We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Toya Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Toya below.
Hi Toya, thanks for joining us today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.
There’s something different about reading about a recession… and actually living through one.
In 2012, I was in it.
I had just walked away from a corporate management position to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. I believed in what I was building. I believed in myself. And then the economy came to a halt.
That same year, as a first-time brick-and-mortar owner, I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life—I closed my doors. Just like that, I was out of work. I went back to what I knew.
I worked for my dad, a brick and block contractor. I dug holes for foundations. I carried brick and block. I cleaned job sites. I mixed concrete. I did whatever needed to be done. But even in that season… I never stopped dreaming about reopening my coffee shop.
One weekend, there was no work. The bills were paid—but my bank account was at zero. I had $5 in my pocket.
So I made a decision. I bought something for $0.50… and flipped it for $5. Then I did it again. And again. Until I had enough to print flyers and place a $35 ad in the Trading Post.
I advertised services I knew how to do—leaf removal, pressure washing, painting.
While I waited for that ad to do its thing, I went to work. I plastered flyers everywhere. I walked into businesses. I knocked on doors. A week later, I got my first call.
A pressure washing job—$500. Then another call. Painting—$200 per room. Three rooms. A $200 tip.
And just like that… something shifted. The calls kept coming. Word spread. I was still working with my dad when needed, but I was building something of my own at the same time.
I bought a pickup truck and built a crew. And I noticed something—I was the only woman I knew doing this kind of work.
That didn’t stop me. It fueled me. Through connections, referrals, and consistency, I started working with realtors. Then more realtors. Then bigger projects.
$5,000.
$10,000.
And up.
I made it official—formed my LLC, got licensed and insured, and built my property maintenance company from the ground up.
I became one of the main contractors for MKB Realty. At that point, I was earning $100 an hour. The workload was nonstop. My crew expanded. I began subcontracting jobs because there was more work than I could personally handle.
But the goal never changed. I still wanted my coffee shop. So, I made another move. I took my surplus funds and bought a small bus… and turned it into a fully functional food truck. Within three months, between private and public events, I was bringing in $3,000 a week, on top of making $100/HR with my property maintenance company.
I used that money to fund my vision.
That food truck became the foundation for everything that followed:
A coffee shop.
A restaurant.
A listening lounge.
And multiple other food concepts.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I am Toya Jones. My businesses are Black-Owned, Women-Owned and Queer-Owned.
Verses (Roanoke, VA) is a collaborative space for creatives to create. We host at least two events per month. Our foundation is art based. We curate Paint & Sips, Spoken Word & Poetry Events, Comedy Shows, Art Shows, Festivals, Workshops, Pop Up Markets for local businesses and so much more. We are community driven.
Drip Tasting Room (Roanoke, VA) is a space that allows individuals to slow down. It’s a curated tasting room offering self-guided coffee, tea, and wine tastings-designed to educate and bring people together in a fun way.
Before I was anything, I was a creative. A writer. I started writing poetry when I was 9. Although at 9, I didn’t have a clear understanding of what poetry truly was, I knew that I liked the way I could make words come to life and make them dance across my paper. Because of my love for writing, I became fascinated with coffee shops. It was in coffee shops that I could sit with myself and allow my mind to run free. I would sit at coffee shops for hours and hours-writing and thinking and then I would write some more. I love the vibes that coffee shops give. I love the music. I love the smells and I love how it makes me feel. Grounded. Aligned and real.
I remember thinking to myself, one day, I’m going to open a coffee shop so that I too can give people a safe space to create freely. I’ve traveled a lot and no matter where I ended up, coffee shop hopping always made the “Things to do” list.
Somewhere in between my love for writing and creating music, I picked up a passion for cooking and that fueled my desire to learn about the coffee culture even more.
When I sit back and think about what I endured then and where I am now…it’s so easy to give myself permission to say…”I am so proud of me.’ Every day, I am reminded of my “Why”…whether it’s a message through an email, a DM, a comment on social media or verbally. I share my story because I want people that are younger than me and young girls that look like me to know…If I can sign a lease for my coffee shop and restaurant to occupy a beautiful space in a $66 million dollar museum-so can they.
It’s so interesting because as a young girl, I always felt like I wasn’t very smart. I think many of these feelings stemmed from being separated from peers and placed in a classroom that “learned at a slower pace’. Looking back, sure I wish my parents would’ve challenged the school’s decision. I now know that I was shy, a major introvert and socially awkward at times and because I am this way, I didn’t have a desire to go to summer camps and or to college and live in dorms with strangers.
I shattered every doubt within me when I started living in my truth and not what others needed me to be. I built businesses from the ground up. I employed people. I mentored, I taught entrepreneurship classes and I spoke to kids about the culinary arts world. I continue to build businesses based on creating safe spaces and especially being sure to create safe spaces for Queer people.
Entrepreneurship takes desire, resilience, consistency, and discipline. You’ll get there. You just have to be willing to give it your undivided attention.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
To be an entrepreneur, you have to be hungry. I remember after opening my property maintenance company and designing my food truck concept, I lived in Barnes & Noble. I would read books on business as much as I could. I wanted to learn and I needed to know.
After opening my property maintenance company, it opened me open to another whole group of people. I befriended wealthy people. Millionaires and multi-millionaires. They were people that I texted on a regular basis. They were people that didn’t gate-keep and shared advice. They were realtors, engineers, investors, business owners, doctors and lawyers.
I would read self-help books that grabbed me.
My big thing was motivational videos on Youtube. I listened to them in the car-driving from one job site to another. I listened to them while I showered, at night before bed and the first thing when I opened my eyes.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I share this information with everyone who asks. It’s no secret that I started my business with absolutely nothing. Survival skills is nothing that one should have to brag about but because I used those skills, it saved me. I took $5 and turned it into $35 and used that money to advertise odd jobs. You know what they say? The rest was history.
I encourage people to read my story and then reach out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://versesroanoke.com
- Instagram: @versesroanoke
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/toya.jones.54
- Other: Tiktok
Verses: @versesroanoke
Drip Tasting Room: @driptastingroom
Toya Jones: @divine_enhergyIG
@driptastingroom
Toya Jones @divine_enhergy
