We recently connected with Sarah Knabel and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk about innovation. What’s the most innovative thing you’ve done in your career?

I started my career journey out of college in corporate America, and saw what it takes to run these huge million/billion dollar companies. I felt unseen, and frankly unheard.

I am a create mind, and a social butterfly. After starting my own business in 2020 I feel I have truly understood what makes a business great: community.

Instead of focusing solely on profits, I chose to focus on more sustainable pieces of my business: my customers and my team. I have always included my customers in most of my decision making from drink ideas, event plans, and so much more. I have personally seen that focusing on the community makes people feel included and heard (the two things my experience with corporate America was lacking).

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?

My name is Sarah Knabel, I am a 26 year old from Dubuque, Iowa. I graduated from Iowa State University with a Marking and Public Relations degree and a minor in Apparel Merchandising and Design.

I traveled to Los Angeles, CA to intern with a fashion and lifestyle PR Firm. Then, took a position in Des Moines, IA at a large magazine firm working in Social Media with Pinterest accounts.

During my time at Iowa State, I worked for a coffee shop, where I fell in love with the art of coffee. I had always known I would want to own a coffee shop someday, because “no one is ever mad in a coffee shop”. I just didn’t for see it happening at age 23.

When Covid-19 hit in 2019, my contracted position ended in Des Moines, and thus I saw an opening to start my dream coffee shop.

I started in a 1968 vintage coffee camper that allowed be to not have as much overhead, and was perfect during the pandemic as it allowed people to stay outside.

Bob & Lou’s Coffee – named after my grandparents Bob and Mary “Lou” opened its mobile doors in July of 2020. We have now grown into a small walk up shop close to one of our cities Universities while still traveling around in our mobile unit.

We serve gourmet specialty coffees, lemonades (seasonally), refreshers, chais, and so much more. We also host yearly events like tastings, that bring the community together.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

As a very young business owner I was very nervous about managing a team, as I had little to no experience. But honestly, I took all of the things that I didn’t like about previous bosses and did the exact opposite.

I assure my team members have a voice in the company, from picking weekly specials to making their own decisions when it comes to customer interactions. I have quarterly private meetings with each employee to assure I am meeting their needs and being the best boss I can be.

I think the #1 thing a boss needs to remember is: people should live their lives and then work, not work and then live their lives. I believe in the importance of travel and family. So I assure my team members know the flexibility I allow for all of them to live their lives.

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

With starting at the age of 23, I really had no savings or funds to build this business dream of mine. I had to create a business plan and take it to the bank to ask for a business loan. The first bank I went to turned me down, and at the time I thought it was the end of my dream and told myself, “no one is going to believe in me I am only 23”.

My parents reassured me that, “no doesn’t mean no, it means not right now.” I sat back down, looked over my business plan and reached out to a credit union in town, DuTrac Community Credit Union. I sat down with Travis P. and I truly believe he was almost as excited about my business as I was. I will never forget the moment he said, “we would love to give you the business loan”.

I had already planned out how much I needed as well as where the funds would go. I am still so grateful for the belief DuTrac had in me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bobandlous.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobandlous/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bobandlous/

Image Credits
Jenne Lewis Creative and CE Creative