If You're an Entrepreneur, You'll Relate to the Promise and Perils Faced by Creature Coffee

On paper, at least, Creature Coffee looks like a bad idea. Founded two years back by Michael Craig, a barista, it is aiming to carve a niche for itself in the crowded and competitive coffee marketplace. To make the task all the more difficult, Creature Coffee is spreading itself between three sales channels: walk-in retailing, online sales, and pop-up coffee bars. But Michael – like the best entrepreneurs – believes in himself, believes in his concept, and does not believe all the naysayers. When he launched Creature Coffee, Michael began with a budget of $1,000 – all that he could scrape together at the time. Today, the success of Creature Coffee is evident, from the non-stop flow of fans into his retail outlet – located in a gentrifying neighborhood of Austin, to the corporate clients he's attracting, including IBM, American Express, Mercedes Benz, Hitachi, Deloitte, and Dell. Earlier this month, Monday Morning Radio host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart paid a visit to Creature Coffee and shares both good conversation, and a satisfying cup of Columbian expresso, with Michael Craig.  You can purchase up to 200 varieties of coffee from Creature Coffee online at www.CreatureCoffee.co.  As always, the plug for this week's guest comes gratis. Monday Morning Radio never charges its guests to be on the podcasts or accepts payments in kind. Photo: Michael Craig, Creature CoffeePosted: October 21, 2019Monday Morning Run Time: 41 minutes 40 seconds