We were lucky to catch up with Amy Pusakulich recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
From the time I was a young child, I knew that I would grow up to work with children and families in need. I was the child who sat with the bullied kids, stood up for them, and lifted them up until they could stand up for themselves. On my first day of kindergarten, I was featured in our local newspaper because another child, who was terrified of starting school, stood frozen on the sidewalk sobbing. I had already bounded up the steps with a “Let’s do this!” attitude, but quickly pivoted and returned to take the crying child by the hand, told them things would be fine, and guided him into the school.
That was the primary theme of my life from childhood through adulthood, helping others, particularly children. Despite a less than stellar home life, or perhaps because if it, I graduated high school early, ventured out on my own, and started working and going to college for the first of my eventual four degrees determined to succeed.
I suppose it could be said that I took a great deal of risk throughout my adulthood. I moved to a new city on my own, began teaching, and had twin daughters that I ended up raising alone. Eventually I moved from teaching into social services casework, and finally moved on to working in child protective services, where I spent the majority of my prime career years. There was always risk involved in child welfare: from the rough neighborhoods I had to traverse with nothing but an ID badge and clipboard, to the clients with mental illness and violent tendencies that threatened my safety. Still, I never really viewed any of that as risky, as crazy as that sounds. Instead, I felt empowered, like a crusader, fighting daily for the safety and well-being of hundreds of children and families, not giving any thought or consideration to my own welfare. In the midst of the chaos, I felt incredibly safe. I knew my role inside and out, my instincts were almost always dead on, and I was widely respected in courtrooms across the state of Illinois.
In 2021, during the COVID pandemic and subsequent lock downs, I told my husband that I was ready to take the biggest risk I’d ever considered: I wanted to pack everything up, sell our home, and move across the country to Florida. While in the midst of my child welfare career, I’d always told my staff and my family that one day I was going to move to Florida and open a coffee shop. In February 2021, I told my husband that someday had become TODAY, and I wanted to make the leap.
My husband has always been supportive, but he is also the logical planner in our relationship. I am the partner who jumps into the fire first and THEN devises a plan to get out of it. But although he was understandably anxious about leaving our established jobs and home, my husband agreed to the move and we made it to Northeast Florida in June 2021.
I attempted to remain in the social work field working with children and families when we first arrived in Florida, as I had recently completed my final degree, a doctorate degree in Early Childhood/childhood trauma, and thought I should stick to the familiar, safe formula. But then something unexpected happened.
As we rang in the new year in 2023, I realized that I was turning 50 years-old and that although I still loved helping children and families, I was growing increasingly tired of working for others who didn’t have the heart or integrity that I do and in short, I was just plain weary. I decided at this point that it was time to become my own boss.
After a meeting with our financial planner, I was told that I was in a good position to take some of my savings and make the next risk in becoming a small business owner. It looked like that coffee shop dream was within reach! I reassured myself that the process would take a while, as there were many steps, and I could proceed slowly and carefully. But things didn’t work out that way. I accidentally stumbled upon the coffee shop/used bookstore combo I would end up owning, and I was given a very short time to make my decision on whether to buy the shop or wait for the next opportunity. I was so giddy at the thought of making this dream come true that I jumped in headfirst, and in under two weeks from the time I set foot in my shop for the first time, my husband and I were the new owners.
Then panic set in. This was the biggest risk I’d ever taken, and suddenly I felt extremely vulnerable. What if the customers hated me? What if no one liked my coffee, or hated the renovations I did in the shop? I was plagued with anxiety, but as per usual, I went full steam ahead and gave everything I had to my dream.
This past year and a half has been a complete learning curve for me, as I have had to learn every aspect of this business from the ground up: from making the coffee and other menu items, managing inventory, ordering supplies and learning which suppliers were best, and renovating the shop into my vision of a calm and comforting environment that welcomes you just by aesthetic alone.
Six weeks after I bought the shop, construction shut the entire block down and my customers were sent on a 45 minute detour around the town to get back to the shop. No one could get there! It was an absolutely brutal start to my business venture, and my anxiety increased tenfold. I considered selling the shop to some investors who were interested, but held strong, prayed on it and had many discussions with my husband, and decided to stay the course and keep going. I ended up using almost all of my remaining savings to keep the shop open last summer but we made it to the other side.
My first year in business was full of lessons I had to learn the hard way since there was much more I should known prior to signing on that dotted line. As it turns out, much of our equipment had been poorly maintained, the HVAC system was 20 years old and singing its swan song, and the plumbing set-up was the result of “I know a guy” craftsmanship at its (not so) finest. As a result, we’ve dealt with burst pipes and flooding twice, a cracked toilet, replacing the entire HVAC system, and in a fun turn of events, a massive termite infestation. After dealing with all of the issues and keeping the shop going during construction, my husband and I ended up needing to take out a loan for $20,000 to cover the costs on a shop we owned without debt last year.
Still, despite everything that has transpired since taking this massive risk, I’m still committed and all in, more so now than ever. I feel blessed that I’m able to not only serve my customers fabulous espresso creations and other treats, but also share their lives. They share their joys and tragedies with me over morning coffee, and I’m happy to be the active listener and strong shoulder when necessary. I’ve even found a way to keep children and families close: by putting in a child play area in the shop that is complete with it’s own mini coffee shop and a Disney-themed aquarium. Every day, I get to see children laughing and playing in a safe place while their parents gratefully sip their dose of morning comfort and read the paper. It is truly a joy.
This summer, in 2024, the shop has really hit its stride, and I’ve attained a greater level of confidence as a small business owner. Having my husband as a silent partner in the business while remaining in the corporate world as a registered nurse has been incredibly helpful as we’ve had a steady source of income and health insurance while the shop was making baby steps in getting started. There are still days that I’m wracked with uncertainty and fear, but my husband, our customers, and the community are always a source of encouragement so I keep forging on. When I’m asked if the risk was worth it and would I do it again, it will always be a resounding yes!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Coffee wasn’t always my passion. I’d only ever really had a cup or two of coffee to accompany a restaurant breakfast, or while at a work conference. I didn’t even own a coffee maker at home.
That changed in 2011, when my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. I was working 60+ hours per week, and raising twin preteen daughters alone when my mother received her diagnosis. The rest of our family continued to reside in the Chicago suburbs, my mother and I were the only ones who had ventured out into different areas of Northern Illinois, and we lived about 1/2 hour away from each other, while the rest of the family were much further away.
My mother was recently divorced and lived alone, and had no real friends that could assist with the care she was going to need, so the primary responsibility fell squarely on me as her only child, and her sister, my wonderful aunt who drove out regularly to help.
My mother fought hard, but her cancer was relentless. She was in and out of the hospital and rehabilitation centers for the next 20 months as the cancer eventually took over. During that time, I had to drive my mother to treatments and other doctor appointments, and drive to her home 1/2 hour away every day to care for all of her pets. Between my career, my daughters, and my mother’s care, I was completely exhausted. I finally broke down on one particularly draining day and walked into a Starbucks for the first time ever, looking for something to keep me awake for the long night ahead. The baristas were helpful and friendly, and gave me a high octane drink that kept me going.
Stopping at that Starbucks on the way to my mother’s home became part of my routine, and the baristas there eventually knew me by name, asked how my girls and my mother were, and had my usual drink ready by the time I reached the counter. By this point, I’d fallen in love with coffee. Not just the amazing Tate and aroma, but the culture and comfort that surrounded it. I started becoming interested in the entire process of coffee, from bean to cup, and read everything I could about the industry and the process. I started telling everyone around me that one day, when I left social work, I would ‘retire’ and open my own coffee shop, preferably in Florida.
In 2023, that plan came to fruition and I bought an existing coffee shop/book store combo business. I was as green as a coffee bean and had no real clue of what I was doing, aside from what I had read in books. Pulling an espresso shot for the first time on a commercial espresso machine that costs thousands of dollars was terrifying to say the least!
I knew when I bought the shop that I wanted to create not just amazing drinks, but that wonderful sense of comfort and coffee culture I’d discovered over the years. In addition to the coffee culture, I also knew that I wanted my shop to be a place that was welcoming to families with children, as they will always have a special place in my servant’s heart. And so, I created a children’s corner in the shop that has a child-level bookshelf, mini versions of mid-century modern furniture to sit in, baskets of educational but quiet learning materials, a beautiful tropical aquarium full of Disney characters, and our famous mini child-sized coffee shop. Local families stop in daily to enjoy that area, and it is a very distinctive part of our shop and our culture.
Based on the ongoing feedback I receive about the shop, I’m confident that we’re making strides toward the goal of a welcoming, comfortable coffee culture. Both regular patrons and new visitors to the shop are always so complimentary and happy when they open the door. It’s not uncommon to have several guests a day ask about various components of the decor, from the flooring, the paint color, the furnishings, and the unique play materials in the children’s area, and am asked permission to take photos and videos for inspiration.
Feedback examples I’ve received so far include I receive statements like: “This shop looks like it’s straight out of a romantic comedy movie!”, to “The vibe in here is incredible!” and my favorite “I feel so safe in here. It’s so comforting.” What an honor it is to receive comments like that!
My next adventure is the addition of in-shop roasting of our own beans, and again, it will be a huge risk to take on but I’m excited! I’ll be thrown into the learning curve again, but I’m ready. The shop has already begun to establish itself as a unique family-friendly spot, and roasting and selling our own beans and blends will expand our brand even further. I’m excited about 2025!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Social media has been helpful. Instagram and Facebook are most helpful when I’m having an event or specials at the shop. My shop is in a very small community that is growing by leaps and bounds, so newcomers to the area are always looking for things to do. Our county also introduced a free digital marketing program for new small business owners, which I gratefully took advantage of. They placed a silent digital marketing screen in my shop that displays advertising for our shop, but also for other small businesses in the area. Everyone’s ads can be viewed on all of the screens in participating businesses, so someone in a hair salon might see my shop’s ad, and vice versa.
The local realtors in my area have been an amazing resource as well. We have many new subdivisions being built and new families moving into the area all the time, and the realtors are including my shop in their websites and in digital newsletters as a meeting place to discuss realty contracts, select items for their homes, and as a safe, welcoming place to grab some coffee in their new neighborhood. I have seen my foot traffic increase exponentially from this!
Word of mouth is everything. All of the new customers coming in are telling their new neighbors about the shop, and I’m getting new customers in daily. A new medical clinic was just opened across the street from the shop and I gave the first doctor who stopped in a complimentary drink and a take out menu to post in the clinic. I also offer discounts for medical personnel/first responders, military, and teachers, since there are two schools across the street on the other side.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
We have been hit with so many obstacles during this first year of being in business! The Construction that blocked the entire community away from the shop for two months, the floods, the termites, the HVAC system breaking down, and the soaring rates of inflation have been crushing and at times have reduced me to tears.
But I just keep on pushing through, with the support of our loyal and growing customer base, my amazing husband, and my strong faith. Despite all of the challenges, there is no place else I’d rather be!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: presenttense__coffeeandbooks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/presenttensecoffeeandbooks
