We recently connected with Angela Burns and have shared our conversation below.
Angela, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
The funny thing about resilience as a small business owner, is I often don’t feel like I am being resilient in the moment. It isn’t until after the problem is solved, after the pivot has been completed, or after the new process is put in place that I see what was accomplished. A lot of my resilience comes from knowing that I can’t just not do it. I can’t quit. My staff and community are counting on me to be here. I have had to make a lot of adjustments to the stores as the years have passed, especially during the pandemic. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. I try to not beat myself up or complain about the problem too much, and instead try to find a solution. I try to find the immediate fix and then a permanent solution. Being a small business owner and also someone who struggles with mental health issues, sometimes the next step is the only thing I can look at. I often take things 15 minutes at a time and look for solutions or better processes or ways to grow the businesses. It takes a lot of effort and planning to make moves, both big and small, and it is certainly an uphill battle some days. So far my staff and community haven’t quit on me yet and I would like to be here for them for many years to come.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I own and operate two businesses in Antioch, Illinois. I have Little Bean Coffee Company, a coffee shop/cafe that serves coffee, tea, smoothies, breakfast & lunch sandwiches and ice cream. In June 2022 I opened Little Bean Books, a small indie bookstore that carries books of all genres and for ages. Both businesses are community spots, encouraging people to stay awhile and have a cup of coffee or browse new books. We host events including our bookstore run book clubs, author events, birthday parties, classes and late night ice cream events. Little Bean leans in to being a third space, we want all of our guests to feel welcomed and appreciated at the shops. Both shops are safe spaces and inclusive, we try our very hardest to be warm and inviting and active in the community. We like to have fun at Little Bean, hosting Galentine’s Day events with friendship bracelet stations, book release parties with coloring pages, and limited edition holiday shirts with funny phrases on the back. We are currently expanding our events; hosting boozy book fairs, author signings, and after hours parties at the cafe.
The most exciting thing I do at the businesses is introduce people to new things. I love helping someone pick out a new book, or new coffee to try and getting the feedback that they enjoyed it. I like connecting with the community and providing a space for people to feel comfortable to relax, or work, or visit with each other.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
It’s hard to narrow down the qualities or skills that have helped me along the way but a few that stand out are communication, creativity, and attention to detail. I need to be able to communicate with staff and customers to provide the correct products and services. I have to listen to what is working, what isn’t and find the solutions when those problems arise. Creativity shows up in a lot of small businesses, in how we market our business, the things we offer, and what solutions we find to issues that pop up every day. Any shop that made it through the pandemic had to find creative solutions to stay open and similarly with the economy now businesses are having to be creative in order to continue to operate at full capacity in their communities. A lot of running a business is about listening and paying attention to details. I try to take a creative approach to things we do, whether that’s naming specials after a favorite band or trying new flavor combinations for coffee drinks. At the shops we try to pay attention to the little things that will make an impact along the way. We remember regulars names, write happy birthday on a cup if we know someone is celebrating, or put a bookmark in a book purchase so customers know where they picked up the story from. The little details are important. I think if you boil down attention to detail, communication, and creativity the main thing you want to make sure you are doing is listening. Listen to your customers, and staff, vendors, and other business owners. See what is working and what isn’t and make the necessary changes. My other advice would be to remember to take breaks and take time for yourself that is not business related. Know when and where to ask for help. You can’t do it all alone, or you will burn out. I have pushed myself to burn out and it’s not easy to come back from. Knowing who can help you and in what areas is extremely important. As a new business owner you will need to know what is going on in your business but you don’t need to do it all by yourself. Listen to yourself and the people around you who support you.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
My current challenge is balance. I am trying to balance what I need to be doing for the shops and what others can be helping me with. I also need to balance work and personal time a little bit better. It’s hard to take a break when first quarter sales are down. Being a shop in the midwest in the winter we have challenges getting people in the door. My management team and I are working on reassigning who is in charge of what and who will spearhead new items. We are expanding our events and possibly our hours and I want to be present but don’t need to be there for everything. Giving up control is hard when I have always been a “It’s okay I’ll do it myself” person. We are restructuring after some setbacks that were out of my control. It will be a process but I think it will help us get to where we would like to be. The businesses have great bones. I just know we could be doing more and I’m excited to grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: littlebeancoffeeco.com
littlebeanbooks.com - Instagram: @littlebean_coffeecompany @littlebean_books
- Facebook: Little Bean Coffee Co. Little Bean Books
