Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kathy Ruiz, Owner of Feel Good Coffee Lounge, located in Miami, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Feel Good Coffee Lounge is a unique place where you'll find the best specialty coffee in all of South Florida! Feel Good helps people feel good with RX lattes, coffee classics, and healthy bites! Fresh, made-to-order açai bowls, avocado toasts, sandwiches, paninis, all-day breakfast items, and more!
What sets Feel Good apart from the rest? Not only does Feel Good serve specialty coffee and fresh, made-to-order meals, but we also serve unique lattes known as "RX specialty lattes," each targeted to deliver a specific health and wellness benefit. From the rose, targeted for improved cardiovascular health, to the charcoal, targeted to release toxins from the liver, they offer unique and original lattes not commonly found in South Florida.
The commitment made by Feel Good is to only serve high-quality coffee along with everything else that is consumed. We cordially encourage you to peruse Feel Good's exceptionally distinctive, wholesome, and fresh menu to get a better understanding of what makes the Feel Good brand so satisfying.
Tell us about yourself
Feel Good Coffee Lounge is a long-awaited dream that has finally come to reality. I am a Miami local and a first-generation Colombian American lady. It all began through my passion for the coffee business. I am an accountant by trade, and I have specialized in the coffee industry in South Florida for several years.
Working with small and large coffee buyers and distributors in South Florida, I decided to start the Feel-Good brand. My dream began ten years ago with a single thought, and after almost two years of saving money, diving deep into the world of specialty coffee, and promoting the brand through farmers' markets across South Florida and especially through social media, they have finally set roots in the ever-growing area of Hialeah Gardens, FL.
I had a big and clear vision for creating a specialty coffee lounge. My unique place brings revitalizing natural healthy foods together with the highest quality coffee and specialty beverages, fantastic service, and a unique environment, or what they like to call "Feel Good Vibez."
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
One of my biggest accomplishments as a business owner is seeing how a long-term dream can be converted into reality when you have a burning desire to plan your dream on paper and pursue it, despite any fears or limiting beliefs one may have. I decided to no longer be led by fear but by faith. It's amazing what life can potentially be when I take a chance on myself.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is balancing a work-life balance. There's nothing more meaningful than family and business. But, unfortunately, both require a lot from a person. And as a result, it can be challenging to balance them both.
However, over time, I have learned to take small steps toward adding personal self-care by following certain practices and routines into my work-life balance, as launching and managing a business is a huge undertaking.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
The top 3 tips I can advise anyone looking to start, run, and/or grow a business today are:
- First, create a strong business plan, follow it as much as possible, but not be afraid to steer off the plan to make your business grow.
- My second tip is to never stop creating and finding ways to improve a business, as these changes can lead to growth.
- My third tip is to launch a business you are passionate about. If you have a vision for a potential business that provides value, serves people, and fills a missing gap in the community, chase it. The vision was given to you and no one else.
However, I advise you not to romanticize your business because if you have to let it go, you won't hold on for too long and dig yourself deeper into debt than you have to. Instead, let it go and return to the drawing board to recognize the patterns and dips in failure, as the answers to corrections are found in the dips. Recognize the patterns that require change and use them to create a new pattern that can potentially lead to growth. This is the pathway to power and success in any business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.fgcoffeelounge.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fgcoffeelounge/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FGcoffeelounge/
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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