We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Gerardo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I have had multiple types of “regular” jobs as well as owned multiple businesses all in the past 10 years. While I learned many valuable skills having a job where I show up and work for someone else on set days and times, I never go a day wishing I could go back to that. I have grown so much in every avenue of my life by owning my own business and I feel that I am happiest and most successful as my own boss! I am so grateful I have been able to build something that I am proud of and that my kids can see me work hard for. I think about the time and opportunities that I would miss out on and that alone keeps me motivated to be committed to being a successful business owner. I am able to homeschool and own a mini farm due to my ability to make my own schedule and I will never take that for granted! I know this kind of work is not for everyone but I am so blessed that I have the opportunity to do something I enjoy and always look back to taking that leap of faith with such gratitude.

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?

My name is Ashley and I am the owner of a coffee trailer in the east valley called The Exchange. I started this business two years ago with my step-son’s mom to be able to minister to families in person in our community as well as on social media that no matter your family dynamic there is love to be shared! I run the business alone now, but we are a tight knit family and work hard to have strong relationships. Being from Washington State, I have dreamt for the past 10 years of starting a coffee business here in Arizona. The mission of The Exchange is to cultivate community one cup at a time. I hope to build up others in my community by exchanging love, kindness, a listening ear and, of course, good coffee! I am proud of the community connection I have built, I have worked hard to set myself apart by giving back to my community as well as prioritizing serving at locations that caffeinate important community members such as teachers, first responders and more!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building a reputation includes many elements no matter the niche of your business, but finding your niche is important. It must remain consistent with who you genuinely are. For me, that looked like prompt and transparent communication. It is so important when landing a booking or a sale to reply to inquiries as quickly as possible and I emphasized this as a priority of mine from the get go. Early and late hours are sometimes the name of the game but this was worth it to me in order to build relationships and to remain consistent in my initial reliability.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Along the lines of building a reputation with good communication, I have worked hard to do the same with getting to know clients. Learning names and associations with discussion topics makes clients feel known and important. The consistency of this helps set anyone apart in their brand, but has especially helped me because it is what my company is built on- building those community relationships and meeting people where they are at! It may be a mom showing up for coffee in her pajamas after a rough night, a doctor after a long shift, a firefighter after a hard loss. Coffee alone has the ability to lift spirits, but the experience behind it truly keeps people positive and wanting to come back.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theexchangeaz.com
• Instagram: @theexchangeaz
• Facebook: facebook.com/theexchangeaz

Image Credits
Erin Lane Photo & Film