Betting on Yourself: Real Lessons from Building Grit + Grind Coffee from the Ground Up

Starting Grit + Grind Coffee wasn’t about being experts or having all the answers. Destiny and I came into this with no background in coffee, just a belief in hard work, community, and betting on ourselves. Looking back, I think that not having a background in coffee worked in our favor. We didn’t get bogged down trying to do things like follow industry rules or chase trends. Everything from our drink recipes to how we set up our systems came from scratch. It was betting on ourselves that got the ball rolling and what created the amazing team and culture we have at Grit + Grind.

That’s really what Grit + Grind is; it's a reflection of who we are and the community that’s grown around it. If we’d sat around waiting until we “knew enough” to get started, we probably never would have. Sometimes not knowing forces you to stay scrappy and humble. You figure things out one challenge at a time. Ultimately, you learn to problem solve. That’s still how we move today: keep learning, work hard, while spreading love and light. Not everybody understood that in the beginning. When we told family and friends, a lot of them didn’t get it. We were surrounded by a small town mindset where risk-taking isn’t really their thing. The questions came quickly: “What if it doesn’t work?” or “Is that really a smart move?”. But for Destiny and me, playing it safe wasn’t an option. We’d already been through losing everything once before. Rebuilding from scratch teaches you there’s always a way back as long as you’ve got breath in your lungs. That mindset is what pushed us forward, even when others didn’t see it.

One of the biggest things we learned early on, which was probably the hardest lesson, was about partnerships. At first, we licensed out our brand before we really understood how different that is from true franchising. It felt like the quicker, easier route. But bringing in the wrong people can set you back fast. One bad deal taught us everything we needed to know about protecting our brand and choosing the right partners.

Now, we’re intentional. Before we let someone join the Grit + Grind family, they’ve got to show up in person. We sit down, we share a meal. No pitch decks. We enjoy real conversation and real connection. I always ask myself, “Can I see myself still sitting across from this person ten years from now? Would I want to take a road trip with them?” If it’s a no, we move on. We say no way more often than we say yes because protecting the core of this brand matters more than fast growth. We know what we have here is special from our corporate crew to our baristas to management. Everyone has a special talent and we take a great deal of pride in allowing people to realize that within our brand.

At the end of the day, Grit + Grind isn’t just about coffee. If someone’s whole pitch is, “I’ve always dreamed of owning a coffee shop,” that’s usually a red flag for us. It’s about building something deeper. It’s about community, opportunity, and real relationships. Serving more than just drinks—serving light, love, and hard work in every detail. We didn’t start with a roadmap. We just had belief in ourselves and a focus on doing it with the right people. That’s still how we’re building it today: betting on ourselves, protecting our circle, and growing something real.

Also, big shoutout to Frank Fiume and the team at Emerging Franchise Brands for having us on to share that story. If you want to hear the full conversation, you can check out the episode right here:

➡ Watch the Podcast Episode