Getting to Know: Mark Kryshtalskyj

Founder and CEO of Rockstar Café

For many communities across the world, coffee beans have bridge communities, strengthened relationships and has taught us about one another across the world. For Mark Kryshtalskyj, this isn’t a coincidence. As the founder and CEO of Rockstar Café, Canada’s first third-wave entrepreneurial coffeehouse, Mark uses coffee to connect communities once again. “I truly love coffee and connecting to others in a meaningful way. Everyone has a unique story to tell, and you can always learn something from someone, no matter how small that learning may be,” he says “I also love helping others advance their ideas and coaching to success. We noticed space in the industry to make coffee social once again, and be the place for people to connect, collaborate and co-create,” Mark continues.

In 2013, Mark quickly dived into social entrepreneurship after reading Bruce Poon Tip’s book, Looptail. “That changed my entire view of business,” he says. “G Adventures showed that entrepreneurship can be used as a vehicle to achieve tremendous social good, while still making profit. After that, I decided to take the leap. I’m fortunate to have Bruce as an advisor today.”

Mark’s success with Rockstar Café doesn’t just rely on his own ideas, but also the network he’s grown. “Build an advisor network that’s invested in you and your success. Weed out the impostors and only listen to people that are actively there for you,” he advises.”You have to be incredibly diligent and focused on your venture over a sustained period of time. It’s difficult early on to prioritize and to understand all the important elements. If you aren’t particularly good at a skill, you need to acquire it. But that also means unequivocally trusting the people you work with, and that takes time to build. It doesn’t always work out, but when it does, it creates a very special team bond.”

You can catch up with Mark and Rockstar Café at the social media handles below, as well as his personal Twittter (@mkryshtalskyj).

Facebook: http://facebook.com/rockstarcafe
Twitter: http://twitter.com/therockstarcafe

Story Written by Erin Ashley

Mark is a participant in the Hook It Up program delivered by Socent7. Hook It Up is a support program for young social entrepreneurs in Ontario. Learn more at www.hookitup.ca.

*UPDATE AS OF AUGUST 2016* With Hook it Up’s support Mark was able to develop architectural renderings for the set-up of a Rockstar Cafe physical space in Waterloo Region. His summary of what he learned: “it takes time and money to start a successful business venture. I wish I put a greater emphasis on the type of people I worked with initially — it’s all about team and culture. I also wish I expected and asked more out of my advisors than just advice. Advisors should also be the ones to create opportunities and be the first investors in you.”