One thing I always suggest to my small business brothers and sisters is to, whenever possible, “do the opposite.” For instance, when everyone else is flooding Facebook or Instagram with ads, it is probably a good time to look to advertise elsewhere.
As none other than Warren Buffet has said (paraphrasing here), “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”
The reason for this is such smart small business advice – especially now, especially post-pandemic – is that by being even just a tad unconventional, you open all sorts of new avenues, markets, marketing options, and possibilities.
And you do so with less competition because the competition is elsewhere.
So when I heard that Ashley Cronk was planning to open a coffee house on the beach in San Diego in 2020 – in the middle of the pandemic, when gathering in person wasn’t exactly popular – I thought she just might be on to something.
Indeed she was. Big time.
At a time when the whole world was pivoting online, Cronk decided to pivot offline and Pump Coffee was born. Surprisingly (or maybe not, right?) it thrived from the start and continued to be successful.
There are several reasons for this, but the first is that Pump Coffee is probably the coolest coffee house in San Diego.
The first thing you read on Pump’s website is not something about some sale or today’s roast, but “Rise well rested and ready to take on the day with warmth, love and gratitude in your heart.”
The second thing you read is, “Surf through your day with ease, do what you love.”
So yeah, Pump Coffee is different.
Cronk decided to start a business where people could congregate – and during a pandemic – because he had been laid off, had a lot of free time to think, and realized that his favorite job had ever been when she was a barista. She loved coffee, loved community and loved connecting with people.
“Coffee spots are places where people are happy,” she told me. “I also noticed that, while everything was closed at that time, there were lines around the block to get coffee.”
So she wrote a business plan, put together some startup capital from her own savings and retirement funds and that of her fiancé, and found the perfect little location on the boardwalk in Pacific Beach.
Determined to be unique and better than any of her competitions, Cronk was committed to serving only small batches, craft coffee of the highest quality. As they say at Pump, “we rigorously vetted coffee roasters all over the West Coast to ensure quality and truth in every cup. And so we love you for supporting local, supporting direct trade, and doing what YOU love!”
The coffee shop certainly is a labor of love. You can feel it when you talk to Cronk, you can see it when you go into her café, you can hear the voices of the sweet community she has fostered, and you can taste it in every cup.
And just think, she did all that by not listening to the conventional wisdom.
Maybe it’s time for you to do the opposite too?
Today’s tip: If you are looking to create your own startup, especially if you are working on a tight budget, you might want to check out my popular Shoestring Startup course. Even better? We are offering a free preview right now.
