrepreneurs, we know that every phase of business comes with unique challenges–from idea to start up to growing through hurdles. “How can we possibly make this work?” is a question we gotten to know intimately through the past 16 years.
When Debbie and Derek Peris moved their coffee roastery from Washington all the way to a small town in Louisiana, they had no idea that the coffee shop they would soon open there would land them in Travel and Leisure.
Now, two and a half years after opening Brick Street Coffee in a renovated hardware store, Debbie knows that the cross-country move and long renovation were all worth it.
Entrepreneurship can be a successful family affair. For these coffee shop owners, that’s exactly what they set out to create: a space where their family could build together, work together and leave a lasting legacy in their community.
If you’re considering opening a coffee shop with a family member, find inspiration from our former students. Spouses, siblings, parents, or adult children– it’s possible the best business partner for you is living under the same roof.
Let’s face it. When you’re in the process of launching a business, a budget is your best friend. Along the road to opening, there will be many important investments you’ll need to make: education, build-out, equipment, professional services, hiring, and more. Finding smart cost-savings along the way will make it possible to invest where it really matters.
When we say cost-savings, we’re not only talking about money. We’re also talking about time.
A new year has a way of bringing clarity. For many aspiring coffee business owners, the start of a new year is when an idea that has been quietly growing finally demands attention. What finally turns that spark of an idea into a flame? Sometimes, it’s timing. Or, it can be a newfound purpose, a need for change, or the desire to build something meaningful for yourself and your community.
The stories below come from real Texas Coffee School students who turned those feelings into action.