Small Business Month continues in the Seller Community! We're featuring just some of the great sellers, and Super Sellers, who make this Community a very special corner of the internet.
Read on to learn about Emily and Andrea, who run Lovewell Tea & Coffee in Ventura, California. They share some of the challenges of running a business and how they connect to their local community. Emily and Andrea also participate in the Community’s Square Champions Program, offering help and advice to other sellers and providing feedback to Square. We appreciate you @Lovewell!
Why did you start your business?
We saw a need in our community and decided to go for it by creating a space called Lovewell Tea & Coffee. We wanted to create a space where people would feel seen and known. Our goal is to love people through coffee and excellent customer service.
Why did you choose Square for your business?
We actually had Square for a non-profit many years prior and really just didn’t think twice about it when we started our business. Amazing experience and always ahead of the game!
What is your favorite thing about running a business? What is your least favorite about running a business?
Favorite thing? Hearing people’s stories. We don’t take it for granted that people feel safe enough with us to tell us what’s happening in their world.
The hardest thing about owning a business is creating boundaries and separating our identity from our business.
How do you connect to your local community?
We love donating to local events, bringing our coffee cart out to community events, hosting toy drives for a local non profit, and just being part of the lives of the amazing customers that come in! Our favorite thing has been to collect school supplies for a local elementary school near us that has a high population of low income families. It’s great for our customers to be able to support the community around us and also to highlight the needs that can be filled with kindness.
How do you connect to your customers?
Face to face! Find out their name and remembering it. We also use instagram and love sending out emails through square!
Do you host any events at your business, or participate in community events?
We love to host themed days with decor and fun menus. We also love joining in local community events like our Downtown Findings Market twice a year full of 100+ makers and artisans. We love to host people in our space after hours as well as help others connect together in our space.
How do you build a sense of community among your team?
We always check in with each other. We make sure to talk about things other than work! We’ve got a small but mighty team so it’s easy to stay connected. We love decorating the shop together for holidays and going out and getting food together as well. Our team is small and because of that we are able to be more family oriented. Most of the time we ask each other for the Top 5 things that have happened since we last worked together. Make it fun and Lovewell.
We appreciate you @Lovewell! To learn more about Lovewell Tea & Coffee visit or follow them on Instagram.
Helen is a Seller Community Manager at Square and is the editor of the Seller Community Blog. She writes about small business and the owners & entrepreneurs that are a part of the Seller Community. New to the Seller Community? Join today.