How to flourish in the mobile business landscape
An increasing number of businesses have become mobile in the way that they operate day-to-day. Cupped Coffee, a mobile business consisting of a fleet of exclusive mobile coffee kiosks, is one such business. The company serves corporates, schools and special events in Johannesburg.
Lisa Cooper, founder of Cupped Coffee, is a long-standing customer at Stor-Age Randburg and she recently took the time to share with us her entrepreneurial journey in the mobile business landscape.
“I have always had a passion for premium coffee and excellent service,’’ says Lisa. ‘’I followed the growth of the food trailer culture abroad with a great deal of interest. My entrepreneurial spirit was intrigued and I had already identified a gap in the local market for a high-end coffee offering. This ultimately set in motion the very first steps of Cupped Coffee’s exhilarating (and tasty) journey.”
Being an entrepreneur in the mobile work space has given Lisa a sense of independence and flexibility that she thoroughly enjoys. “I enjoy being master of my own destiny – charting the course for my business and making strategic decisions that will ensure the business continues to stay relevant in a very competitive space.”
With this freedom comes a responsibility and accountability for the success of the business. Factors such as planning, managing cash flow and budgeting all become critical components. Finding the balance between enthusiastically following your passion and recognising this responsibility is important.
Lisa shares advice on how to achieve this balance, “Stock up on motivation, drive and determination. Passion is a great thing to have, but you won’t always love your job and being a small business is hard. When you fall you have to get back up again and carry on moving forward. There will be many times you just want to throw in the towel. Stick it out. Keep going and do your best to keep it fun, exciting and innovative.”
Lisa notes how food trucks are definitely a growing industry in South Africa. This is largely due to the wonderful weather, social nature and outdoor family-orientated lifestyles of the community that are inspiring more and more entrepreneurs to invest in these micro eateries.
However, not everyone has space for a specialised trailer, even as compact as they are. Some properties and especially complexes can be limiting as to how many and what kind of vehicles can be parked. This is why many such company owners look towards business self storage to safely store their equipment and trailers.
How does Cupped Coffee work in the mobile space?
Lisa explains, “My 'work from home' is essentially wherever our trailers need to be! Mobile solutions and technology help me stay connected and in touch with clients and prospects, but my stock, equipment and trailers are conveniently and securely stored in a single storage location.”
Cupped Coffee is in a rather unique position in the sense that their business is too small to own office space but too big to operate from a home or a garage. More than that, Lisa is not only an entrepreneur but also a wife and a mother to two young children meaning that the home needs to be orientated toward family.
“But as my business started to grow, I needed to find a way to store multiple trailers as well as the increasing amount of equipment, stock, and supplies that I needed to keep on hand to accommodate our day-to-day operations as well as larger events and last-minute bookings.
I didn't want to invest in a second premises or a larger home as this would hike up my operating costs. Since my business operates essentially on site, I didn't need the additional space for anything other than keeping my stock and parking my trailers. A self storage unit made great sense as it gave Cupped Coffee the extra space it needed and the flexibility to lease as little or as much as I needed.”
She continues, “Also, investing in a business self storage solution meant I could actually 'leave work' mentally - this is often a challenge for work-from-home entrepreneurs as it can be more difficult to separate work space from home.”
Lisa was also impressed with our clean and well-cared-for facility. This is especially important when working in the food industry. As a woman who works unusual business hours, Lisa also values the safety, security and accessibility of her unit. “I’m not worried about having to collect things early in the morning or on the way back from and event. This further adds to my independence.”
With the mobile business landscape growing in popularity, so has the value in business self storage solutions. At Stor-Age, we offer the perfect business storage solution. Give us a call on 0861 18 18 18 to find out more, or get a quick and easy online quote.