Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Zach Myers, owner of Mage Bros Coffee Roasters, located in Columbus, OH, USA.

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

Mage Bros Coffee is a one-man coffee roasting show based out of my home in Columbus, Ohio. All of our coffee is roasted to order, which gives us some freedom to customize what our customers want and take special requests (like roast levels). All our artwork is done by a local artist and my fiancée Helen Owens. Without her help, I don't see how Mage Bros Coffee would have come to be.

Our customers are friends, friends of friends, and we're just starting to reach a broader audience as word of mouth spreads. We've put no money into marketing or advertising - we've solely relied on good reviews and customers sharing their experiences to gain new business.

Our average customers range from people who are new to the specialty coffee world all the way to coffee critics. I've aimed to keep our identity somewhere in the middle where we are attractive to new coffee drinkers but still have something for those looking for a unique and complex coffee experience.

Tell us about yourself

I'm not very good at talking about myself. I'm also very hot and cold when it comes to picking up new hobbies or interests. I could be on fire for something one week and forget it exists the next. But coffee, in general, has been an ongoing, growing interest for me over the past 5-6 years. Not long ago, I couldn't name a coffee brand other than Folgers. As drinking coffee became increasingly engrained into my daily routine, I wondered, "how could I make this better?". If you're going to do something every day, why not have it be the best it could be.

This has led to a whirlwind rabbit hole from drinking specialty coffee, to buying a home roaster to play around, to making coffee good enough that you want to share it with your friends and family. And that was the main driver - I wanted to share this interest with others, and having people you don't know, who have nothing to gain by praising you, tell you how much they love what you do is the greatest feeling in the world.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I feel my biggest accomplishment is having repeat customers. Starting a brand is hard, and making people aware that you have a business is hard, but having customers who like your product enough to keep coming back takes the cake. I'm so overwhelmingly appreciative of everyone who continues ordering coffee from me - I try to let them know how much they mean to me and that their patronage does not go unnoticed.

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

One of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner is adapting to the market and unforeseen situations. Something I'm constantly up against is the availability of the raw coffee that I source. Some are not available year-round or will disappear unexpectedly. Finding suitable replacements to which I can match profiles to has become a norm I didn't expect.

There is also always the looming thought of profitability, yearly costs, and ideas of expanding. Knowing when to make the right moves when can be scary and rewarding.

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

Date a designer. Joking!

  1. Put as much of your own personality into your brand as you can. I want my business to also feel like me, which I think has gone a long way in drawing customer support and making Mage Bros Coffee feel different.
  2. Start small and minimize expenses. You don't need a storefront on the main street to have a business. Produce something from your house or apartment. Go to local markets and flea markets. Sell on Etsy. Don't think that you can't do something special because you don't have a brick-and-mortar or are not spending thousands on marketing.
  3. Find joy in what you're doing. You usually start a business for one of a few reasons. To make money, to do something you feel you can do better than anyone else, or to do something you love to do every day. Find what drives you and focus on doing it more. For me, it's the kind words people share - so I'm driven to make sure everyone has that amazing coffee experience they want to tell their friends about. I could run a cheeseburger business with that same model if people loved them so much.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Mage Bros Coffee is still very small and not even a year old. I'm not even sure how Go Solo found out about me or my business. But I'll take it as a sign that Mage Bros is still getting in front of new people every day. Who knows where the brand will go or what we'll do in the future. For now, we want to keep making great coffee and building trusting relationships with our customers. I hope you'll give us a try, and I greatly appreciate the opportunity to contribute to Go Solo. Thank you so much!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://magebroscoffee.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magebroscoffee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mage.bros/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharydeanmyers/

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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