We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sophia (Gargicevich-Almeida) Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sophia, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My purpose began long before I even knew it was my purpose, really. I am the oldest of five girls, and we are very close. Any time I make a decision whether or not to take the risk, chase the dream, or do something out of my comfort zone, I think of my sisters. There is always that small window right before the breakthrough, where aggressive fear/doubt creeps in. Who am I to actually do this? Is this a mistake? Can I actually pull this off? Am I going to embarrass myself and fall on my face in front of a lot of people?
When the fear and doubt come – and they always do – I think about the following two questions:
Do I want my decisions to be something they can point to that justifies why they played it safe, settled, stayed in a less-than situation, or chose not to go for something? Or, do I want my decisions to be something they can point to that makes them feel like they, too, are capable – that they can reroute to a better path, that they can take that risk, that, despite odds or challenges, they can figure out how to make that dream come to fruition?
I believe my purpose is to make people feel seen, valued, capable, and brave – not through words, but through actions. Everyone has their own way, but I fulfill this purpose in three ways: through showing up the best I can for my people, through being unapologetic and relentless in the pursuit of my highest self & dreams (personal and professional), and through keeping it real and a bit vulnerable throughout the journey. Like, yes, this is hard. Yes, it’s unlikely and improbable. Yes, it might rock your whole world and cause you to make hard decisions and have uncomfortable conversations to fight for who you are or what you want. But, let’s fricking go for it anyway. Decide on the “what,” work harder than you ever have towards making it happen, and trust that the “how” will present itself. I’m in your corner – I’m cheering for you.
It’s a lot easier to do those things and go for your dreams when you’ve seen someone else do something similar – visual proof that it’s actually not impossible. I hope others can see that and believe that they can accomplish whatever it is that they want to, too. At the end of the day, your “why” has to be stronger than any circumstance or dream.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Sophia, and I am the owner and CEO of Little Light Coffee Co. We started as a mobile espresso bar in March 2021, I opened our coffee shop in March 2022, and I now own and operate both. The espresso bar primarily caters weddings, corporate events, and teacher appreciations in the Middle Georgia area, but we do travel to Atlanta, north Georgia, and Savannah areas as well. Our coffee shop is located in Warner Robins, and is the place to come purchase a cup of coffee or a coffee flight, and build our Little Light community.
Little Light’s journey started over a decade ago. I was having a hard time in college, while also having a mini identity crisis because sports and school were both not going well (if you’re a collegiate student-athlete, you know the struggle). Who was I outside of being a daughter, a sister, a student-athlete?
I started exploring coffee shops and fell in love with all they represented – with the community, the myriad of experiences I got to witness, and with being able to be somebody and nobody at the same time. In a time that I felt like I was in a dark tunnel, these coffee shops were a light for me. Thus, the dream was born and I spent the next decade listening to interviews and podcasts, traveling, observing every coffee shop I went to (hundreds), and planning “my future coffee shop” with family and friends, coworkers and sometimes even strangers – really anyone that would listen. I wanted to create a coffee shop that felt like the “central park of New York City” – a place where you could show up as you are, with others or alone, in any season of life, and find peace in the chaos. We want to leave every place, space, and customer feeling lighter and happier than we found them.
Fast forward a few years, I had moved back to Southern California and was living in San Diego. I was driving, and heard a song I liked, checked to see what it was called, and it was called “Little Light” – that was how the name of the coffee shop came about. That afternoon, I bought the domain and registered all the social media handles. This was 5 years before I opened the business, and long before I had any clue how this would come to fruition. In 2019, I started dating my now-husband, who is in the Air Force. He got stationed in Georgia in November 2020, so that’s how I ended up in middle Georgia. I took all my personal savings and opened the mobile espresso bar in March 2021. One year later, thanks to the incredible support from our community, I opened our first coffee shop in March 2022. I now run both, manage a team of amazing baristas, and we are just striving to be better each and every day.
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?
The most impactful qualities or skills in my entrepreneurship journey so far have been tenacity, efficiency, and pragmatism. If I had to give advice to someone starting out on how to develop these/why they are important, I would say the following:
You have to be tenacious in the pursuit of your dream, because it is very hard to pursue it. Entrepreneurship looks a lot more attractive on the outside than it is. It is incredibly rewarding – but it is also messy, lonely, humbling, revealing, and it will stretch you in ways you never imagined. You’ll face your strengths, but more importantly, you’ll face your weaknesses and your not-so-great qualities. Don’t run from these when they happen, but move through them.
Efficiency and pragmatism go hand in hand for many things. Keep the main thing, the main thing. It is important because you need to be able to make the most of the resources and time you have, and you’re constantly re-evaluating this as your role shifts from doing all the things to moving into more of a CEO role that your business needs to continue growing. You need to be able to do what you need to do without wasting time, energy, or materials. You need to recognize when you’re decisions are not being efficient. Taking responsibility and being accountable for what goes right and what goes wrong is efficient. Act as if everything is your fault – the good and the bad. Early on, I found the way I was most efficient was being willing to fail fast and fail forward. Make the mistakes, take the risks, learn as much as you can, and be better for it moving forward. Embrace being a beginner – you have a lot more grace in that. Try not to make the same mistake twice. Take a good hard look at where you are, where you want to be, and what needs to happen to close that gap little by little. Then, get focused, put your hater-blockers on, and floor it towards that goal. The way I see it is that every day that passes is either a drop in the growth bucket, or a drop in the regret bucket if a curveball ever happens.
You can do it, you will figure it out, and just keep going. When you want to quit, give yourself another 24 hours and permission to decide tomorrow. Keep your circle small and close, but keep your heart open to the unexpected gifts and humans along the way that are cheering you on and rooting for you to succeed. You got this!
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
There have been so many people – both near and far. First and foremost – my parents and sisters. My parents were born and raised in South America – in Brazil and Argentina respectively. They met when they were older when they came to study English at UCR Extension in Southern California. One thing led to another, and they ended up immigrating to the US and becoming citizens. Their story embodies the American dream, and I’m so thankful for all they have endured and sacrificed. They have passed on their resilience, persistence, work ethic, and compassion towards others to the five of us. These traits are the foundation for the success we’ve had personally and professionally. My sisters – Ale, Lulu, Bella, and Bianca, who keep me very humble, who celebrate the wins, and who would still love me even if this all burned down. Sheila (She-She) and Charlene (Cha-Cha) – our “american grandmas” who have been present and huge influences in our lives since before I was born. My husband (& our dogs, obviously) who has cheered me on and listened to all things Little Light day in and day out of this journey – who has seen the joys, tears, been woken up by more 2am alarms than most, and who talks me off a ledge on a frequent basis. My family in South America, and my aunt in DC – they have all kept up with Little Light despite the distance and I feel their support and love across thousands of miles. To my in-laws who helped build lots of what is seen in the shop today, and cheered me on from afar. To the many family friends over the years that became our village/family since our extended family was so far away. My teammates, best friends, and coaches along the way. To the game of softball for teaching me more about life and leadership than anything else #gohoyas, and has opened so many doors for me. To our community here in Middle Georgia that embraced & chased down a pop-up coffee cart in random neighborhoods and helped us grow to what we are today. & last but not least, to our Little Light crew & Little Light alums who have rolled with the countless pivots, growing pains, wins, and “we’ll figure it out’s” on this journey. Thank you is never enough, and I hope, regardless of where our journey with Little Light goes, that the work and impact Little Light has makes you all proud to be along for the ride.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://littlelightcoffeeco.com/
- Instagram: @littlelightcoffeeco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlelightcoffeeco/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/little-light-coffee-co/
Image Credits
Isaiah Williams, Live Slow Productions