Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bob Goodpaster, co-owner of Best Friends Coffee & Bagels, located in Brownsburg, IN, USA.

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

Best Friends Coffee & Bagels is the name of our business. My Best Friend (Chico Mbanu) and I opened this Cafe in July 2018. We have a traditional Coffee & Espresso menu with many fun extras like Flavored Cold Brew Coffee Flights and our Signature Pick-Me-Up Flights!

Our customer base is literally everyone! Chico and I are very proud of this! Best Friends is a place for EVERYONE! We welcome everyone with open arms regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religious background, political preference, or social status. We love everyone, and we treat everyone like family. Best Friends is a place for Friendship and Fellowship!

Chico and I have witnessed so many friendships develop in our Cafe. People from all backgrounds are having conversations and gaining a better understanding of one another! Best Friends is what Community is all about!

Tell us about yourself

Chico and I met in college at Purdue University back in 1998. We have been Best Friends for 24 years. Back then, we would always joke about our children growing up together and opening a business together someday! Who knew that nearly two decades later, I would pitch the idea of opening a coffee shop in Brownsburg to Chico during a Houseboat Party! He didn't even hesitate. He was in from the jump. The business name (Best Friends) was actually his idea. Chico is a coffee connoisseur, and I have Restaurant/Hotel Mgmt. Degree. We have worked really well together! Our motto has always been "Friendship over Business." Side Note: We live 30 minutes apart. I live in Brownsburg, and Chico lives in Zionsville. Our wives are great friends, and our children are all friends!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

We nearly folded three times before breaking through and finding success! We have worked really hard and endured many bumps and hardships along the way! Within our first few months, the business was struggling financially. Chico and I were actually paying our payroll out of our own personal checking accounts until I nearly went broke. We survived through that only to be smacked down by the Pandemic TWICE! Fortunately for us, the great people of Brownsburg stood by us and refused to let us wither away! Now...here we are...four years later, and we have people traveling over two hours and waiting in our long (but quick) line to order our famous coffee & Espresso creations and our popular Bagel Sandwiches! To say that Chico and I feel truly Blessed would be an understatement!

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

Currently, inflation is making things very difficult for us! Food and Beverage prices are so high right now, and we do not get Starbucks pricing from our distributors! We have had to raise our menu prices a little bit to avoid losing money. We really hated doing that but really had no choice. We understand that our customers are going through the same struggles with rising prices that we are as a business!

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

  1. Social Media is KING when it comes to Marketing and Advertising!
  2. Be Humble! Allow your employees room to grow and thrive. Be open to taking ideas and making changes based on your employees' suggestions. Get to know your staff and treat your employees like valued human beings.
  3. Get Back to Good Customer Service! Value your Customer Base, and they will Value You!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I would like to give a BIG SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU to our GM (Juan), our Management Team (Katrina, Tristen, and Valentin), and our Amazing Staff that keeps our customers coming back (Sydney, Cheryl, Josie, Paige, Daysia, Jeannie, Lydia, Jake, Shelby, Becca, Riehley, Justin and Bryson). The Best Friends Crew is WORLD CLASS!!!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://bestfriendscoffee.mobilebytes.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/bestfriendscoffeespirits
https://www.facebook.com/bestfriendscoffeeandbagels/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestfriendscoffeebagels/


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.

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