We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kasey Headley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kasey below.

Kasey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

After I graduated college, I was at a crossroad. I didn’t want to pursue a career in the field of study I was in. I didn’t know what to do or where to go; apparently that place was Discount Tire! I was a regular at the coffee shop in my college town, and I saw one of the baristas while I was getting my tires rotated. He asked what I was doing, I told him that I was about to start job hunting, and he told me that the coffee shop was hiring! I applied and got the job! I thought this would be fun, but I didn’t know that it was going to be my life! I fell down the speciality coffee rabbit hole! I wanted to learn everything that there was to know about brewing, roasting, latte art, service, competitions, etc. If I wasn’t working behind the bar, I was in the shop reading and learning everything I could about the industry. From that point forward, I knew that I didn’t want anything else and I was going to do everything in my power to make that dream a reality. I became pretty good at budgeting and learning how to stretch every dollar as far as I could. I knew if I kept with it, that it would all work out in the end. Some might call it dumb, but I like to think of it as blind faith haha! I knew if I treated this new-found passion as a professional career, I can make it into my career. It took many convincing conversations with my parents to buy into this blind faith that I had, but luckily they were supportive, skeptical, but supportive.

I started my career as a barista at Palace Coffee Company then moved to a lead barista within a few months. The work was fun, challenging, and really hooked me into the coffee industry. The local coffee roaster wanted to open a storefront and the owners asked if I’d come lead that team. The opportunity to help another business owner, learn how to manage a whole team, and learn more about the catering side of the business was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up! I then started managing Evocation Micro-Coffee Roastery. That time in my coffee career taught me how to manage a whole team, and was the foundation for building my personal interests in the coffee industry. I found a love for the catering side of the business. The idea that I could make drinks and bring that comfort and hospitality of a coffee shop outside of a four-walled building was extremely interesting to me!

When Evocation’s time was coming to an end, I felt like there was something missing. That unexplainable feeling that you need something else to keep growing. At that moment, I got the opportunity to become the Coffee Trainer for Trinity Street Coffee Bar, a coffee and cocktail bar. I was stoked! That was it! The craft cocktail industry taught me so much more about creativity, balancing flavors, and how to use many different ingredients in a beverage. I spent 3 years there learning and growing as a coffee professional with the Voltage Coffee Project family.

I found an amazing woman, Natalie Popplewell, that was talking about starting a shop in Denison, TX. She said, “All I need is someone to run it” and I offered my services without hesitation. I get to work with my significant other everyday in the industry that I love…YES! I moved up, and have been managing the shop ever since.

As Natalie and I got closer, I told her that I still had a passion for working coffee catering. She was extremely supportive, and pushed me to take the leap of faith and get it started! I wanted to create a company that brought the comfort of a coffee shop and home all in one, and that was where Cross Paws Coffee Co. was born. Cross Paws is based on the comfort of my home; my dogs. The design is simple and beautiful with a geometric wolf face based on one husky I have named Luna. The name comes from my older husky, Mia, who always lays with her paws crossed.

To anyone that has a dream or an aspiration to open their own business, I have a few thoughts.

– Don’t quit your day job to go all in on something that might not work. Keep grinding on your dreams till you can financially afford to do it full time! If you jump in too early, you won’t get to have the picture perfect idea of being a business owner because you will be worrying about paying your bills and you might do something outside of your core beliefs just to make it by.
– Treat it as a professional career. If you truly believe that this is your calling in life, treat it as such. Put in the extra hours to build, and you will be rewarded with the universe paying you back.
– The right time isn’t always right in front of you. Sometimes taking a backseat and letting things pan out is the way to go. Keep your dreams up front in your mind and keep grinding at them everyday, but be patient. You never know what the future holds for you.

Kasey, 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?

I have been in the craft coffee for 8 years now. I got the job as soon as I graduated college, and I was immediately hooked. I shortly fell in love with the coffee catering side of the business, because I could bring the comfort of a coffee shop to the person! I started my own catering service, Cross Paws Coffee Co., in January 2021. We are a company that is quality focused. Whether it is quality of the drinks or the quality of the service that we provide, that is our driving force! We work with our clients to provide a unique experience that is catered to their every want and need.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The act of creating is one that might be looked over in the world in general, and we get to do that for our job. The fact that I get to wake up and literally make something out of nothing is the most rewarding feeling for me. I wish, and hope, everyone in the world can wake up everyday and are really stoked about their career. People don’t have to be excited to go to work everyday (I know I am not excited everyday), but an overall happiness with what they are doing in this one life that we have.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

The mind of a creative is one that can’t be pinned down, and it doesn’t make much sense most of the time. Creatives have ideas that seem outlandish and improbable, and you know what, that is probably true most of the time. If you don’t fuel that creativity though, they will shut down and not want to come up with any ideas. You need to let the creatives’ mind wander. You need to let them try their dumb idea to realize it wasn’t going to work from the beginning. The more you let a creative express themselves and try new ideas, the more they will trust you. Once a creative has trust in you, then they will be more open to criticisms, and you can help them make their dreams a reality.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.crosspawscoffeeco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosspawscoffeeco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crosspawscoffeeco/

Image Credits
Gingersnap Studios