Super September: Here’s How it Went
We’ve reached the end of Super September. How was it for you?
Nirvana Soul made some serious strides! From the very beginning, Jeronica and I have committed to being transparent with you about our progress. With this in mind, I’d like to share exactly where we are today.
Currently, we’re finalizing our SBA loan and negotiating the terms on a location we love.
Our budget for the shop is a tight $300K. To secure the loan, we’re responsible for providing a 20% equity injection. Through the generosity of our family, we were able to raise the first half of that injection within a few short months of our pitch party. By August, we had a commitment from an associate for another $25K. We were almost there!
Unfortunately, the $25K commitment fell through. So to start Super September, we were determined to make up for that cash and fast! We turned again to our family and friends. We raised another $10K, then $5K, then $3K, then $2K. Now, we’re just $10K short of our goal. How blessed are we that we’ve gotten so much help?!
On the self-care front, we did pretty well too. I hit my weight loss goal and Jeronica ate vegan all month. These sacrifices gave us the extra energy boost we needed at work and, what I like to believe, made room for even more blessings.
The past two weeks were seriously non-stop though. By last week, I was completely exhausted. Turns out, I’m still an introvert who needs plenty of rest to function well. So after some pretty rough convos and a pretty dumb move (I placed my phone on my car at a gas station, forgot about it, and drove off), I cancelled all of my weekend plans to just chill.
During this self-care weekend, I watched the three-part documentary, Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates, finished reading Educated by Tara Westover, and listened to a WSJ Secrets of Wealthy Women podcast on African American Women & Wealth. Now I feel much more energized and inspired heading into the new month.
The challenge ahead of us as we move into the final quarter of the year is being really smart about the huge decisions we’re making. Not only have a lot of people we love trusted us with their money, we’re also emotionally invested. We’re building a brand that we want to last.
Jeronica is calling this Overdrive October. (We can’t help ourselves.) We’re starting ‘Think Days,” inspired by Bill Gates, I’ll be reading much more, inspired by Tara Westover, and we’ll be making smart money moves, inspired by the women of WSJ.
Many of you have asked how you can help, and we’re so grateful for your interest. We’re still short of our equity injection number. Please email us at jeronica@nirvanasoulcoffee.com or DM us at @nirvanasoulcoffee on Instagram. We would love to talk to you about how we can reach our goals together!
Let’s make moves, guys and gals. We’re so close!
Keep it up, y’all!
Nirvana Soul is a soulful coffee & tea shop bringing exciting flavor, creative artistry, and bold inspiration to the Bay Area. Follow our journey on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Read more:
Why Another Coffee Shop is Needed
Trust the timing of your life
It’s going to be hard (and other things meant to be helpful)
Making the Brand
Fundraising: Numbers & Things We’ve Learned Along the Way
Coffee. Community. Culture.
How’s this for breathing room?
Meet Jessica: Campbell Coffee House owner on what she’s learned in business
Back to Work: Go On & Glow Up
Super September
