We were lucky to catch up with Angeli Rodriguez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Angeli, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I am the owner of the Witty Whisker Cat Cafe in St. Augustine, FL. What is a cat cafe you ask? I am so glad you did. A cat cafe is a luxury adoption experience combining cats and coffee to create a delightful, relaxing space for the cat lover. Grab a delicious drink on our cafe side and then hang out with sweet, adoptable cats in our cat lounge.

I first discovered cat cafes in an article my mom gave me several years ago about a girl who quit her corporate job and traveled to Thailand where she discovered cat cafes. She loved the idea so much she opened her own cat cafe when she returned to the US. As soon as I read the article I too fell in love with the idea of a cat cafe and began researching and visiting American cat cafes to create my own business plan for the Witty Whisker. You can read more about my story in my book: “Drinks and Whiskers: How You Can Open a Successful Cat Cafe” (available on Amazon.)

Our mission at the Witty Whisker Cat Cafe is to provide a safe, clean, cozy, comfortable environment for people and cats to enjoy the benefit of each other’s company; and find their “fur-ever” friends.

Our vision is to make the world a better place for orphaned cats by working, along with local shelters, to help find cats “purr-manent” homes in a relaxed, no-kill, cafe-free environment.

Angeli, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I worked in corporate America for twenty (20) years in various positions (chemist, healthcare compliance manager, financial analyst) before discovering the concept of the cat cafe. Despite never having owned my own business, after reading that article I decided this was my calling and immediately began researching American cat cafes and drafting a business plan. I used every travel opportunity available to visit cat cafes and see how they operated. My favorites were the ones that provided the most delicious drinks/desserts and created the most comfortable/homey experiences for the cats and customers and that helped me decide the concept for the Witty Whisker.

I designed the Witty Whisker to incorporate the best aspect of each cat cafe I visited. We have delicious espresso drinks, tasty treats, and even offer wine and beer for the folks who were dragged their by their cat-loving loved ones. Customers are given the option to eat their treats in the cafe or take them into the cat lounge to experience a feeling of being “at home” with the kitties. We meticulously clean and keep the litter boxes in a separate room to ensure there is minimal odor in the lounge. We work with our cat rescue to get a good mixture of outgoing and shy, young and old, scruffy and cute cats to make sure they all get a good chance at finding a good home. Our decor is cheerful and bright and we have comfy pillows for people to sit on so they can interact with the cats at their level. All these details come together to create an especially delightful experience for cat lovers. Even folks who come in with a grumpy attitude leave happy.

We opened in June of 2020, during an uncertain and scary economic time. We are still here 2 years later and I am exceptionally proud of that fact. Spreading this kind of joy to people during those dark times is one of my life’s greatest accomplishments.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Absolutely! The first self-help book I read cover to cover, was a gift from a former supervisor who encouraged me to follow my dreams to open my own business. He gifted me a copy of Jen Sincero’s, “You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life” for Christmas. Ms. Sincero’s book is relatable, inspiring, easy to read. It reads like you are getting a pep talk from your best friend, which I appreciated since I was too shy to tell anyone about my business idea.

The “Badass” book also introduced me to the world of personal coaching, and after some searching I found two business coaches that really resonated with my personal style. The first coach I followed was Gabby Bernstein who focuses on spiritual practices that help you attract a life you love and the second coach was Marie Forleo encourages multi-passionate creatives to “Keep going for your dreams because the world needs that very special gift that only you have.” If that doesn’t get you pumped up to go make the world a better place I don’t know what will.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In case you didn’t catch it the first time I said it, we opened during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Our first year was terrible. There were some days when we didn’t cover our labor costs. When we first opened, I was onsite ALL the time. I would get there before my team and stay until after they left, making sure things were clean, developing processes, ensuring we had all necessary materials and inventory items. I will admit it was tough, but we persevered. Thank goodness we were always able to find money to make payroll, pay our bills and keep the business going. During this time, we made sure our customers had an excellent experience at the cat cafe and began building our 5-star reviews on our Google page.

The good thing about opening during COVID-19 (if there is such a thing) is that each year we are open is financially better than the previous one. I like to think it will only get better from here. I also like to think we brought people some joy during those dark times. Many of our customers vacationed in Florida because their home states still had COVID restrictions. They often thanked us for being open and helping them relieve some pent-up stress from being under lockdown.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wittywhisker.com
• Instagram: @wittywhisker
• Facebook: The Witty Whisker Cat Cafe
• Twitter: @wittywhisker

Image Credits
Maiya Mahoney (cover photo) Harumi Yanuchi (cover design)