We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alyssa Durham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alyssa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

When it comes to asking for support or help, I am a very independent person. I own and operate Little Birdies Treats & Coffee, LLC along side of my husband, Austin. Asking for help isn’t my strong suit. In the 2.5 years we’ve been in business, we’ve had to ask for help in a multitude of ways from watching our kids to moving large pieces of equipment to taste testing. You can imagine how well the requests for taste testers goes over😉. Asking friends and family to support your business can feel natural, but you also want to ensure the ask is thoughtful and not overbearing. Here’s how you might approach it:

What’s Appropriate:
• Inviting Participation: Share opportunities for them to attend your events, classes, or even just visit your space. Frame it as an invitation to celebrate your success.
• Sharing Updates: Keep them in the loop about milestones, like your walk-in cooler installation or businesses graduating from your shared kitchen, so they feel connected and proud of your progress.
• Asking for Shares: Encourage them to spread the word on social media or within their networks, which is low-effort and impactful.

What’s Not Appropriate:
• Expecting Financial Investment: Avoid putting pressure on them to make large purchases or contribute financially unless they explicitly offer or inquire.
• Overposting Personal Requests: Limit direct asks like, “Can you buy this?” or “Can you attend this?” repeatedly, as it may come across as too pushy.

Where to Draw the Line:
• Respect Their Space: If someone doesn’t engage with your business as much as you’d hoped, respect their choice and don’t take it personally.
• Keep the Focus Positive: Make your asks about excitement and community building, not desperation or obligation.
• Balance: Be sure to show support for their endeavors as well, creating a reciprocal relationship.

By maintaining these boundaries and showing gratitude for their support, you’ll keep the relationship healthy while fostering meaningful connections for your business.

We also own The Coop, which is a shared community kitchen space in Appleton, WI. It is a space that small businesses in the food world can come in and rent during so they don’t need to make a huge investment into a brick and mortar. We supply all of the large equipment and help with getting their businesses started. It’s become a hub of knowledge from different individuals of different backgrounds that all work to supports each other while growing their businesses.

Through both business, we have had many experiences of needing to ask for help or asking for help. Our business model is “community over competition”. We hope that others see that when they support either one of our businesses.

Alyssa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Little Birdies Treats and Coffee is a mobile coffee shop that specializes in serving high-quality coffee, alongside handmade desserts, treats, and breakfast items. It’s perfect for events, pop-ups, or anyone seeking a delightful and convenient way to enjoy freshly made treats and coffee on the go.

The Coop is a shared community kitchen and commissary space that supports small food businesses, startups, and aspiring chefs. It’s more than just a commercial kitchen—it’s a launchpad for dreams. The Coop offers access to a fully equipped kitchen, along with guidance and resources to help entrepreneurs navigate licensing, concept development, and networking. Whether you’re hosting a private cooking class, preparing meals for a food truck, or brainstorming the next big idea, The Coop is there to provide space, support, and a sense of community.

Together, these businesses reflect our mission: creating opportunities, nurturing talent, and fostering meaningful connections in the food and beverage world.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve had to pivot in a multitude of ways when I started this business. I was in the corporate world and after I had my first child, I realized that the hours that are consumed in the corporate world will never be given back to you. That was a major reason of mine to leave the corporate world so that I could spend more time with my kids and be available for their activities. When I first started this business, I was able to do it out of my home which meant that while the baby slept, I could make a few extra loaves of sourdough. It was a big change for me and our family when I quit my full-time job and now as my husband will transition into this business full-time shortly as well. It will be another change for our family to navigate the insurance side of things, but we both know that this is truly our passion.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

My business partner is my husband Austin. When we first met, we had talked about wanting to open a coffee shop because we both loved coffee and my specialty was baked goods. When Covid hit, that of shifted our thinking from a brick and mortar shop to more of a mobile unit so that we could go to our customers. We continue to brainstorm ideas for what’s next and what that all looks like!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @littlebirdiestreats
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/12BY7oeH27r/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits
Photography by Hally- [email protected]