Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brittany Yates. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brittany , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

If I were starting over I would take the time to plan more and do a little more market research. Like many others I can be impulsive, especially when it comes to my future. I have high expectations for myself and I truly believe I can and will accomplish anything I want. However, when you’re impulsive you can make mistakes because you’re making hasty decisions and not thinking things through. I did some planning and market research but not enough. If I would go back I would think more about what my target audience is attracted to, what do they like, where can I find them outside of social media, how should I brand the business to fit my target market, what’s the best way to track inventory, and so much more! This was also my first time having a product based business where I was control of the inventory, back end of the website, etc. My previous product based business was drop-shipping so it was a little more hands-off in terms of production, packing, shipping, etc. Although these are the things I would do if starting over I am beyond grateful for everything I’ve learned during this process.

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?

I started my first business in 2011, I founded a nonprofit organization. As I was working on developing the organization, I frequently visited a French bakery/coffee shop. The coffee shop was open 24/7 and I would go late in the evenings and stay until 3 or 4 am.

One thing I found interesting is that during this late night and early morning hours, the coffee shop would be filled with people working. I’m an introvert, so I never talked to anyone one-on-one. However, just being in the space together and seeing other people focused inspired me to work. After working in the space for a while, I realized that this space alone inspires you to be productive.

I’m a visionary, so I like to see things before they happen. Once I knew I would own a coffee shop and coworking space one day, I set up a coffee area in my home. The area included a Keurig, a table, and four chairs. I envisioned people coming in and doing what I love the most, enjoying coffee and work. In every place I’ve lived, I’ve set up a coffee station since 2011.

A few years ago, there was an incident with employees not being able to wear “Black Lives Matter” shirts at their jobs at a coffee shop. This really triggered me that people were being denied their freedom of speech and rights. This also motivated me to launch my brand, Grind On The Go.

During the pandemic, it was confirmed that starting on the mobile and online route was best for my coffee and tea brand. When everything shut down during the pandemic, many businesses suffered terribly. Some tried to quickly pivot to offer online products and services. While sadly some businesses had to close forever.

This showed me that focusing on growing online sales and community would allow me to build a somewhat pandemic-proof business. Then our mobile food truck was stolen. Our initial plan was to offer breakfast and lunch items on the truck in addition to our signature drinks.

But once it was stolen, this was further proof that pivoting online was the best route to go. I then also worked with my team to make sure we focused on our messaging on providing motivation to those on their “grind.”

I’ve already wanted to develop a community of likeminded people and Grind On The Go does just that. We are consistently encouraging people to pursue their “grind” whatever that grind may be; it might be a stay at home mom, entrepreneur, creative, or corporate worker. Many times people feel like they can’t reach their goals or dreams but Grind On The Go strives to bring people together over a cup of coffee or tea to help them push past those obstacles. We currently sell coffee and tea online and we also provide services such as coffee and tea stations for events.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The original idea of Grind On The Go was a coffee truck. The premise of the truck was to encourage people over a cup of coffee or tea. Each of the items would be served with a word of motivation and encouragement geared toward pursuing and accomplishing your “grind”. Your “grind” is specific to you and your goals.

We built a complete coffee truck with the best appliances, it was perfect! However, the truck was stolen before we had the chance to open. At this point I didn’t know what to do and I wasn’t sure of how my business would move forward. I didn’t know if I should build out another truck or if I should take the business in a new direction. I had so many different thoughts. This was just the beginning of a ton of chaos.

While dealing with the truck being stolen were received the insurance check for the loss of the truck and our bank thought the check was fraud which resulted in them closing the account after the funds had cleared. This meant the insurance money had completely vanished from our business account and we had no idea what happened. We called the bank and they informed us they thought the check was fraudulent. We then had to connect the bank with the insurance company, which took lots of leg work and months to resolve.

So, not only was the truck stolen, the bank closed our account, we had to go months without funds, and had to chase the bank and the insurance company to help with resolve the issue with the check. This lasted for about 3-4 months.

At the same time we received a letter in the mailing stating we could no longer use our business name due to a trademarking issue. It seemed like everything was piling up, one on top of the other. I was also working a 9-5 and pursuing a PhD, all while trying to figure out my next business move and how to resolve the trademarking issue. As I was brainstorming and praying many of the people I spoke with gave me motivating words and encouraged me to keep pushing. Many people told me they don’t think they’d be able to handle the heartache of all of this. If you’ve ever held anything close to your heart or have a business you understand how hard something like this can be.

Through all of that I never gave up. I decided to rebrand and do everything online and try the truck another time. We rebranded the business to another name but everything happened so quickly because we only had about 30 days to totally rebrand and stop using the other business name. Due to the rebrand being so quick and all of the shifts that have happened I found myself wanting to rebrand again, but the right way this time. I’d like to take the time to sit and think about how we want the business to evolve and pivot.

Through all of what I’ve been through business wise I am very happy that I didn’t give up!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I’ve found the best source of new customers has been word of mouth. Our current customers are great at spreading the word about our products. We maintain most of our customers. Its rare that someone orders from us once. We have emails in place to follow up with customers and to cultivate relationships. We also offer subscriptions so that our customers never have to worry about running out of product.

Contact Info:

• Website: grindonthegousa.com
• Instagram: grindonthegousa
• Facebook: grindonthegousa

Image Credits
Authorized Shot Photography – Arleshia McGirt