You've been a community associate for almost seven months now. How are things going?
I’ve really enjoyed my time here! I work with a great group of people (both the coworkers and my co-workers). There’s always something to do and something new to learn.
What inspired you to apply to the community associate position at Groover Labs?
While looking for new downtown locations where the Sunflower Espresso Bus could park (I was co-owner at the time), I discovered Groover Labs. I appreciated its nonprofit mission to support tech startups, as I also see investment in tech as a way to create a more robust and flourishing future for Wichita. Then after I reached out and established a regular food truck service in the parking lot, I became better acquainted with its day-to-day entrepreneurial ecosystem.
After my partner and I sold our business in the late spring of 2023, Groover Labs was near the top of my places-to-work wishlist. I like working with organizations that are seeking to do good in the world; Groover Labs fits that bill.
At the start of summer I found a temporary, grant-funded gig at WSU Tech as an event coordinator. When I resumed my job search afterward, it might have even been the week I remade my LinkedIn profile, I saw in a post that Groover Labs was hiring.
I jumped at the opportunity!
You have an entrepreneurial background. Tell us about your experience with Sunflower Espresso. What did you learn? What should someone who's thinking about entering the mobile coffee business know?
My husband and I joke that my time with Sunflower [Espresso] was one of the most affordable MBA programs around! And while I learned a ton about operating a business, there was so much more to my experience.
I learned how to work with and manage people. I uncovered many of my strengths and weaknesses; which in turn gave me the chance to work through those weaknesses and try to become my best self. Relationships with fellow entrepreneurs were cultivated and that allowed for me to learn even more about Wichita and everything it has to offer.
So at the end of my time with Sunflower, while I could read a P&L sheet and knew the margins we needed to keep to remain profitable, I'm most proud of the relationships I formed and learning how to meaningfully encourage and support my team.
Oh, and being able to make a latte! I'm still very proud of that!
As for advice I would give to anyone starting a mobile business, whether it’s food or beverage, I think that sometimes people start mobile food businesses because they think it’ll be easier than a traditional brick-and-mortar location. In some ways, it is; in other ways, it isn’t. It’s just a different way of operating.
Owning a food truck comes with many of the same struggles as a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Oh, and there are other regulatory and tax-related considerations that an owner will need to stay on top of.
So, don't underestimate its challenges!
You've taken over social media at Groover Labs. What's your interest in social media? How does social media dovetail into digital marketing? (Or vice versa.)
When I love things like companies or products, or when people are doing something cool or work worth noticing, I like to let other people in on the “secret." My interest in social media and digital marketing is an extension of that desire.
I find the creative aspect of this work invigorating, and incorporating data is the cherry on top. While I like to feel like I'm doing a good job, I especially like having the data to help guide my creativity and prove my hypotheses.
Marketing with thoughtful experimentation and refinement is all about making authentic connections.
It's not uncommon to have interesting and wide-ranging conversations at the front desk, some of those on the topic of great works of science fiction. Who is your favorite science fiction writer? What is your favorite science fiction movie?
Ursula K. Le Guin. Her father was an anthropologist and you can see it in her writing. She creates wildly different cultures and allows her characters to explore moral conundrums without painting anything as absolute. She also has a lyrical way with words, which I admire.
My favorite science fiction movie, now that’s a hard one! It depends on my mood. I like everything in the Alien franchise, some for inexplicable reasons (not including Alien v. Predator, that’s a different beast). Although, I also like the Predator movies. Just don't mix them on screen.
Blade Runner is breathtaking. I tend to like stories and movies that feel steeped in mythology and history, or maybe I just like Ridley Scott as a director.