Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jordan Ohara, founder, and CEO of Windansea Coffee, located in San Diego, CA, USA.

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

Morning Wakes Without The Shakes! We believe coffee should be experienced without all the jittery side effects! By infusing CBD oil into the naturally-occurring oils of the coffee bean, we can alleviate the "coffee jitters" while providing all the physical benefits of CBD. Our customers are anyone with a love/hate relationship with coffee, in that they love how it tastes but hate feeling anxiety and jitters from the caffeine. We also market to anyone seeking the benefits of CBD but are looking for a more convenient way to take it. Now taking your CBD is as easy as sipping your morning brew.

Tell us about yourself

I started this business to educate and provide natural wellness alternatives for veterans who disproportionately experience physical and psychological trauma from their service. I trained in the Navy as a special forces medic when an injury drastically altered my life and career path. Plant medicine and holistic wellness were integral to my own recovery. When I saw personally how badly some veterans were affected by their disabilities, I was inspired to pay it forward and provide access. For this reason, we donate 3% of revenue to veteran non-profits that help vets heal through surf therapy. I am motivated each day, knowing that I am doing everything I can to normalize cannabis use for veterans and educate them on holistic therapies over pharmaceuticals.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner has been growing my brand over the past three years without any external investors and surviving through the pandemic. It's been truly incredible seeing this company evolve from my courtyard, where I was experimenting with a 2lb coffee roaster to figure out how to roast and infuse beans, to building and leading multifaceted teams in design, production, and marketing, to finally seeing where we are at today with hundreds of returning customers, distribution through natural grocers, and thousands of dollars raised for veteran charities.

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

One of the hardest things about being a business owner is constantly facing difficult problems that don't have clear answers. I have a Master's degree in business. While it definitely has helped prepare me for the types of problems I might face, it's impossible to fully prepare for the dynamic and unique issues you face as a founder. Trying to utilize the traditional digital marketing tools to market CBD products has been a tactical challenge that's required a great degree of creativity and resilience. Basically, everything about building a business from the ground up is hard, haha, but it's some of the most rewarding and exciting work I've done since serving in the military. I am energized to get up and charge forward every day because I believe in the mission. We are changing lives by providing education and access to natural wellness therapies and amazing coffee and tea.

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

  1. 1.) Just start. It's never going to be perfect. You're never going to be ready, but you'll always regret that you didn't try. So just start. You'll learn on the job. Just be confident that you are good enough to build your dreams. You deserve it.
  2. 2.) Have a clear value proposition, target market, and mission statement. What pain points are solved? Who is your ideal customer? And what is your "Why"? Knowing these things and continually refining them as you get feedback is how you find a good product-market fit. It builds the foundation for your business.
  3. 3.) I believe in the concept of extreme ownership. At its core, it means that you, as the founder, are ultimately responsible for everything that occurs within the business. It is tempting to attribute setbacks to the failings of other people or to circumstances that are out of your control. This is false. You are the only one responsible for the performance of your team. It is your responsibility to lead your team to victory and to win at all costs. If your team sees the degree to which you claim ownership of your job, they will be inspired to take extreme ownership of their jobs. Don't look for excuses; look for solutions.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

This is maybe a small point, but I'd want to make it clear that we sell more than just coffee. We sell teas, topicals, adaptogenic mushroom tinctures, brewing equipment, and apparel. Oh, and we also sell all coffees without CBD as well, so if you're just looking for premium coffee that supports a good cause, we have something for you too. All of our products are available on our website at www.windanseacoffee.com.

Where can people find you and your business?

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

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.