Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Niko Dimitrijevic, co-owner of Yellow Light Coffee and Donuts, located in Detroit, MI, USA.

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

I own and operate Yellow Light Coffee and Donuts on the eastside of Detroit, in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood. We make donuts from scratch every day, roast our own coffee, and offer breakfast-style sandwiches on biscuits. We are a drive-thru-only business at the moment located on Jefferson Ave, a busy thoroughfare, on the Detroit city limits adjacent to Grosse Pointe. The bulk of our customers is from these two immediate surrounding environments.

I live in Jefferson-Chalmers; my staff is mostly from this neighborhood and are all Detroiters; it was really important at the onset of this place for it to be a reflection of the neighborhood, both in who works here and the approachability of the products we offer. We essentially set out to make as high-quality a product as possible at the most reasonable price possible. This is where the name Yellow Light comes from trying to find a middle ground between the small-batch craft items at a boutique-style place that is pricey versus mass-produced items you'd find at a chain that often sacrifices the quality of ingredients for scale and economy.

Tell us about yourself

I have two business partners, Jacques and Christine Driscoll, who are in the foodservice industry. My background was predominantly in the arts prior to this business. I spent ten years in the Seattle area and fell in love with coffee there and always wanted to start roasting it myself, which I eventually did but just at a small scale. The three of us had been talking about doing something together for a very long time; they had the building in which we are currently located, so we had that, and the idea of it starting with coffee and everything else followed as we began to conceptualize what this place could be. That conceptualization has never really stopped, and thinking about how to grow and refine our business on all fronts continually is what keeps this place an interesting thing to be a part of, I think, for everyone involved.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Well, the pandemic and initial shutdown started the week literally before we were scheduled to open in March of 2020. We very slowly and incrementally pushed through doing business that first spring, adding product, staff, and days open as we could accommodate them through what was a surreal and confusing time for the entire world. The fact that we are still open, and have never actually opened our front doors still because we are a drive-thru, feels not just like a large accomplishment as a business owner but the single largest accomplishment of my life. There were a lot of dedicated individuals that made that possible. If this place closed today, it would still feel like a win because of making it through that initial run.

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

Knowing that every day you are going to have unknown challenges that will derail whatever plans you thought you might have had for the day, and how truly vulnerable small-business is on a day to day/week to week/month to month basis. That's two things, but they are kind of the same...

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

  1. Have strong systems in place from the beginning for your staff, production, and general overhead. Keep detailed records of these things and understand where you do and don't have flexibility. Hence, you are able to adjust systems accordingly.

2&3. Create a healthy and positive environment that supports your staff and maintains morale, understand and be part of your immediate environment and be a positive influence on your local community. I truly believe if these two things are in place, the rest follows.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Take a day off.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.yellowlightdetroit.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yellowlightdetroit/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellowlightdetroit/

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.