Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Michael McPherson, Founder of KAKAO Ceremonial Drinking Chocolate, located in Phoenix, AZ, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My wife and I have been the leading manufacturers globally of ceremonial-grade drinking chocolate since our inception in 2017. As a 501c3 nonprofit, we produce ceremonial-grade drinking chocolate from native, heirloom cacao beans sourced from small family farms in the remote jungles of Guatemala and Peru. In honor of the families we work with, we practice direct trade, ensuring our farmers set their prices and determine what their time, energy, and labor are worth, rather than the "Big Chocolate" industry deciding for them. Our mission as an organization is two-fold to protect wild, native strains of cacao while supporting and uplifting the farmers that cultivate them and to introduce the power of ceremonial-grade drinking chocolate to the world at large for the betterment of humanity and our planet. Our customers are men and women all over the world looking to bring their energy out of their heads and into their hearts and lead a more intention-filled life.
Tell us about yourself
My wife was the first person to introduce me to ceremonial-grade drinking chocolate. Not long after she placed that cup of cacao into my hands, I found myself unexpectedly expressing my feelings for her. Ever since that day, I knew there was something extra special about truly ceremonial-grade cacao. That day, that warm cup of cacao brought me straight into my heart, and my expression from my heart toward my beloved totally changed the trajectory of my life. I have seen this happen time and time again with those called to work with ceremonial cacao. When people drink KAKAO, their lives transform for the better, and I just so happen to be a living testimonial to that. My wife and I's relationship has always been at the core of this business. To this day, my love for her is still my number one motivation. The countless community members we've collected along the way, the native cacao that's been protected from extinction, the farmers whose lifestyles have been preserved for generations to come, and the people I've witnessed totally transform their lives through their work with ceremonial-grade drinking chocolate is all just a cherry on top for me.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is creating an organization that values heart, intuition and doing what's right just as much as it does business success. We never make sacrifices or cut corners for profits. Everything we do is in reciprocity with the land and the people that we work with. To scale this business internationally, with distribution in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, has been no small feat. But to do so while maintaining our values as an organization has been nothing short of phenomenal.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner is finding partners in every area of the business that share the values as you do. So much of industry these days is all about the bottom dollar, P&Ls. But when you work your business consciously, you actually get to grow as a person alongside the organization. The business, in a sense, reaches back and begins working on you, which brings with it the opportunity to get present to the greed, insecurity, survivalism, and tribalism still driving your actions in business. It also makes the journey of operating a business much more fulfilling. The business can only grow as much as the people inside it do. That being said, we love working with entrepreneurs that are invested in their personal growth just as much as they are in their business growth.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Firstly, don't do anything unless you're absolutely obsessed with it. The days are long, and the challenges are many. Your love and passion for what you do are what will get you through the most difficult of challenges. If you're not totally obsessed with the opportunity, don't even begin.
Secondly, solve your own problems! Be your number one customer. No one drinks more ceremonial-grade cacao than me! Run with business ideas that are actually applicable to your life. My wife and I are all about restoring the heart in families, businesses, relationships, and creativity, so we started a company entirely devoted to that. When people drink KAKAO, their hearts open, and their lives change for the better. That will never get old to me. I'll be serving ceremonial-grade cacao when I'm 90.
Lastly, let your business present itself to you. We all have dharma we're here to unfold in this lifetime. When we're not busying our minds with what we should be doing, what everyone else is doing, and what we think is going to make us successful, we can actually hear the whispers of Spirit. It talks to us in subtle nudges and intuitive inspirations. When we really listen, we release "the struggle" and "the grind" for something much more novel, the life purpose and path we were always destined to lead. People will tell you there's no place for intuition in business. I will argue that your intuition and internal knowing is actually your greatest asset in business. Use it often and in all aspects of your business, especially when deciding who to work with and who not to work with. Meet them, shake their hands, and trust what you feel in your heart and body.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.flykakao.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kakaodrinkingchocolate/
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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