Cup of Joe celebrates ninth anniversary

By Chris Fortune

A group dedicated to uplifting local entrepreneurs came together to celebrate its ongoing success.

Cup of Joe was created to be an outlet for entrepreneurs in the area to come together and share the stories of their businesses and gain feedback from other business-minded individuals. During its weekly meetings, two entrepreneurs share their business stories.

“Nine years ago, several of us got together, and we wanted to cultivate entrepreneurship more,” said Annette Weeks, owner of Aspire Business Consulting and Cup of Joe team member. “So Kansas City had started a group called 1 Million Cups, and so we formed it after that.”

For its ninth anniversary on Wednesday, six entrepreneurs who presented in the past year were asked to share updated stories about their businesses and how the feedback from Cup of Joe meetings helped them.

Kelly and Brent Petersen, co-owners of Tubes Bike Shop on Frederick Avenue, presented on the ninth anniversary. Kelly Petersen originally began attending Cup of Joe a few years ago when she did photography.

“When I moved here, I started coming and just watching the business owners, and it’s always been such an exciting thing to be a part of and just to watch and learn about people’s businesses,” she said. “And then when we started Tubes, we presented last year, and they asked us back today to present again, and we got some really great feedback. And it’s just a really supportive environment.”

Hearing other local business owners share their successes and struggles continues to give her inspiration at each meeting.

“Even if their business isn’t the same as yours, you can always learn something because I think so many businesses have the same struggles, and there are things you can learn just from being in this community together,” she said.

When Cup of Joe started, Weeks and other members had no idea what they were creating.

“That we would be here nine years later, over 700 entrepreneurs have presented during that time, so it’s very exciting for us,” she said.

Weeks said they regularly have the support of the business community because they understand how supporting small businesses benefits an area. Many local business owners have made connections and found success by taking suggestions at a Cup of Joe meeting.

“Cup of Joe is an effort put on by many small business owners and supporting entities, so it is a very grassroots effort,” she said. “We invite anyone who has a business dream to come and join us.”

Cup of Joe meets every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the East Hills Library.