Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tim Jones, owner of Liturgy Beverage Company LLC, located in Durham, North Carolina.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Liturgy Beverage is a beverage experience business. Some might call us a coffee shop or an espresso bar, but the core of what we do is creating and sharing beverage experiences with people. We primarily serve the people who love good coffee (mostly in the Central Park neighborhood) in downtown Durham NC. "Liturgy" derives from two Greek words and literally means "Work of the People." And that's what we're about: celebrating the hard work that goes into a cup of coffee and the hard-working people who enjoy our drinks. In addition to our physical space, we also curate a coffee subscription service to share those coffee experiences with people in their homes.
Tell us about yourself
I got started in the coffee business by accident. I worked in a media production job and wanted to interact with people, so I picked up a part-time job at a local coffee shop. When my company downsized, I went full-time in the coffee shop and have been in the coffee industry full-time since 2008.
When I was running someone else's coffee business in 2015, I really began to dream about creating my own company. My partner and I started Liturgy as a side hustle in the summer of 2016 and have worked to expand it into its current form since then. The people of our industry motivate me, especially the farmers and exporters around the world who work tirelessly to get great coffee to us. When we started, we knew that we wanted to create the kind of business we wanted to work for and the kind of space we wanted to go to.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Getting the doors open on our first retail space felt like a big accomplishment at the time, for sure. But as we've built this business, I think the accomplishment I'm most proud of is the customer experience we've created by valuing our team and our products and allowing our values to make the experience our guests love. We decided that we were going to build a business on values, and by sticking to those, we've seen an incredible welcome from our community. So I'd say building this business thus far without compromising our values has been the biggest accomplishment.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Honestly, one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is "not knowing what you don't know." Even as someone with a decade of experience in our industry, I had no idea about all the things I needed to learn to make a business work. That lack of knowledge can make or break a business.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First, know who your customers are before you try to sell them something. Who your customers determine what your business does. Basic market research is a start, but you really need to know what the needs you're trying to meet are.
Second, all business is about people. Find people who resonate with your values and empower them to run your business. People who believe in what you're doing will make your business work.
Third, growth isn't always linear. Sometimes you need to try something and be willing to let it go. We started and sold a sister business to our main brand and learned a lot from that experience that has helped us grow into the future.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
You have to understand the difference between working in your business and working on your business. There are seasons for both, but knowing the difference and being able to do both is the only way to grow a business. I highly recommend the short book by Michael Gerber, "The E-Myth Revisited," for any current or potential small business owner.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.liturgybeverage.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liturgybeverage/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liturgybeverage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LiturgyBeverage
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.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.