Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Teri-Lynn Friesen, co-owner of Fête Ice Cream & Coffee, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We sell ice cream that we make completely from scratch in our shop! The recipes are inspired by our grandmothers, places we travel, and the people we love. We also serve expertly crafted coffees with beans roasted here in Canada by other Canadian companies.
Tell us about yourself
We both worked together at a dance studio as teachers. We were chatting one day about our respective dreams of building our own businesses. We both agreed ice cream and coffee made an excellent pairing. We were excited about the prospect of using our creative talents in a new way, so we decided to team up and build our business together.
We are extremely motivated by our staff- they are so young, hardworking, ambitious, and we want to create an amazing work environment for them to be in. We are also still very creative people, and we need to nurture that in ourselves- this business is an expression of our personalities, and the ability to create in a new medium is very motivating as well!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The biggest accomplishment has probably been continuing to be open despite the ups and downs of opening pre-pandemic! We are really proud of how resilient we have been, as well as proud of our ability to pivot so many times in order to stay in business. Our creativity has been tested!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things for both of us, but in different ways, was finding and creating our boundaries as business owners. We are both extremely committed to our business, but also to our families. Trying to find the right balance has been really tricky, but we are learning how to communicate through each obstacle that comes up so that we can respect each other's respective boundaries and also grow our business without burning out!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
It never becomes more than an idea until you start! Just start. You don't have to have it all figured out (though maybe write a business plan before throwing tons of money into it!). Start small- we went to tiny farmers' markets where it was safe to fail (and we did- one customer came back and said both items she bought were "NOT GOOD AND FAR TOO SWEET." We wanted to give up. But we kept tweaking, and now those two items are a couple of our best sellers! Finally, don't quit. It would have been way easier to quit many times into our journey, but we kept going despite all odds!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.feteicecreamcoffee.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feteicecreamcoffee/
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.
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