Ridin' with Bean
When entrepreneurs start their own businesses, they have to believe in themselves and their own abilities long before anyone else will follow. When they finally make the decision to set out and start their own business, their friends and family become the greatest assets. (There is no one else in this world that will beat the marketing drum harder than your own mother.) Word of mouth advertising is far and away the cheapest and most effective way to grow a business. Through the years, I have always relied on my friends and family to champion the Drip Cafe brand and help grow our little cafe.
After six months of sketches and scribbled out menus, in October of 2012 I got the first glimpse of where my life was headed. The idea of owning my own cafe was not just a dream, but instead a small, growing ray of light on the horizon. The conversation to purchase the used equipment in the Lantana Square cafe had begun. The unknown was staring me in the face as I pushed forward. As they say, the first step is the hardest.
As the conversation to open the cafe grew and intensified, I dove deeper into research. My childhood friend, Ben Bean, and I drove all over the Philadelphia area visiting coffee shop after coffee shop. We’d drink black coffee, espresso, and cappuccino. Then, with our hands shaking, we’d move on to the next spot. We studied menus and processes. We ate scones and fresh baked cookies as I took mental notes. I tried to learn something from every cafe we visited. Burlap & Bean, Ultimo, Bohdi Coffee, Square One, & Passenger Coffee were some of the places we sought out on our journey. When Drip Cafe finally opened in April of 2013, I could walk through the cafe and point out every little bit of inspiration that we cultivated from those trips. It’s great to see so many of these cafes have now grown into multiple locations as well.
These coffee excursions with Bean are some of my fondest memories of the early stages of Drip Cafe. It was a time of awe and inspiration; a time to believe in the impossible. As someone who I have always relied on and trusted, Ben became my first barista and supervisor at Drip Cafe. I am beyond grateful that I was able to share this experience with my lifelong friend.
GV