We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nathan Claycomb. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nathan below.
Alright, Nathan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I still remember the moment of inception quite well! My family and I were enjoying dinner on a very cold winter’s evening. My wife, Denise, was sharing stories about her workday with our boys. She turned to me and said, “It was so freezing today, and our team wanted lattes, but nobody wanted to go out in the freezing cold weather. So we were all sitting around talking, and we agreed that somebody should start up a coffee truck that brings really good coffee to businesses on cold days. So I said we girls should do it and call it Joe on the Go!”
I let out an audible laugh and said, “I get it, Joe! Coffee, Java, Joe! That’s cute. But it will never work.” Aren’t those the most famous last words? The next morning I woke up after Denise, went downstairs, poured my coffee and said, “So hun, I was thinking…about that ‘Joe on the Go’ idea…I don’t think your primary market is businesses. I mean, most of them have free coffee for employees. I think the best market is found every Saturday morning when hundreds of thirsty and chilly parents and grandparents are looking for coffee on soccer fields.”
For the last decade we have been those thirsty, chilly parents. I like to joke that there are two unspoken rules about “Soccer Saturdays.” First, you must be running late. No one arrives to the pitch on time. Secondly, you must either forget your coffee at home, or have driven so far to the away game, that your travel cup is empty and you are eagerly anticipating another cup. But unfortunately there seems to also be a third unspoken rule. There cannot be an ounce of quality coffee within 5 miles of a soccer park! I thought perhaps this coffee truck idea could be the solution to a wide-spread caffeine problem!
Denise seemed a tad taken back and smiled knowingly. I exclaimed, “Come on! No one is doing this! You may be on to something!” Now it was her turn to chuckle in my direction.
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.
JOE on the GO Coffee Co is a premier mobile café that provides delicious beverages and baked goodies while keeping our community on-the-go.
Unlike a conventional dine-in restaurant, we go where the people are- from soccer games to craft shows, from weddings to town celebrations, from your morning commute to an office park. We make exceptional, locally roasted coffee accessible wherever and whenever we’re needed.
We live out our mission, “Serving Your Community By Serving You,” by partnering with nine other small businesses. We employ local youth as part of our team to teach them more about the attributes of good character than fine coffee. And we support numerous not-for-profit organizations across our county and beyond.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
On May 14, 2023 our company turned one year old. We had a fun goal within the team and our family to reach 1,000 Instagram followers before turning one. On May 13, we achieved that goal with several hours to spare! I truly don’t know if that’s a fast rate of growth for a small town small business, but we were ecstatic.
From where I sit, the key to building a strong social media presence is three-fold. You must be CONSISTENT in 1) frequency of posts, 2) visual and textual branding, and 3) personalized consumer engagement. The first two habits are rather straight forward. Stick to a predictable posting rhythm (eg- our schedule is always released on Sundays) and keep your authentic voice recognizable through color palates, photographic framing and copywriting.
But the third practice is the most important. Social media is meant to be SOCIAL! So we are extremely diligent in replying to comments, private messages and story shares. We don’t use canned responses either. Our guests deserve to be known and seen. So that’s what we do. The followers and engagement level grows when folks feel valued and tell their friends that they should come feel valued too!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
In our area of the country, food and beverage trucks have been growing increasingly popular since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact there are currently four other coffee trucks operating in our county and at least two new ones slated to open this year. So how do we become (and stay) a preferred vendor in this market? There are three attributes to our culture that are building our reputation.
First, we wear hats that say “Kindness Is Free,” and then we serve it to our guests with every visit. Lots of cafes in countless cities serve great coffee, but it’s the ones who make you feel valued that keep you coming back. I encourage our team to learn names and life stories as much as folks are willing to share, because a little more love in the world isn’t going hurt anyone. I’m not perfect. I’m not always kind to those whom I love the most, but I believe God wants to use us, this mission, and Team Joe to bless others and leave them better off than when they walked up to our window.
Secondly, I extend that kindness to our business partners. Our baker, our dairy producer, our roaster….the list goes on. They all have hopes, dreams, struggles, joys and fears- just like me. We all have rough days. (Just ask my kids what I’m like without my first cup of coffee!) So I do my best to empathize with their needs and be a true partner back to their businesses too. It’s the same with our event organizers. Our job is to make them look good to the people attending.
Finally, I recently decided that not a single one of the other food trucks in our area, including the coffee trucks, are our competition. They are our friends, our colleagues and our teachers. I’ve borrowed a catering item from one coffee truck and stored someone else’s espresso maker for a few months. When we promote and support one another and build community within our niché, we all win big!
Contact Info:
- Website: Joeonthegocoffeeco.com
- Instagram: @joeonthegocoffeeco
- Facebook: Facebook.com/Joeonthegocoffeeco