Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sam Jones, owner of 2%Jazz Coffee Inc., located in Victoria, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
2%Jazz Is a Social Benefit Company that works in coffee. We travel the coffee-growing world finding the right partners to grow with. Our policy for buying coffee is simple, meet the grower and work with them to share value and values. The producers will work to create the volume and quality that we need, and in exchange, we find out what their needs are and help get them to where they need to be. This usually means that we are paying 3-500 times the market price for the beans.
2%Jazz then looks to our own community and helps support it through active engagement with the arts, business leadership, and employee well-being. 2%Jazz is a leader in the Living Wage movement in Victoria and is active in pushing for and promoting government policies that help workers.
We do not take for granted that the economics are different between producing and consuming communities. These are both our communities, and we strive to look after them as best that we can through good socially conscious work.
Tell us about yourself
When I began 2%Jazz, I did so out of a love of hospitality and coffee. Twenty-five years ago, the specialty coffee market was just coming onto the scene. I saw this as an opportunity to do what I love, not to start a business. I knew nothing about how to run a business or pay taxes or anything! I was super ignorant about systems and business in general.
About 6-7 years ago, I had a business awakening; I realized that I knew nothing! I hired a business coach and started what was to become a new passion and labour of love, running a successful business. I quickly began to read every business book that I could get my hands on. I have not lost any of my passion for coffee or hospitality, but now I realize that without a solid business approach, I could not maintain my other passions. Running an ethical business has become my new passion. I wake up ready to lead, guide, and do what I do best...inspire others on my team to do great work.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is yet to come for sure. Up until today, though, I'd say that running a business that takes care of both its suppliers (farm-gate purchasing) and its employees (Living Wage employer) as a top priority is my biggest accomplishment. I tend not to look to what other companies have done and not compare my accomplishments to anyone else's. My success is my own and is always expanding and getting bigger based on its own merits. I have been able to raise a family of 5 on a single income for the last 25 years while providing good well paying jobs that have value and bolstering the livelihood of farmers around the world.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the most challenging things that I deal with as a business owner is human management. I love my staff, but managing them is best done by other people. I am great at managing my leadership team, but I struggle the most at managing individuals. I believe this is because my vision is always in the future, and seldom is it in the here and now.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- You can not do it all, so don't try. Find the right people to do the things that you are not good at or don't like doing (you will find these are the same things).
- Have a solid back-end structure for your business. Be organized! I suggest looking at a structure called EOS; there is a great book on EOS called Traction by Gino Wickman - must read!
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
If you are going to start a business, be sure that you are following a passion, even if that passion is just money! Always look to the future with open possibilities and look to your past only to see your accomplishments. Be grateful and collaborative; everything else will follow.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://2percentjazz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2percentjazz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2percentjazz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/2percentjazz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-jones-89843160/
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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