Connect Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My biggest inspiration in business is my dad. He always dreamed of opening a coffee shop someday. I was pursuing stage design, but when that path didn’t work out, I kept coming back to coffee and to that idea my dad always believed in. In rural parts of West Virginia, opening a traditional storefront isn’t always realistic. That’s why I chose a mobile model. A coffee cart allows me to bring good coffee directly into communities that don’t always have access to café

How do you stay motivated?

What keeps me motivated is the support from my community. People around here believe in what I’m trying to build, and that encouragement keeps me moving forward. There also aren’t many mobile coffee trucks in West Virginia, so there’s a real opportunity to create something unique.

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I win the $25,000, I would invest it directly into launching the business. About half would go toward building out the coffee cart and equipment, and the rest would go toward purchasing and outfitting the truck needed to transport and operate it. That funding would fully kick-start my mobile coffee business and help bring specialty coffee to communities across West Virginia.