Raha Nabi

I would say my biggest success factor is my connection with people. I really enjoy talking to people and getting to know them. Especially now in my location, I have regular customers that come daily, and I already know what they want, what they like. I know their pets and ask about them. I really have a good background in connecting with people, and that makes a very big difference in any hospitality business, I believe. It's not just about serving a product, it's about building genuine relationships and making people feel valued and remembered.

The best advice I received was from my first general manager at Four Seasons. Even after we both left the company, we kept in contact, and when I started my business, he helped me a lot with the planning. He told me, 'I always knew something that you will do, but I didn't know when the time comes, but I'm glad that you picked it at the correct time for you.' That really resonated with me because it took me many years to do this, but I feel like if I would have rushed it, or if I would do it a couple of years from now, it would not work out the way I wanted it. Picking the right time when you feel ready enough to handle the situation in a positive way, that's the first step. You don't need to be ready 100%, but you need to be ready enough. Timing is everything, and I'm grateful I waited until the moment was right for me.

The main thing I would say is that a lot of people, even my own friends, see this as a fun job. They don't realize what it takes to be there and what is the background. They're like, oh my god, you have a very cute job, you drive around, you have a cute location, you only work a couple of hours, because that's what other people see. However, they don't see that I get up at 4:30 in the morning every day when I have to go to my location to be there at 7 o'clock, and I don't get home by 2 o'clock. And even after that, I have to do my shopping, and if anything happened in the van, I have to find someone to fix it or do it on my own, take it to car wash. There's a lot of stuff that might not be fun and might be difficult for some women. For me, it was at the beginning, but now I'm getting the hang of it. I wasn't a handy person, I was more the pretty face on the front, but now I'm dealing with some of the stuff that you actually need to do to get to that front level. My first challenge was even driving the mobile cafe. For a month, it was hard for me because it's a huge car, and I was like, oh my god, what did I get myself into. But I didn't give up. I did my cries, I was like, why did you do that? But at the same time, you did it, now you have to continue. And after a month or so, I was like, okay, it wasn't even that bad. So any obstacles that come my way, I can do the crying, and then I have to figure out how to solve it. Another thing I see is a lot of people have so many excuses. I never had any background in opening a business, neither in my family. I'm coming from a middle-class family. I didn't have any background from my parents that they had a business, and I didn't come from a lot of money that they handed me the money to start a business. Also, I wasn't young, I was at the age where next month I'll be turning another year older, and I have a daughter. So it wasn't something that easily I would say, oh, I just opened it up. The planning by itself, to actually start working, took me a whole year to find the correct people, find someone I can trust to build the truck, find the correct people to get my equipment from, designing my logo, getting all my products the way I wanted it. And I basically don't listen to anybody, so the haters can go away. You have to do your own thing and not let negative people stop you.

The biggest challenge right now is the economy. Everything and prices are going up. Since I started, I think 3-4 times the price of coffee and matcha, everything has been up. At the same time, I can't raise my prices every 3 months to keep it competitive with other brands, but I also need to meet my regular customers' expectations. Everybody's kind of struggling with the economy situation because grocery prices are going up. Maybe drinking coffee outside is not a priority for everyone anymore. Maybe instead of every day, they'll come twice a week. Same as eating out for restaurants. That's one of the challenging things for everybody at this time right now. As for opportunities, I feel like the product that you provide can help you stay safe, and also the relation that you're making with people, that they would select you instead of someone else. That would be the only opportunity at the moment. My prices are not Starbucks, they're higher, but I'm very confident on what I'm providing. Little details like free pup cups, treats for dogs, beautiful cups, these things that might not be big but in people's eyes are really big. The quality of what you provide and the connections you make with people, that's what will help you survive in this challenging economy.

The most important value to me is balance, especially because I have a daughter who is young. I'm not thinking just to make money, even though it's good for a business, but at the same time, I need to make sure I'm having enough time that I can spend with her. I try to make sure I have that balance so I can be there for her whenever I want. That's one of the reasons I chose opening a mobile cafe instead of a normal coffee shop or restaurant, so I can still have that flexibility. I don't need to be open every day if I can't, but as a restaurant, you can't do that. The main thing is to keep that balance between work and family. I also value treating people the way I like to be treated. I believe in respecting how people do things and being open with my employees. I try to make sure they feel appreciated and valued, not just like a number. Quality is also extremely important to me in everything I do, from the products I use to the experience I create for customers.