Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Autumn Pruitt, owner of Hardy Coffee Co., located in Omaha, NE, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
At Hardy Coffee Co., we understand that life is unbelievably full. Every day is chaotic. We need moments throughout that ground us. My husband, Luke, and I moved back to our hometown of Omaha, NE, and started a small bakery in 2010. In those early years, we subleased a kitchen and tiny storefront from Aromas Coffeehouse on the corner of 11th and Jones. A year and a half later, we purchased the coffee shop and have since opened three additional locations. In 2015, we began roasting our own coffee under the brand Hardy Coffee Co. We later brought every piece (bakery, coffee shops, roasting lab) and location (downtown, Benson, North Omaha, Chalco) of the business under that unified name. My maiden name.
To us, specialty coffee (and all that goes with it) isn't so much about indulgence but ritual–having places and moments and things in life that add value and create rhythm. We're open daily for our neighbors to grab a cup of coffee together, launch a business, schedule a study session, or meet up for a story-time playdate. It turns out that excellent coffee and baked goods make for a great excuse to get together and build something or simply unplug. We've also launched a drive-thru location because it doesn't always work to sit at a local coffee shop for these moments of ritual, and you shouldn't have to choose between good coffee and convenient coffee.
We make every menu item intentionally to fuel the difference-makers of our city and to partner with wholesale accounts across the region to do the same for the communities they know and love.
Tell us about yourself
In my experience, there is simply no more authentic way to bring people together than around great food. It is in these very simple and real moments that life happens. I think this is true in our homes and with the people, we love most, but there are fewer and fewer places in this world where we engage with strangers. When so much of the world is working remotely, more plugged into news outlets and social media than ever before, it's so easy to size up a person without ever meeting them.
But when you're in a shared space, when you are making small talk with your barista and borrowing a power cable from one table over, smiling at a cute baby, sharing change for the parking meter, when you are eating a cinnamon roll that was made by hand on the other side of the half-wall, it reminds us of our humanity. It reminds us of other people's humanity.
At Hardy Coffee Co., we understand that life is unbelievably full. So, we serve excellent coffee and baked goods. The kind that adds value to otherwise mundane mornings and peace of mind to otherwise hectic afternoons. We love getting to be part of our customer's special events. Every day, knowing that the details matter and connection are key. I'm motivated by so many things, but serving and connecting people around something delicious keeps me going every day.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think we've really created something that would be missed if it went away. We've worked really hard to help customers find rhythm and connection in their day for the past twelve years. Sometimes, a really good cup of coffee served by a friendly and familiar face is the highlight of an entire day. It's a simple pleasure, but not a remotely insignificant one. When the pandemic hit in 2020, our loyal customers truly showed up to support our small business and to champion the new products and ideas that we were forced to create. They voted with their dollars to sustain us through some pretty bleak days, and we're so thankful to be here still to serve them.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest part of being a business owner is when people leave. When we began in the business in 2010, I was my only employee. The people I added to that team over time became like family. We spent more time together within the walls of that bakery than we ever did outside of it. And so, when those first staff members left, it felt very personal. It felt like they were quitting me, not a job. I wanted to shout, "but this is our dream!" But it wasn't their dream. And we weren't actually family. We were a team of like-minded employees that grew and changed and worked hard, and they often went on to do other things.
And so, this is an area that I've had to really grow in over the years. I discovered the energy I had around an employee's resignation detracted from my gratitude for them and what we had been able to accomplish together. Also, when you think and hope that no one will ever leave, you don't prepare your systems and processes well for when they inevitably do. Now, we have so many success stories of people who started at Hardy and are now living their own small business dream. Sharon Manhart is now the signature muralist for every neighborhood in Omaha with Arbor Street Studios. Christina Mainelli, once our coffee trainer, is now full-time at her small business, Greenhouse Omaha. Barber is a full-time artist. Nina Austin left in 2020 to go full-time with her dog treat business, Love Yo Pup. Erick Landa is starting his own ice cream company. These are all entrepreneurs that we now partner shoulder-to-shoulder with for events and pop-ups, and projects.
I could go on and on. We had college students working their way through school that is now excelling in their field. Hannah and Andrew, two current executives in our company, left to work in counseling and healthcare and came back years later to lead at Hardy with even more experience and wisdom than before. When I started having a more open hand with my team, I grew the kind of business I wish I could have worked in before striking out on my own. And with enduring partnerships afterward and an open door to come back. Of course, we still make mistakes.
And other times, people leave because it's not a good fit. And some people leave for harder reasons. To take care of dying parents or their own mental health. And if I make their resignation about me, that's just not fair, and it makes it so I can't show up with empathy and support at that moment when work is simply not the most important thing.
It's such a hard balance, especially in this current labor market. And not all employees are created equal. Some positions and people are simply harder to replace, but I am at my best when I work hard to create the kind of organization people want to be a part of and act with humility, humanity, and grace when they don't anymore.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- You have to know that it's going to be hard. If you think it shouldn't be, then you'll believe that you're doing something wrong.
- Find other business owners and leaders to share life with. Not a lot of people, but the right people to spend time with on purpose. To share a meal or a bottle of wine with. To be included by. In my experience, sometimes these women had good advice, but most of the time, it was simply spending time together and knowing we were solving similar problems that helped lift my anxiety and not feel isolated in it all.
- Drink good coffee.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Hardy now has over 60 employees on the team who strive to create connections in their community through excellent products and approachable experiences. The Pruitts also parent a couple of cute kids, Lawson (6) and Sawyer (3). They are actively working on perfecting their latte art and mopping technique.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.hardycoffee.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hardycoffeeco
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardycoffeeco/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardycoffeeco
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/autumn-pruitt-0562a99a/
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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