We were lucky to catch up with Bethany Garrison recently and have shared our conversation below.
Bethany, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
When Good Enough was born, I had been roasting coffee for awhile and giving it away to friends and family when my husband asked what it would look like if we pursued it as a side business. I hadn’t even considered it as more than a hobby but allowed myself to dream about what a business in coffee would look like. As a stay at home mom to two small children, I had very little time to devote to creativity, let alone to a business. But at my husband’s prodding, we began to shape the dream into something tangible. One day we were on a drive to our local state park for a hike, and we began to toss names around. As a joke, my husband suggested “Good Enough,” since most of the coffee companies we knew of were quite serious about what made theirs the “perfect” cup of coffee. What if we eliminated the idea of perfection, instead making something that was good. And what if “good enough” was no longer synonymous with settling or being less than. Anyways, the idea stuck. We thought it was a good laugh, but also held meaning for us. Under the surface of that joke, there is an important concept: your morning coffee (and your life) can be good without being perfect. And that’s good enough. Thus, we were off!
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?
Good Enough is a coffee roasting business. I operate out of a self built facility on our property so that I can continue my most important job of being a stay at home mom without having to find childcare when I am roasting. We have several wholesale accounts right now, but currently you can find us at our local farmer’s market every Saturday of the summers. We have a very down to earth approach about beans, and you’ll never feel judged if you’re the type to “have a little coffee with your milk” or if you’re confused by coffee culture in general (honestly, we get it). What you can bet on, though, is good coffee, since that’s kind of our thing.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The fact that I am the only female roaster in the area and the emphasis we put on motherhood has given me a real connection with other moms. I have found that they like our approach and our vulnerability about business and kids. Plus, women just really love to support other women, and I happen to be a keeper of caffeine…which is a must if you’re a Mama.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Not everyone wants you to succeed. It took countless disappointments for this to sink in for me, but it’s a valuable lesson, especially if you’re a starry eyed dreamer in the honeymoon phase of starting a business. Whether the person in question is just busy with their own concerns or genuinely don’t want you to thrive, there will be “no’s” that should be “yes’s” and there will be ignored emails and ignored phone calls and there will be events that everyone gets invited to but you. It stings and feels incredibly personal (whether that’s true or not!). The takeaway is, that if you’re determined enough, you’ll thrive without them. You’ll figure it out yourself, find your own events, do your own thing. And that’s more rewarding anyways.
Image Credits
Justin Nix Photography