In 2009 while working as a Marketing Strategist at IBM, I started peddling homemade chai from a bicycle trailer, as a hobby. I called it The Chai Cart. The customer response was so overwhelming that I decided to quit my corporate job and transform my bicycle trailer into a real business.
I put in 8 years of sweat, blood, and tears (literally) into the business. I scaled the business with a hybrid business model with three streams of revenue — selling chai by the cup at the sidewalk carts in San Francisco’s Financial District, selling products such as Chai Brews and loose-leaf blends to foodservice (Google’s microkitchens, local cafes) and retail customers, and small and large-scale corporate catering.
I built a brand that was well known in San Francisco and had very loyal customers who absolutely LOVED the product. My business was cash-flow positive. My vision was to make my chai available all over the US. But I didn’t have the resources to grow the business beyond San Francisco. Scale requires capital.
In 2018, I sold my business to David Rio, another chai company based in San Francisco. It was a perfect fit; they sold various types of powdered chai and were able to add The Chai Cart’s Chai Brews and loose tea blends to their portfolio while also extending their brick & mortar cafe on Market Street (called Chai Bar) with the mobile chai carts. The Chai Cart’s local customers were a great addition to their global customer list.
The question I get most often is what made me do it. Was I passionate about chai? The truth is before I started the business, I didn’t even drink tea.
So, what made me do it? I didn’t know this then, but I do now. After selling my business, I finally had time to reflect. I finally understood what made me start The Chai Cart.
I was not passionate about tea. In fact, I used to drink coffee every morning. What was I passionate about? I was passionate about making a difference in other people’s life. I was passionate about healthy eating. What drew me to chai? Starbucks has made chai mainstream, but the chai they made so popular is loaded with sugar. More and more consumers were becoming aware of the vices of sugar and were looking for alternatives for foods and drinks they enjoy, but ones are made with better ingredients. And this is exactly what I offered at The Chai Cart — lightly sweetened, hand-crafted chai, with premium ingredients.
Did a passion for healthy eating & the desire to have an impact on people’s life turn me into an entrepreneur? Perhaps, but just that would not have been enough. Mainly because the path of entrepreneurship is full of challenges, disappointments, and hardships. There is one other thing. I also had a passion for business and a knack for marketing. Running a business requires business skills. It requires putting together a business plan, doing market research, being diligent about product development, and thinking creatively to differentiate your business from competitors. You should feel just as excited about going through the 10 steps of entrepreneurship as incubating the idea itself.
I too believe that in order to have a full life, one must do what they are passionate about. However, your passion does not have to be your job, it can simply be a hobby — make it a priority and find time for it. If you feel that your passion has a market, then ask yourself how you feel about business strategy, financial modeling, go-to-market planning, etc. If you are not energized by it, find a business partner who is.
And oh, just in case you are curious — I now drink chai every morning. Once you get used to really good tea, there’s no going back.
Author Bio Paawan is a generalist, her career has ranged from technology consulting to corporate marketing at IBM to entrepreneurship in the food industry. She strives to delight her customers (internal or external) and enjoys bringing structure to chaos. She has an MBA from INSEAD and an M.S in Computer Science from USC.
Originally published at https://medium.com on February 19, 2020.
Comments