Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kara Finkelstein, co-founder of Lekker Coffee & Watering Hole, located in Denver, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our business is Lekker Coffee & Watering Hole! A mother-daughter owned and operated coffee shop serving booze, locally made pastries & Onefold burritos daily. Our customers are those who live in the RiNo neighborhood, those who love coffee, those who enjoy supporting family-run businesses, and, of course, those who want to help us in saving the rhinos as we donate 10% of our profits to the largest rhino orphanage and sanctuary in the world!
Tell us about yourself
I studied entrepreneurship in college, so it seems like starting a business has always been in the cards. My great grandmother started a bar in 1942 called Lloyd & Geri's in CA, which my grandpa and then my mom ran. After ten years of running the bar, I asked mom if she would move out to CO to open a business with me. I had just gotten back from volunteering at Care For Wild, the largest rhino orphanage in the world, located in South Africa. I wanted to find a way to give back to them and help out with the wonderful work they're doing. Care For Wild has partnered with Kruger National Park, so anytime a mother rhino is poached and can find the baby, they will bring them to their facility and introduce them to other orphans. Lekker is a slang word meaning tasty, great and/or fantastic in Afrikaans- a word that I learned during my time volunteering. We figured we would marry our love for customer service and animal conservation by opening Lekker Coffee. We're motivated by the customers that walk in each day- we want your coffee to be amazing every time, and we do our best to make that happen! We also love being able to donate back each quarter to a global issue that not many folks know about or have explored.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Opening a coffee shop that turned a profit in year one during a pandemic with my mom and husband!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The time it takes to run your business.. there never seems to be enough time in the day.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be prepared to work. We find that so many business owners open thinking they'll be able to work in the background and that it'll be easy. We've found that being at the shop every day for the first year was extremely helpful in us building the community and vibe we wanted to have when someone walked through our doors.
- Do your due diligence. Reach out to other business owners in the same field as you- ask them questions, meet with and learn from them.
- Know your audience. What differentiates you? We got that question from just about everyone during the two years of prep prior to us opening our doors. Know that people want to see something different. In our case, they seem to really enjoy the community and charitable pieces of our business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://lekkercoffeerino.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lekkercoffeerino
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lekkercoffee_rino/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lekker-coffee-rino/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.