In The News: Wisconsin Small Business Development Center spotlight - Barbell Coffee
Each month, the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center features a small business in their monthly newsletter. Barbell Coffee Owner and Roaster Ender Göçmen (pronounced goach-men) was featured for their December 2022 edition.
Q: Why did you start this business?
A: Growing up, my family owned and operated our own business. It was a family restaurant, and everyone in the family had a role in running the business (even the kids). I liked being a part of that, and it introduced me to what it means to run a business, and how it's different from working a "standard" job. That said, I've had plenty of jobs since then. From basic labor, sales, customer service, management, director, creative, writer, etc... But I've always had a pull to start my own business, and I didn't want to spend the rest of my life asking, "What if?" So Cassie - my wife - and I decided together to take the first step in starting our business. As far as starting a specialty coffee business, we love coffee! We love fresh-roasted, specialty coffee even more. There's such a difference between what you can get on the shelf of your local grocery store (or order online) vs what you can get from a local coffee roaster who takes the time to research, select, and perfect their coffees and roasts. Not to mention offering super fresh roasted coffee, which is a big piece for us. It's a world of difference, and we - my family and I - wanted to share that with people by making it approachable and accessible for folks - both from a price and expertise standpoint.
Q: What is a challenge you have overcome?
A: There are a ton of challenges when starting a business. Your product or service is just one part. There's costs, construction and build out, web and digital spaces, business planning, marketing, relationship building etc. But figuring out and completing all of the necessary licensing and permits was the most challenging. While there are a lot of resources out there, there are lots of different regulations and rules that need to be met to start a business (federal, state, county and local). That said, UW River Falls has an awesome resource right here with the SBDC (and I'm not just saying that because we're being featured in the newsletter!) that served as a great resource for me. Everyone I spoke to was patient and more than willing to help. And if they didn't know the answer, they would point me in the direction of someone that could help.
Q: What are you most proud of so far?
A: The amount of people I've been able to make smile from enjoying a fresh roasted specialty coffee. I take pride in the fact that whether someone is ordering one bag from our website or 10 bags on a monthly subscription, each customer gets the same level of attention and care and roast-to-order specialty coffee!
Q: What are 3 tips for those thinking of starting their own business?
A: First and foremost, don't overthink everything. Don't get trapped in analysis paralysis where everything needs to be perfect before you take the next step. It seems simple, but it's easy to get trapped in needing everything to be perfect. Keep moving forward everyday. That said, make sure you take care of any licensing or other federal, state, and local stuff, and don't cut corners on quality and safety.
Second, use your resources. There are hundreds of resources available at the federal, state, local, and hyper-local level to help you.
Third, don't sweat the losses (...too much). You're going to lose. You're going to make mistakes. You're going to get rejected. Learn from it, but don't dwell on it.
Q: Why have you been successful?
A: While there's still certainly work to be done and there are many factors and life experiences that have contributed to this moment in my life, I have been successful thus far with Barbell Coffee Co. because of the support of my wife, Cassie. I absolutely would not have been able to do it without her support. Sure. I can do the work. I've been working hard my whole life. I can build, I can research, I can design, I can roast coffee, I can get my hands burned from 400 degree coffee beans and keep going (...rookie mistake early on!!), I can meet with businesses, serve customers, write business plans...the list goes on and on. For me, it's just work. Put in the hours and you get the result. But she brings a level of bravery and fearlessness to the job that I could have never gotten on my own. I...and by "I" I mean "we," would simply not be where we are at without her support.
Then of course, there's family, friends, the community, our customers, and the support I received from business resources and other professionals willing to help and answer my - seemingly endless - questions! Everyone is an essential piece to our success. They help us grow. And in turn, we help the community grow and thrive and add to the cultural make-up of the St. Croix Valley area.
All that being said, I truly thank God everyday for all of the opportunity and ability to even have a chance at being successful.
Find the Wisconsin SBDC’s December 2022 newsletter here.