Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with John Clark, Roastmaster at Vienna Coffee Company, LLC, located in Maryville, TN, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are a "Craft" coffee roaster, providing responsibly sourced "specialty" coffee roasted in small batches and distributed in sustainable packaging to the better restaurants, cafes, and markets in East Tennessee and beyond.

Tell us about yourself

I am a Chemical Engineer who fell in love with great coffee while living and working in California. Upon returning home to Tennessee, I found a woefully underserved market for the highest quality "specialty" grade of coffee. I began to serve the local market better coffee, first as a hobbyist and then full-time in 2002. As word spread about better coffee available locally, we began to secure wholesale accounts with some of the best restaurants and small hotels around the Smoky Mountains.

What motivates me? Having someone new tell me every day that ours is the best coffee they have ever tasted!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Introducing world-class coffee to the local market. We've been named "The state's best coffee" and grown an enviable customer list among the state's best cafes and restaurants. We've entered and placed well in numerous nationwide coffee competitions. Most satisfyingly, we have grown a team of over 40 passionate coffee professionals serving hundreds of coffee lovers each day.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Balancing growth and cash flow is hard! It involves making hard decisions and choosing between numerous attractive opportunities, not all of which can be paid for at once.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Cash is King. Manage your cash every day. If you don't know where it's coming from, don't spend it!
  2. If cash is King, then Marketing is its Queen. You can't wait around for customers to find you. You must pitch your business and articulate your differences every day too!
  3. Your job, after growing beyond and being able to do it all yourself, is to set direction, provide resources and remove obstacles. Hire good people and let them do the work.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.viennacoffeecompany.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viennacoffee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viennacoffeecompany/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cafenginer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-clark-883261a/

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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