Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Arda Akin, co-owner of Aura, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are a cocktail lounge located at 686 Queen Street East. Our customers are anyone who enjoys balanced craft cocktails and a cozy, candlelit atmosphere.

Tell us about yourself

Our names are Arda and Andy Akin, and we are brothers. Growing up in Turkey, our dream was to open a business together in Canada related to the hospitality industry. Our parents are undoubtedly what got us started in this business. We spent a great deal of our childhood in the kitchen with our mother, entertaining guests. Our father was also an entrepreneur, so naturally, this bar is a merger of both business and entertainment.

What motivates us every day is a deep appreciation for the ability to do what we love. It wasn't easy to get here. We didn't have the money to open this business for years. I (Arda) worked as a Sea Captain, and Andy worked as a jewelry engineer on different sides of the world while we tried to raise the capital for this restaurant. We never gave up and practiced cocktails and recipes in our spare time. When we finally had enough money, we moved here and were hit by the pandemic. Finally, being open and doing what we love feels surreal, and we do not take a second for granted. Our customers are also such great people, and we love coming to work and interacting with them every day.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

We are still working towards our business accomplishments, but our biggest accomplishment to date would be surviving winter as a new business during the pandemic. It is difficult opening a business under normal circumstances, but we opened during the pandemic. We also did not have a large amount of savings to work with, so we renovated the entire space ourselves with the help of our friends. Opening and surviving the entire pandemic feels like a huge achievement for us at this point.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest aspects of being a business owner is the uncertainty. You never know what obstacles tomorrow will bring or how well you will be doing in the future.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Always keep some savings as a reserve fund, especially in the beginning. Ideally, you should save enough to last an entire year without making any income. If you can do that, you will alleviate so much unnecessary stress and guarantee that your business stays through the hard times.
  2. Keep your costs to a minimum while maintaining quality, and don't go broke trying to be perfect. Open your business, and then as you make money, put that money into improvements.
  3. Our most important piece of advice would be to have a supportive circle of friends and a really strong team. We were so overwhelmed by the support of our friends and family. They helped with every single aspect of our business. We can't say we have any friends who discouraged our dreams. Our team is also so invested in our success, and their talent and dedication always amaze us. You can't run any business completely alone, so the people around you are the greatest factor in your success.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We spoke so much about the difficult aspects of being an entrepreneur, but it is also incredibly rewarding to do what we love and work for ourselves. People can be incredibly discouraging, and it is easy to think of everything that can go wrong, but things can also go better than you ever imagined, and it is better to try than to dream of what could have been.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.auraofficial.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auratoronto/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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