We recently connected with Nadia Marina Thomas and have shared our conversation below.

Nadia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today 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

One of the biggest lessons I learned in the process of expanding from a table pop-up to a coffee trailer is things that seem too good to be true often are. If someone is offering you help, take it, but if someone is offering you a shortcut, it will always wind up being a longer road—and quite often more painful and costly.

When I was researching local companies to supply and build my trailer, I learned of a place that not only promised they could supply the shell and custom build the inside of the trailer, but to build it in compliance with L.A. county standards with permits and everything. They said they were an American company that built the trailers in their warehouse in Ontario, CA, just a couple hours outside of L.A.. I was so excited to have a one-stop-shop and cross the headache of finding a trailer shell, a custom build company, and trying to navigate the paperwork that comes with getting the whole thing permitted, off my list all at once.

They promised to do it all at a fraction of the cost that it would have been to have several different companies working on it, and they promised to have it ready in 3-4 months. After touring their showroom and meeting with them in person, I felt so excited to support another small family-owned business that also donated a portion of all their sales to charity—or so they claimed. I really felt like all my expansion problems were going to be solved. I signed the contract and put down a 50% deposit.

A few weeks after I signed the contract they told me that due to the pandemic the projected delivery date was now 6 months. I understood because everyone was having supply chain issues across all industries. Then, the date became 9 months. Then a year. There were red flags every step of the way, including them not letting me come to the warehouse to see the trailer and decide the layout or check on the progress. They also demanded I pay the rest of the deposit before delivering the trailer to me, even though I hadn’t even seen a picture of my trailer in a finished state.

After repeatedly asking for pictures, they finally sent some, and needless to say they weren’t what I expected. When I asked how the permit paperwork was coming they said I would have to take it to a separate company to customize it to get permitted, and that I would have to do the paperwork for the permits myself. Obviously, this was not the agreement. Despite all these contract violations I decided to move ahead with them because I was already a year into waiting for my trailer, my Small Business Administration loan payments were due, and I was running out of capital. At that point I just needed to get the trailer from them and do what needed to be done to get it open for business. I requested the blueprints to send to interior customization companies to try to push forward, however even the blueprints were unusable with everything written in Chinese.

Nothing this company said was true. They did not build the trailers there. They ordered them off of Alibaba, a Chinese company known for selling cheap unreliable products, and marked them up at least 3x the cost and hold them until micro businesses like myself are desperate and too broke to fight them.

What should have cost me $16k ended up costing me over $30k and a year of business. If I could do it all over again I would have just bought the trailer as a shell locally and taken it to the customization company directly. I would have saved myself the trauma of being taken advantage of, and I would have been able to get my business up and running sooner.

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?

Plántate Café was born out of a passion for cultural flavors, entrepreneurship, and a desire for a better quality of life. As a former actor, I found myself at a crossroads during the COVID-19 pandemic. Juggling the challenges of being at home with my two children, while growing increasingly disillusioned with the acting industry, I became determined to carve out a new path for myself and my family—all while making sure to be home by dinner time every night. Recognizing the need for a creative outlet and a more fulfilling career, I embarked on a journey to build something new and meaningful. Alongside my

husband, David, who also wanted to escape the daily 9 – 5, we started a business that would provide both financial stability and creative freedom.

My background in coffee and restaurant management led me to the café industry. Inspired by my aunt’s restaurant ownership she chose coffee as her canvas for innovation. Infusing my Mexican heritage and affinity for bold flavors, I aimed to create a coffee program that stood out in an overflowing market. The vision was clear: a vibrant, colorful, and

flavor-rich café experience that celebrated maximalism and community

collaboration. However, the path wasn’t without challenges. Funding was a hurdle that demanded a “proof of concept.” I approached another female-owned business, a local plant and home decor shop called Tansy. Tansy’s owner, Shawna Christian would quickly become a friend and mentor, our friendship kicking off a collaboration that would evolve over two years of weekend pop-ups featuring cold brew and aqua frescas in Tansy’s garden. In that garden, the drinks gained traction and community support, and it was clear something was building, so I established a more permanent presence.

The initial budget constraints and microloan availability led to a creative solution: a mobile food trailer.  It was only fitting that the trailer should park itself right where I had found roots as well: within Tansy’s garden. The mobile food trailer concept not only enabled me to overcome financial barriers, it also embodied the spirit of adaptability and resilience. Today, Plántate Café flourishes as a testament to determination, passion, and what women can create together. It stands as a symbol of breaking free from the ordinary, celebrating diversity, and embracing the full spectrum of flavors and experiences that life has to offer.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Funding is the biggest hurdle to starting a business. It is really true that you have to have money to make money. Not a lot, but some. So, being creative with what you have, asking for help, and being at peace with starting small is all essential to getting started.

I had a very small amount of money to work with-and not a lot of room-to fail so I decided to first find a local business that would be willing to provide me with a space I could comfortably grow in. Once the location was secured, I decided that although a full coffee program with espresso was the goal, I should do cold brew and pour overs on a foldout table to start. This was the most cost effective move and the best way to get up and running and start to build something. Using that small amount of money I had and allowing myself to proceed with progress and not perfection, allowed me to quickly grow my capital and get to a place where I could afford expansion. And it took a bit of the risk off of expansion, because I had already built a loyal customer base, had established my brand, and had a proof of concept to present to lenders when applying for the SBA and personal loan I secured.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I think remembering that you yourself, as the business owner, are the face of your company so taking the time to connect with your customers or clients is essential. Getting to know them and sharing your journey as you are experiencing it, including the ups and downs, gets them invested in your success as a person and as a business. Social media is hard for me, so I focus most of my energy on connecting with my clients during our in-person interactions. I share about my life inside and outside of the business and get to know them, in turn. When your clients become friends, or have at least an invested interest in your success, then they are more willing to spread the word about your business and stay loyal. Building community is essential to growing your clientele!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.plantatecafe.la
• Instagram: @plantatecafe.la
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pl%C3%A1ntate-caf%C3%A9-burbank?osq=plantate+cafe

Image Credits
Brittany Woodside @b.side.photography