We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anna Scherer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anna below.
Anna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I have dreamt of owning my own business for as long as I can remember so starting Eight Sixteen wasn’t something that just happened overnight. I had been preparing for and working towards it for years! Growing up, I didn’t enjoy school very much and I definitely didn’t like the idea of going to college, especially if It wasn’t necessary to pursue the career I was interested in. In high school, I developed somewhat of an obsession with coffee and that’s when I began to envision what it would look like to own a coffee business of my own. As much as I enjoyed coffee, I knew there was still a lot to learn about the industry. After graduating, I got a job at a local coffee shop that was approaching its grand opening. I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge during this time period because I was able to experience firsthand what it looked like to start a business. I visited many coffee shops in my free time to find what made them unique. One thing I was sure of was that I wanted a business concept that would stand apart from the rest. In an effort to do that, I chose to step away from the traditional coffee shop experience and that is when I discovered other businesses that were operating completely mobile. I immediately fell in love with this idea for many different reasons and knew it was the route I wanted to take. It would allow me to serve a wide range of people in the Kansas City area and I didn’t have to feel pressured into picking a permanent spot for my business. I also saw so much room for growth in choosing this concept and I believe it was the perfect way to begin my business journey.
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 Anna Scherer and I am the owner of Eight Sixteen. The name Eight Sixteen comes from Kansas Cities’ area code 816. I have lived in the Kansas City area my whole life so when I was working on a name idea I knew I had to include Kansas City in some way. Eight Sixteen is a mobile espresso bar; we provide a luxury coffee service for all your event needs. We bring the coffee shop experience directly to you so it’s perfect for any gathering. Although our most popular events seem to be corporate events and weddings. Something we also offer is bottled lattes, they are a great option for customers to taste our famous lattes that may not be able to have our espresso bar at their event.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Something I have always had an interest in is photography. Before working in the coffee industry I did photography on the side for extra money so I have some experience with working with a camera. That knowledge has been very helpful for running Eight Sixteens social media. I am a huge coffee drinker myself, so I always try to post content I personally would like to see on my social media feed. I try to really focus on posting trendy and up-to-date content. A good way to gain followers is to follow other like-minded and local businesses. Social media is such a great way to market your business and grow your clientele, so I like to take full advantage of that. Another way I have gained followers is by offering giveaways. I always have followers tag someone in the comments and re-share the post, which allows so many new followers to discover Eight Sixteen and it helps us gain followers in the process.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
After an event I like to reach out to the client to ultimately thank them for booking Eight Sixteen but I also like to get their feedback on how they felt the event went. I want to make sure we are providing the best possible service for all our clients, so if there is anything we can improve on I’d like to know. Another way I like to keep in touch with clients is by engaging in their social media as much as possible. Doing that not only builds a relationship with them but also reminds clients of our business and it often leads to them booking us for an event. I always strive to go above and beyond meeting clients’ needs and making their experience the best it can be. Oftentimes, when a client has a great experience with us, they typically post to social media, which spreads our name even further and ultimately leads to more business.
Contact Info:
- Website: eightsixteenbarista.com
- Instagram: eightsixteenkc
- Facebook: eightsixteenkc
Image Credits
photographer Bethany Hartman