Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Scott Lyttle, owner of Tea Zaanti, located in Salt Lake City, UT, USA.

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

Tea Zaanti is Salt Lake's only Tea and Wine Café! If you're looking for a comfortable place to socialize that isn't the bar scene or an expensive restaurant, come check out our award-winning outdoor patio or unique indoor seating area. Discover your next favorite sip from 85+ varieties of premium loose-leaf tea, wine, & espresso, or build your own charcuterie board from our market. This is Not Your Typical Cafe. Come find out why!

Our customers range from seniors catching up over a cup of tea to folks drinking wine and playing cribbage to local artists working on their next piece enjoying matcha. Tea Zaanti is here for the entire communi-TEA!

Tell us about yourself

My wife, Becky, and I took over Tea Zaanti five years ago. Tea Zaanti was a very small boutique tea shop with excellent tea, but not many customers! I'd always wanted to have a small cafe and feed off of that energy. Becky works locally to help us continue to create our dream space. In September 2019, we purchased a beautiful old house in the heart of Sugar House, a business district in Salt Lake, and remodeled it for six months. We opened in March 2020, and we all remember what happened in March of 2020 - the global pandemic hit, and we had to shut our doors three days after opening. We've spent the last two years focusing on slowly growing the business and maintaining an incredible staff. We just now feel like we are starting to get a good rhythm.

I'm motivated by communi-TEA energy; I get up every morning and open the shop because I'm excited to see folks out and about, studying, having conversations, and having laughs. Tea Zaanti's space is for everyone to enjoy and have fun!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

The biggest accomplishment as a business owner happens on a daily basis. It can come from an incredible tea conversation with a customer or a great laugh with an employee or a five-star review or bringing an order to a table. They have just loved the space and connecting with each other. As I continue to grow with Tea Zaanti, our accomplishments continue to mount the further we are engrained in Sugar House, in Salt Lake City, in Utah.

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

The hardest thing about owning a small business is that the job is 24/7, and everything sits on your shoulders. Unfortunately, there aren't others to blame!

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

  1. Be passionate about the business or industry; you will be spending a ton of time working and learning in the space.
  2. Have a long runway; everything will cost more than you expect, and sales will always be slower than forecast.
  3. Have a trusted sounding board for ideas, problems, and direction. Becky has always been the voice of reason to keep Tea Zaanti on track.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Owning a business is more than a job, so make sure you are creating something that you will always be excited about.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.teazaanti.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeaZaanti
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teazaanti/

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.