We were lucky to catch up with Brittany Hiser recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brittany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
I took a huge risk opening Java Jackets. I never owned a brick and mortar business and the only coffee shop experiences were from previous jobs. A couple of things I knew for sure: If ” they” could do it so could I and I knew our community was missing a neighborhood coffee shop so why not me? I dabbled in the idea of opening the shop for a couple of years but I dabbled with self doubt which really kept me from taking the leap. I was told by someone that “I couldn’t run a business because I was bad at math”. I fed myself the same lies that because I couldn’t understand spreadsheets and wasn’t the most disciplined person, keeping a business afloat would be too hard. It took the threat of someone else wanting lease the space I had my eyes on for me to take the jump. I know I would have regretted watching someone else do what I wanted to do in my community. So I took the leap. I learned (and am still learning) what I needed to get it going. Once the ball started rolling there was no going back. To make what was already a very steep learning process worse, I was doing it all during the lockdown of COVID-19 which came with new challenges. After two months of construction, we opened our doors and I was overwhelmed with the amount of support we had from the community. I had to keep pinching myself because it was so surreal. Now being in with almost 3 years under my belt I look back and can not even begin to picture my life without Java Jackets. I have been told by various people how much the shop means to them and how it has also changed their lives. I’ve met countless people who have become family and have had the opportunity to make a difference in our community using the shop as a vehicle to do so. Someone last week told me, “at three years you’re officially established” and I thought about that for a while. I felt established the second we opened our doors on August 8, 2020 but to have made it through a global pandemic really is something I am proud of. It has not been easy but the good has always outweighed the bad and what is life if you don’t take risks? I would rather live a life knowing I took the risks and tried rather than sitting and watching people around me take the leaps. Almost three years later and I am still horrendous at math, but I can say with certainty I love this community and will do what I can to continue taking risks for it.
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 back background and context?
I am originally from Jacksonville, Fl and moved to Cincinnati in 2014. I began making custom cookies as a hobby in my home as well as grew the beginnings of Happy Flour Sweets there. I have a lot of history working in coffee shops and in the service industry and I think I always had a little bit of an entrepreneur inside of me wanting to have somewhere to call my own to share a craft that I loved. Being on the Westside of Cincinnati, where everyone knows everyone, I built my client base as well as my relationships in the area and felt our Three Rivers Community needed a coffee shop. I jumped on this “dream” terrified when I caught wind that someone from the Eastside wanted to expand their franchise in the space I wanted. That was my sign to jump. Now after three years of getting into a rhythm and learning from all of the ups and downs, we have an amazing customer base that we get the joy of spending time with day to day. Everything we do at Java Jackets is mean to be creative, delicious, and an experience for anyone of any age. From custom cookies to fancy super sugared blended coffee treats, we hope everyone can leave with that good gut feeling that makes a day shine.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
Happy Flour Sweets ultimately began in the spring of 2014. I was asked to bring a treat in for my sons kindergarten class and as a bored stay at home mom I figured i’d try my hand at rolled, decorated cookies. I was proud of my set that I was about to send of to be demolished by 27 six year-olds and posted a picture of them on social media. That post got me my first 2 “orders”. I realized I could turn a hobby into a little bit of cash flow which then soon after became the business. It wasn’t until I received my first “stranger order” that I realized there could be some liability at hand, so to protect myself and my family I got licensed and began my LLC. About a year in, my bestfriend Lindsay told me she could help me with a couple of bigger orders that I had received. Lindsay has not left my side since. She took our recipe and fine tuned it (perfectionism is not in my DNA) to make it what it is today. When dreaming about Java Jackets I imagined it as a space that could house Happy Flour Sweets since my client base had reached over 2,000 and meeting strangers in the parking lot at Meijer was beginning to take it’s toll. Now that Java Jackets is reaching it’s third year, it’s wild to think back on when we would destroy my kitchen with icing and flour to bust out orders. We have a well oiled ship now and it’s amazing to teach others the craft as well. We are able to take on more orders and do them more proficiently. We’ve come a long way!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Word of mouth has been the best source for new clients for us. When custom cookies go to celebrations and parties there’s always more people there who are enjoying our treats that we are able to be visible to. Also being settled in a community like ours everyone knows someone and word gets around fast! We live in a community that is very relational and that’s what we’re all about! 
Contact Info:
- Website: javajacketscoffee.com
- Instagram: javajacketscoffee
- Facebook: facebook.com/javajacketscoffee