We recently connected with Melissa Savino and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa , thanks for joining us today. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

A lot of people think you have to have a ton of capital and funds set aside to open a coffee shop. There is a false pretense in this industry that you need upwards of $30,000 to open a shop. While it is obviously helpful to have that it is not necessary. You can start small and I am very grateful for Simply Poured’s journey in that sense. We started with a very cheap single group espresso machine as well as a very cheap grinder. Quality goes up the better machines you have (and quality is very important) but as you’re growing your customer base and growing in sales you can work your way up. We focused on our customer service and quality with what we had. We started with cheap chairs, tables and saved to make noticeable improvements. We were blessed with sales to be able to save for better equipment. It makes you sit back and appreciate how far you’ve come.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m the owner of a coffee shop located in Madisonville Kentucky called Simply Poured. We have been open about a year and a half. We have a full espresso bar that sells specialty drinks such as lattes, americanos, mochas and more. We also offer teas, boba and smoothies. We partnered with another local business Dempsey Street Baking co and serve some of their baked goods such as muffins, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls and more. From a young age I wanted to own my own business. I always had trouble being happy at other jobs. I knew if I wasn’t in control of my time id’ never be satisfied. I found myself questioning my past bosses on how they would run businesses.
I got a job working at a Starbucks and fell in love with the coffee industry. There is so much that goes into it. The science behind a cup of coffee is fascinating. I started making plans to open a coffee shop. I started reading business books and doing research on how to get that “perfect cup of coffee”. I never thought one day I would actually get the opportunity.
My husband and I moved to Kentucky and I soon after started making coffee at events, delivering to friends and making videos on how to create coffee drinks at home. In the summer of 2021 God blessed me with the opportunity to rent a space with another business.
We started renovations and soon opened both our businesses operating in the same space.
Unfortuanty with he growth of both business we could not continue sharing a space. That business moved out leaving us with a sink or swim feeling. I put my faith in god and knew that with my team we could build our business back up.
Today, it’s flourishing. We finished renovations, upgraded equipment, perfected our quality and technique and hired. We put customer service first.
I am so beyond grateful for my team and the opportunity to serve this community. Our drive thru helps us get coffee into the hands of customer quicker. Our lobby provides a perfect environment for those who need a space to come sit, plug in and work while enjoying a cup of coffee. We are also on DoorDash to service those customers who want to enjoy a coffee but may not be able to make it out.
Overal we want to spread love and make sure all our customers know how important they are to us.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

As a coffee shop we rely heavily on repeat business. We launched a loyalty program early on and it’s since grown to be very beneficial to not only us as a business but our customers love it to. We use Canva to print our punch cards. Each drink earns 1 punch and on your 10th punch the customer can chose anything on the menu for free.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I am the kind of person that not only dislikes confrontation but is so under-practiced in it that I used just shut down. As a business owner I’m sure you know, you WILL have confrontation. Often. I am grateful for it now and continue to get better but that was one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn.
I quickly found out that your team will not respect you by trying to be their “friend” 24/7. You will hinder your business if you have no consequences. As much as I still don’t like write ups, or employee reviews it actually keeps morale up.
I’ve found that you can still be relatable to your employees and have a good time on the job but with a good boundary in place of being the boss/owner.
Your employees will thank you for being honest and keeping them accountable. In tern it creates an open line of communication between them and you.
Being relatable and showing an interest in them is so important. They are a vital part of your business because in reality at least for my industry I cannot run a coffee shop by myself.
Letting them know their opinions are valued is crucial. For me this looks like letting them come up with new drink specials, new product ideas, marketing strategies and more.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.simplypoured.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simply_poured_coffee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplypouredcoffee