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

Kimberly , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their revenue to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details

Every year in honor of Memorial Day we do a fundraiser for TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors). TAPS is a highly rated charity whose mission statement is “to provide compassionate care and comprehensive resources to those grieving the death of a military or veteran loved one.” As a military family we have lost friends to both combat related causes and to PTSD/suicide, so it’s a topic close to our hearts. We live in a military town and Memorial Day can be a hard day for a lot of families in our area. It’s wonderful to see our community come together on that day to support Gold Star families. We’ve had several people over the years bring in a photo of their soldier in order to share their story with us on TAPS day, which is both heartening and humbling.

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 own a coffee shop in Fayetteville, NC, which is adjacent to one of the country’s largest Army bases, Fort Bragg. I kind of fell into entrepreneurship. My husband was transitioning out of the Military and we were trying to decide what to do next with our lives and careers. I had a background in both insurance and education, but I had left the workforce several years earlier in order to stay at home with our children. He had been a Combat Medic in the Army but knew that a career in the medical field wasn’t for him. This was at the tail end of the Great Recession and we were both applying for numerous “traditional” jobs but weren’t getting any bites. A friend casually mentioned that our favorite local coffee shop was for sale, and we both agreed that we hoped that someone amazing purchased it because we didn’t want to see it go out of business. One day as we were visiting an adjacent business I mentioned to my husband that the shop was for sale, and he said that we should buy it. I told him that was a crazy idea, as neither of us had any coffee or business experience. He said we didn’t have anything to lose at that point. To make a long story very short, we spoke with the owner who was also a military spouse who needed to sell the shop due to an upcoming move. She had started the business hoping to retire in Fayetteville but her plans had changed and they were relocating to the west coast. She was extremely helpful with the transition and trained us on her processes and procedures, and when we took over we made it our own. That was ten years ago, and no one was more surprised than we were at how well it has worked out for us! I didn’t know that I would love doing this as much as I do, and I’m glad we were painted into a corner and left with very few options which led us down this incredible path.

Our philosophy is that people come first before anything else. We treat our customers, our employees, and our vendors with respect and kindness. Our second focus is on making an excellent product. Our menu is 90% beverages. We don’t have an extensive food menu or carry any retail products. We have chosen to pick one thing and focus on doing it to the best of our ability, and I believe that people can taste the difference.

In addition to the quality of our product, I think that what sets us apart from the competition and keeps people coming back is that we are kind to them and take a genuine interest in their lives. We remember our regulars and what they like and dislike. We have customers that have become like family; I’ve seen their children grow up in front of me. Fayetteville is a somewhat transient community due to the military base; and often we are the first friendly face that people see when they arrive. The military community is very good at putting down roots wherever they’re planted and I think that puts us in a unique position to build relationships with the people that we serve. With the advent of smart phones and technology and working from home it’s easy for people to become socially isolated; I believe that coffee shops like ours provide a real bridge to the community and I think that’s why they were so missed during Covid shutdowns.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I investigated many avenues of funding when we were working on purchasing the business. The previous owner was willing to finance part of the purchase if we were unable to secure a business loan, but she preferred to sell it outright and be done with it. We considered applying for business loans through the SBA and the VA, but we were warned by our attorney that they are notoriously hard to secure without prior business experience and that they take a long time to process. In the end we secured a personal loan through our bank, which enabled us to close on the business in just 30 days. We worked diligently to pay off the loan and ended up doing so two years ahead of schedule. Owning the business free and clear took a lot of the pressure off during Covid shutdowns when life was so uncertain.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

We purchased the business in July of 2013, which was smack dab in the middle of the budget sequestration (when funding was cut for “non-essential” government positions due to stalled budget negotiations). As a result, a lot of our customers were laid off. By December of 2013 we were operating on a negative margin and I wasn’t sure how much longer we would be able to remain open. I loved working at the coffee shop, and it devastated me to think that we might have to close our doors. I decided that the best way to stop focusing on my own problems would be to give to others . Our shop is located in a shopping plaza with a lot of other businesses. Every day for the month of December I picked a different business in the plaza and dropped off fresh baked cookies and specialty coffee drinks for the employees. When I brought the items I let them know that it was a Christmas gift from Jumpin’ Java to them and that we hoped they had a great holiday season. I never attempted a hard sell. It seems counterintuitive that at a time when we were already worried about money that we would give out hundreds of dollars of free product, but I truly think it saved our business. Several of the employees of those businesses ended up becoming regulars because they liked our product so much. That was a real turning point for us and we haven’t ever had a close call like that again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jumpinjava.coffee
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jumpinjavacoffee?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jumpin-Java-Coffee-Shop-139319686107154/

Image Credits
Laura Holiday American Rooted Co