Coffee, Conversation, Community - yellowbird coffee car

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with John Peterson, Founder of yellowbird coffee car, located in St. Paul, MN, USA.

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

yellowbird coffee bar is a specialty coffee shop that also serves some of the best pastries, breakfast burritos, and sandwiches found in St. Paul.

Tell us about yourself

It all started about 20 years ago when I was talking with some family and friends. I said all this neighborhood needed was a coffee shop... fast forward about 15 years, and I was struggling as a principal of an alternative high school in north Minneapolis. I was also recovering from a life-threatening stroke and said that's it - I can't keep doing this... so that's when I started looking into opening a coffee shop.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Surviving the pandemic! It was real touch, and we went there for a while, but the neighborhood, our customers, really rallied around us...

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

Becoming really engrained in the neighborhood we're in... Lex-Ham is a wonderful place to live and work, and owning the coffee shop has brought me so much closer to so many things; it's all just awesome.

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

1. Believe that you are going to do it... don't listen to anybody who says you can't or won't.
2. Don't settle for anything less than what you want... in other words, don't be a cheapskate!
3. Have a support system in place that allows you to do this... this may mean a shoulder to cry on or a pocketbook to lean on, but find someone to hold onto.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.yellowbirdcoffeebar.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/yellowbirdcoffeebar/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellowbirdcoffeebar/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yellowbirdcoff1

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.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.