Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Gargicevich Almeida-Smith.
Hi Sophia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
While we opened our first mobile espresso bar in March 2021, and we have now opened our first brick-and-mortar location in March 2022, Little Light Coffee Co’s story actually began over a decade ago. I was in college, and I was not in the best place mentally and emotionally. Things I had rooted my identity to were not working out, so I sought a place I could go to that was not attached to my sport, family/friends, etc. I started exploring coffee shops. I loved everything about them – the community, the way you can be a somebody and a nobody at the same time, and how each shop had their own take on what makes an excellent cup of coffee, as well as an overall great experience. From then on, I decided I wanted to open up my own coffee shop someday. This dream, and exploring of coffee shops, became a light in a darker time for me. Over the next ten years or so, I paid attention and conducted “market research” at every shop I went to – both in the US and abroad. I noticed what made me want to come back, what was off-putting, and little quirks that added character to a space. In addition, I had my fair share of living in different cities – I grew up in Southern California, went on to play collegiate softball at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and after played professionally abroad in Sweden for a summer.
Upon returning, I moved to New York City, where I became in love with Central Park and the buzz of millions of people hell-bent on making their dreams/careers a reality. I loved the idea you can have a calm and safe space in the overall organized chaos of the city. After New York, I moved back to Carlsbad, CA. Fast forward, these little pieces being tied together over various experiences built the foundation of what the shop is today. This dream of owning a coffee shop that became a “little light” at the end of the tunnel for me in my times of struggle went on to be the namesake of the business. My now-husband is in the military, so when we met in San Diego, the stipulation to move was that I would open a shop at some point. This is how we eventually ended up in Middle Georgia, where Little Light was “born” and where this community has helped me turn this dream into reality. I could have never predicted at the start that this is where the shop would have grown to be in a short time, but I am extraordinarily grateful for the how things have panned out and for all that is to come. It takes a village, and there are so many people near and far that have poured into Little Light throughout the years. I am so grateful.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think any entrepreneur really has a smooth road with their businesses or ventures, to be honest. Those that do usually do not last long past the honeymoon stage of the business. I always say opening a coffee shop is both the absolute best thing I’ve ever done, as well as the absolute hardest thing I’ve ever done. Challenges with the mobile espresso bar were different than challenges with opening a brick-and-mortar. I can categorize obstacles/challenges faced into a few different buckets.
The first is of course, capital. I had all the moral support in the world, but no one else financed my endeavors for me. I saved some money before opening, learned a lot on YouTube and Google University, and DIY’ed everything we could. When the shop opened and I had more employees, I learned how expensive overhead and payroll is… especially payroll. On the other hand, it’s so important to invest in good people. Nearly all the furniture in the shop is thrifted and flipped by me, built from scratch by family that had flown in and my husband, or was a gift for decor in the shop. Things break when you really don’t need them to, and the ebbs and flows can send you through the ringer.
The second would be emotions. Entrepreneurship is lonely – you’re making all the decisions, you’re working a lot on your own, you’re the one with the vision, and, in our situation, we are military so family was not nearby for me. It really tests your resolve and it really shapes you. On top of that, learning a new dynamic in your own household and in relationships nearest to you. A business takes all of your time, commitment and requires you to be there. This means you miss out on a lot of life events, trips, get-togethers, date nights, all the things. This also will show you quickly who you’re people are – it was also the time I was most grateful for my family, my best friends, and for the person, I chose to marry. I don’t think people realize how much who you surround yourself with, especially when trying to go for big dreams, matters.
The third challenge I found sounds odd, but it was what to do when you succeed and grow faster than you thought you would. Being an athlete, I always plan for all the scenarios of failing, but I didn’t plan for what happens when you take off. It’s a good problem, but very stressful. At the start, we were using U-Hauls we rented to transport, so any money I was making was going back to pay for the U-Haul I was renting. So, I had to buy a truck in a used-car market that was skyrocketing. Then, I bought a trailer and had to learn all the things with a trailer. Mind you – I’m originally from California and was heavily considering purchasing a Prius shortly before I decided to open the business. So, there’s that. On top of succeeding early, my fear was we would be a one-hit wonder type business, and I didn’t want that. I wanted to be the best in the area and remain that way. We still strive for that every day.
The fourth challenge was the fact we were going through a lot of change at once. I had never been affiliated with military at all, and my introduction came in 2019. Once I opened the business, I had a huge fear that the military would uproot us before I had a chance to really establish the business in the area. I knew I would start all over if I had to, but I really didn’t want to. For this dream, I was pouring everything I had and more to get it off the ground as soon as I could. Fear can be motivating. While it was borderline unhealthy at times, I credit a lot of the business’ rapid growth to being driven by this fear – and all of the work paid off when we were able to open a brick-and-mortar.
Overall, every day has its obstacles and challenges. You sign up to get your butt kicked every day when you open a business. But then, good days happen. Good people come into your life. Your vision comes to life. Your people are by your side – near and far. You look up and you’ve built a community of people that are your Little Light family. It’s taken everything, but it’s so worth it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My business name is Little Light Coffee Co LLC. We have a coffee shop and we have a mobile espresso bar. As far as offerings and services, I’ve always preferred having fewer options but making sure everything we offer is exceptionally well done – kind of like having a capsule wardrobe. At the coffee shop, we offer coffee/espresso drinks, non-coffee options, and we rotate in seasonal options. We also offer pastries, several of which are from a local baker, Annie from Annie’s Oven.
What we’ve become most known for in the area is our coffee flights – we launched coffee flights this past summer, and they have quickly become a favorite in the area, as well as surrounding areas.
Our mobile espresso bar is available to be booked for weddings of all sizes, corporate events/conferences, birthday parties, teacher appreciation, and more. This has been extremely popular in the area and has been a fun way for us to get out in the community! We also have options for custom bottled lattés and coffee carafes for pick-up to serve at any events or corporate functions. People can learn more about this through submitting an inquiry on our website.
What I would want readers to know about the business is less on our offerings and more about the core of what Little Light is as a brand.
From day one of our mobile espresso bar opening in March 2021, our focus has been on earning word of mouth reviews – we work hard to be the place you think of when you are talking to friends and family. Our business was built in a very grassroots type of way. With the mobile espresso bar, it was so important to deliver an excellent product and an excellent experience, or people wouldn’t come back. Not to mention, many people in the area did not know what a craft coffee cart even was. We had to do a decent amount of educating, produce a good product and experience, and earn their trust.
Since we were solely mobile for our first year, we would announce our schedule on social media, and people would come to where we are set up. It was very much a destination – so when you’re structured that way, you need to be a worthwhile destination. People are busy, so you need to do what you do so well that it gives them a reason to include stopping by where you are as they are going about their day. Part of the educating process involved helping people learn what their coffee order is. Ordering coffee can be intimidating if you don’t really know what things are or what you like. We earned a lot of repeat customers because we helped walk them through the decision-making process, and they felt like they could walk in any coffee shop thereafter and order with confidence. This is the foundation that Little Light was built on, and it is still how we focus on customers’ experience today – whether it’s at the coffee shop or when we are working an event.
Lastly, but most importantly, we prioritize surrounding ourselves with good people. We hire and truly invest in people that care about the business and about serving others well. I don’t just hire bodies to show up and “do the job.” As a result, our staff has truly done an incredible job and have helped us continue to grow and execute the visions I have for the business. Examples of these are our coffee flights, themed months such as Harry Potter and Halloween Things, and being able to have the coffee shop thriving on days I have to be away from the shop. We also have had very low turnover. In addition to our employees, we partner with a few local businesses that we enjoy being around and what they are about. We are very intentional in who we attach our brand to. In turn, this translates to the people we attract that walk in the door. Our customers have been incredible – they are positive, they share updates on their lives with us, and they’ve truly helped us form our very loyal following.
It has truly been the joy of my life so far to build this brand from the ground up, with an emphasis on people, products and on staying true to who we are as a brand. To seeing this dream through. To making it happen despite obstacles. To creating a community that might not have existed without Little Light. To the people who have become our coffee family. This is what I’m most proud of -the success that Little Light has had is a huge bonus. At the end of the day, you can own all the businesses in the world, you can sell all the coffee in the world, but if you can’t look at yourself in the mirror and be proud of what your business is contributing to the world, then it’s not worth it. If you don’t have a network of people around you that you can go home to or call to share the journey with, it’s not worth it. I’m excited for all that is in store for Little Light Coffee Co.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love that it is a melting pot of people from all different walks of life. Here in Warner Robins, we are a military town, so we have a unique crowd of all kinds of people in the place we would least expect to have a diverse crowd. I also love how the community really rallies around small businesses – having always lived in bigger cities, I’ve never witnessed anything like it. It’s truly been a gift and has been the best place for Little Light Coffee Co to be born in.
The thing I like the least about our city/area is that, at least here in Middle Georgia, things we would like to do are a bit of a farther drive than I was used to growing up. I’m used to having a variety of activities and destinations being within an hour drive, whereas now those things are 2.5+ hours away. Also, the humidity in the summer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://littlelightcoffeeco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlelightcoffeeco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlelightcoffeeco/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/little-light-coffee-co-warner-robins?osq=coffee
- Other: https://goo.gl/maps/Mfw6LaYMaUmVUZxB8
