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Tea with Tom: Higher Grounds

Tea with Tom: Coffee Shop Best Practices Episode 3 – Featuring Pastor Bill & Alicia of Higher Grounds, Crestline CA

Welcome back to another episode of Tea with Tom. Here, we discuss the best practices our entrepreneurial customers have taken to build and maintain successful coffee shop business. In this episode, we explore Higher Grounds Coffee’s story. Now, listen along as we brew some Matcha, Tropical Black, and Chamomile Spice Teas with Pastor Bill and Alicia. Uniquely, Higher Grounds is a profitable coffee shop adjacent to a Non-Profit Church. Find out how they paired community with natural leadership to create a successful business.

Non-Profit for Profit

A Social Purpose Corporation is what Higher Grounds Coffee is categorized as. Although, the shop is a for-profit shop, it is owned by a non-profit local church. This relationship between the patrons of the store and church are what makes Higher Grounds unique. Pastor Dan and Alicia unpack how a non-for-profit can have a for-profit enterprise.

Community Integration

The relationships that Pastor Bill had formed through the church community became essential to opening Higher Grounds. The small community they served came together to give back to the idea of a coffee shop. From receiving a better loan rate to having a fund thermometer printed in the paper, Higher Grounds became a local project. Community alone brought the ability raise their 30% down payment. This goes to show the importance of building strong relationships prior to starting up a business.

Natural Leaders

When tasked with managing the Higher Grounds Coffee shop, Alicia stepped in and went above and beyond for the shop. Here, Alicia found herself a natural born leadership. Natural leaders have the ability to provide innovative insights that one cannot simply pick up in a book. Expressing ideas and directions with intention are how these individuals are able to bring utility and positivity to the culture of a shop. When it comes to hiring a manager, it is essential to bring in these types of individuals to have a successful business.

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