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

Lupita, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I’m really happy as a business owner. I love that sense of accomplishment, the feeling of getting things done, and seeing my ideas come to life.

Every once in a while, I do wonder what it would be like to have a 9-5 job, but that thought only sticks around for about 5 minutes. I love the freedom of creating on my own terms.

After being an entrepreneur for 15 years, I’ve gotten used to being the captain of the ship, and that’s where I want to stay.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I immigrated to Austin from Mexico in 2006 with my two daughters. Through the hardships of navigating single-parenthood and being in a new country, my passion for entrepreneurship arose.

My inspiration from Austin has come to be a recurring theme in all of my business ventures. From starting Purrfecto cat lounge to help reduce euthanasia in the community, to my newest business appropriately named Dear Austin coffee shop.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

Organization is key- let me emphasize that again. While I don’t have a specific story about nearly missing a payroll or a close call, I have plenty of experiences where I learned valuable lessons from the stress of being behind.

One major takeaway is that procrastination has no place in business. Over time, I’ve improved my approach to deadlines, and each year I prepare better than the last.

For example, I now start preparing for taxes 3 months before the year ends. In the past, I waited until the last minute, which was more about scrambling to meet a deadline than being truly prepared. It used to be incredibly stressful, but now I take proactive steps like gathering bank statements and vendor payments well in advance to avoid that last-minute rush.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met my business partner through my other business, where we had a working relationship via my cleaning company. He’s calm, which balances me out since I’m always on the go. It’s a good mix- like the calm after the storm.

We complement each other well. He’s great at things I’m not as strong in, like technology.

After working together for about 10 years, I knew he’d be the perfect partner for a new venture. His honesty and reliability were exactly what I needed to complete the puzzle.