Loading summary
Transcript33 lines
- [00:01]
LifeLock Announcer
It's Cybersecurity awareness month and LifeLock is here with tips to help protect your identity. Use strong passwords, set up multi factor authentication and report phishing scams. And for comprehensive identity protection, LifeLock is your best choice. LifeLock alerts you to suspicious uses of your personal information and also fixes identity theft, guaranteed or your money back. Stay smart, stay safe and stay protected with a 30 day free trial at lifelock.com sponsored special offer terms apply.
- [00:30]
Schwab Advisor Services Announcer
A T shirt and jeans, Mac and cheese. Some things in life are an obvious match like RIAS and Schwab Advisor Services, the number one choice for independent advisors. The difference is so obvious. It's Schwabius. Learn why@schwabius.com welcome back to Social Media.
- [00:47]
Podcast Host
Decoded and today I am excited because we're not just talking business, we are talking coffee. You all know I love coffee, community and women founders who are making an impact. And today our guest is one of my dear friends. Her name is Chris Christian. She is the powerhouse behind Chicago French Press, a woman owned coffee brand that's not only elevating the way we sip our morning brew, but also supporting communities with every cup. And there's something extra special about today's episode. Chicago French Press is the official coffee sponsor of our upcoming Elevate and empower live on November 1st. That means everyone in the room will be fueled by her incredible blends as we network, connect and elevate together. I am so excited. Chris, welcome to the show. How are you doing today?
- [01:40]
Chris Christian
Thank you for having me. Aw, it's great to be here. I'm good, I'm good. How are you?
- [01:46]
Podcast Host
Yes, y', all, we had a great like pre show. Glad we didn't record that because it was tears shed, but it was good tears. But Chris, I would love if you can share your story and what inspired you to start Chicago French Press.
- [02:00]
Chris Christian
Yes. So I my story is long. I'm gonna try to give you the redacted story. Long story short, people don't realize I was born in Memphis. I'm a Memphis girl. But I've been in Chicago for, you know, 14 years. I've graduated from Howard University. I come from a lineage of HBCU graduates. My parents met at Central State in Wilberforce. My brother went to Morehouse, my sister went to Clark Atlanta, and I went to Howard. So black excellence and being, you know, focusing on community and building black community and black generational wealth has always been instilled in me. It's in my DNA. And community in terms of giving back is something that, you know, I've been doing from a very young age. And so being entrepreneurial came from just my upbringing. I was raised next door to McDonald's franchise own. My aunt was a beautician, had her own salon in her basement. And just, you know, surrounded by really great examples of black professional people. And so it wasn't, you know, out of line for me to start my first business at Howard. Started it Couture by Kristen was the name of it is an online jewelry store. And then from there, I started building my skill set in Christ. Creative production. So taught myself Photoshop, taught myself how to create a commercial, you know, using all of these different tools. Video production, video editing. Just taught myself everything. And then naturally, my friends started to ask, could I do it for them? And they were starting businesses. And so meanwhile, I was working full time on Wall Street. Have you. And I looked up, stopped, you know, I was working there for about two and a half years, and I had or whole clients, and I was like, hey, I'm going to jump and start my marketing agency called Fame Production Group. And so I focused on that for, I think about four or five years. I was able to do so much in multicultural marketing and took those same skill sets that I built from my own and. And started offering them as services. Social media, web development, video production, event management, like, all in one house. And of course, you have plenty of agencies like this now, but back then, in 2011, it was kind of one of a kind, and I was able to learn so much through those clients. And I hit a Point in 2017 where I was like, well, I think it was like 2016. And I was like, you know what? I've gathered this information, this experience, you know, these skill sets. But I really want to focus on my community, going back to my roots, focusing on my community. How do I build up the women of Chicago? I was always doing events for women. I had Maeve Maven and Maeve magazine, which I started in 2015. And so I had this community, and I wanted to do more, being more of a significant impact, providing resources, working with nonprofits. And so I got to a point where I was like, okay, how can I marry my passion for doing things within my community and for my community with a true problem that I was having as a consumer. And so because I know that the formula to success is having skills, having your passion, and then having a solution to a problem, when all of those things match up, that's when you know you. And also being in an industry that's Thriving. And so I'm like, what do I love? I do love coffee. I wouldn't say I was passionate about coffee, but I loved it as a consumer. And I was facing this thing where I was just doctoring my coffee up every day with sugar and cream. And it was good, but I was like, this. This is so unhealthy. So I started toying around with the idea of flavored coffee and flavoring the beans that were flavored, freshly roasted with real ingredients like nuts and coconut shavings and pecans and cocoa powder on the beans. And it took some time to really, you know, get it good. It honestly wasn't that good at first, but eventually I was thinking, okay, how can I marry the solution of coffee with this problem? Or really contribution I was trying to make to. To my community. So in 2017, I rolled out nine flavors that were connected to nine different causes and nine nonprofits. That's how Chicago Flinchworth started. Eventually, we kind of evolved it into the Grinding for a Cause initiative where we create scholarships and internships. And one internship that I absolutely love that we do is we work with the Gray Matter Experience. And they work with young people to be become entrepreneurs, high school people, students all around the city, and we have two every summer. And they create these ideas that are basically influenced by who they are. So their drinks that they create, and we actually put them on the menu, and proceeds from those drinks go to the Gray Matter experience. So, for instance, Yaritza, last summer, she told us about her story being her and her grandmother used to make tres leches cakes in the kitchen. That was kind of remind her of these, you know, warm feelings of love and all of this. And we now have that on the featured on Roosevelt Collections menu, Tres leches latte. And it's our number one drink. And so to be able to kind of do the same thing with, you know, young people in the community, taking their ideas, taking our creativity and monetizing that to give back. And that's what Grinding for a Cause is about. I get to do that every day and make people happy with coffee. So I'm happy at this point. But we've been able to really grow over the last five years, particularly. We started at Roosevelt Collection with our a pop up that then turned into a permanent location. And then that permanent location turned into two more locations down the street at UIC. We have a location in UChicago and then a location at McCormick Place and the coffee cart there as well. And we are now available at Midway and o' Hare airports In the gift shops, all around the airports. So that's really exciting. We have so much to do. But it's different when you're working hard, and you know that that hard work is connected to your community and fueling an impact. I really love that is amazing.
- [08:52]
Podcast Host
And how you just gonna drop that bomb, drop that good news about you being in the airport, that is amazing. And I love that you shared that, because as you shared, you actually shared a lot of the things that we wanted to touch here on today. Because I think that I love coffee, and I'm just like, you. Like, we gotta taste good. And like, I can tell you all as a consumer, I've been a consumer of the Chicago French press since probably it started. The coffee was good.
- [09:21]
Chris Christian
Okay.
- [09:21]
Podcast Host
I've been to the location in the water tower. I've been to the location on Roosevelt. And so the. Just to see your expansion over the years, I believe it is inspiring. And so I want people who are listening, like, Chris is not somebody I just saw off the street was like, oh, I just want to have her on my podcast. No, this is, like, really being able to see this and witness it is amazing from somebody who loves coffee. Y' all know I love coffee. Y' all listen to this.
- [09:46]
Chris Christian
I love coffee.
- [09:47]
Podcast Host
I love a good coffee. Okay. And your coffee has always been amazing. I wish that there was locations closer to me in the south suburbs.
- [09:55]
Chris Christian
Cough, cough, you know, and that's what we're about. Like, I want to create more owners and operators just like me. That's. That is the point. So one day we will be out in the south suburbs. We.
- [10:07]
Podcast Host
Girl, we gonna have to talk, because this sounds amazing, and I know we chatted about that before, so I'm glad to hear that, you know, things are happening.
- [10:16]
Chris Christian
So, y', all.
- [10:17]
Podcast Host
It might be a location in the south suburb.
- [10:19]
Chris Christian
No.
- [10:19]
Podcast Host
But as a woman founder in the beverage space, just let's talk about some of the challenges that you have faced and, like, how you have overcome them, because I think that's important as well. Like, social media is cute. While this podcast is called Social Media Decoded, we also talk about some challenges and things that we face as business owners. But I know the beverage space, and especially navigating this beverage space as a black woman can be really challenging. So can you share some of those challenges and how you have overcame those?
- [10:49]
Chris Christian
Yeah. I mean, life is hard. Business is hard. Challenges happen literally every second of the day. I am a natural problem solver, or shall I say solution seeker. I don't. I don't think that I've ever really, I won't say acknowledged the challenges, but I haven't. I haven't held on to them because there's so many that you go through as a business owner, as a woman, as a black woman, as if I held onto them and really focused in on them, I wouldn't get anywhere. So I don't like the challenges are what we all go through. Access to capital, not having, you know, space, not having the resources, not having staff. There's so many things that are challenges, but I think that I have always led with one faith and focus. Nothing is impossible with God. God is going to, you know, if he hasn't led, left me, he's not going to leave me again. I'm 100% confident and capable that I can do anything that comes my way, period. There's nothing that comes my way that I can't do. So I'm not worried about it. You know, Are they there? Absolutely. I'm just not looking at it. I'm not looking for the challenges because I. Because they're there, you know. So, yeah, I mean, it's. I think the biggest thing is being able to be creative with what I have, being resourceful, being able to use what you got to get what you want, you know, like, look, I got this. This is. This is the audit of everything I have access to. This is the network. This is the resources, this is the space. These are the people. What can I do with this? You know, what can I do with what I have to meet my goal? And that's kind of how I've been able to grow. And then people see that and they're like, let me give you this thing. Let me give you that. Everything has really built off of itself because someone saw me working in the background and was like, you. You will be. You will be able to. To do this. Well, even when it was, you know, something that wasn't quite what I was looking for. For instance, all the locations that we have, I would, you know, brag and say, oh, yeah, we have all these locations, but they were old Starbucks, old Davis Tea. Watertown was an old Davis Tea. I haven't taken over a Dunkin, but, you know, it's been a lot of what was already there and we made it new. And I think, you know, utilizing those type of opportunities, instead of looking at it as a challenge, like, I don't want they stuff. You know, I could. I was. At one point, I was like, I don't want they stuff. I want new stuff. I Want brand new stuff? Like, no, you. You fix what this is and, you know, use what you have until you then generate more to buy the new stuff, you know, so it's all been iterative, if that makes sense.
- [13:46]
Podcast Host
No, I love that. And people need to hear these perspectives about challenges. Definitely feel similar. And I hope that people really listen to that part that you said, because everybody has challenges, and I think it's the way that you deal with them, the way that you continue to move forward. And so thank you for sharing that and your story behind that, because I believe it's powerful. Thank you so much for sponsoring Elevate Empower Live. We are thrilled to have Chicago French Press as a sponsor. And I just want to know, why was it important for you to be a part of this event?
- [14:20]
Chris Christian
Well, first, because you are leading it. Of course. You're, you know, anything that you ask, you have. Definitely. I trust your judgment, and I know your community is made of thriving women that are just like us. So I want them to be able to experience Chicago French Press and add value to what you're building. So it's all about you, girl. And of course your, your. But I absolutely love what you're doing. I want to be able to connect us to spaces and places that we can fuel the energy. You know, there are so many people that have come to me and say, you know, I drank Chicago French Press when I wrote my book, and it was the thing that I was looking forward to, to write my next chapter, to write my book. And I'm like, wow, like, that's awesome. You know, I had this business idea. Me and my friend went to Chicago and French Press for a coffee date, or we met at the NSBE conference at McCormick Place, and we drank Chicago French Press when we first met. It's just like, that's what this is about. So this is just another wonderful opportunity to be involved in that.
- [15:30]
Podcast Host
Thank you. And we cannot wait for the attendees. So if you're listening, the Chicago people, the women entrepreneurs and career professionals. Okay, yeah, they'll have a few. A few tickets left for you to attend. So let's chat about that.
- [15:43]
Chris Christian
Don't miss it.
- [15:44]
Podcast Host
Let's chat about that. So what do you hope attendees will feel? Because, you know, coffee gives feelings, and I'm all about vibes. And so elevating the power is a vibe. And so that's why I said, there's no other coffee that can be a part of this. But what do you hope they feel when they sip Chicago French Press at the event?
- [16:00]
Chris Christian
Well, it depends on what flavor they choose. Okay, but if they had the black tux, then that's our unflavored coffee. But it's straight from Ethiopia and women of Ethiopia that have cultivated that bean. And so that's gonna give you the boss light feel. That's gonna give you like CEO type, you know, it's black, it's all black. I don't need no added sugar, cream. So then if you had the maple pecan, then, now that's going to give you a feeling of warmth and joy and love. And you know, it's very southern. It's going to give you that southern hospitality. So you know, you just have to see. You have to come taste, sip and see.
- [16:43]
Podcast Host
Okay.
- [16:44]
Chris Christian
Okay.
- [16:45]
Podcast Host
We feeling some boss vibes. We feeling some soft vibes. Oh, this is going to be amazing. So thank you so much for that. And before we head out, could you let everyone know where can they follow you online? Where can they follow Chicago French Press for all these updates I know you have coming? I'm sure they can get email list or something so they can know because you said o' Hare and Midway airports. Like we don't have to drink the Starbucks anymore. I mean no shade to Starbucks. But we want to support the women entrepreneurs, the women founders, the brands that are doing amazing things and building community and being a part of the community. And so that's why we are excited about this amazing event. So please let us know where we can find you online and learn more about Chicago French Press.
- [17:29]
Chris Christian
Yes, you can find us@chicagofrenchpress.com you can follow me at chrisdchristian. I have a website too. Chrisdchristian.com and yeah, we're at Chicago French Press on all the platforms. We're going to get back in TikTok and Instagram and all of that. But yeah, right now you can come and buy coffee at the location. It could be brewed or bagged and all the bags are at the airport in the HMS Host gift shops. Awesome.
- [18:00]
Podcast Host
So this conversation is a perfect reminder that visibility and impact go hand in hand. So thank you Chris for sharing your journey and fueling our community at Elevated Empower Live. If you are joining us on November 1st, I'm super excited that you'll get to taste the Chicago French Press for yourself and for everyone listening. Go and head over to the Chicago French Press website and the Instagram so that you can grab your own bag of coffee and support a woman owned business making waves. And as always, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and share this episode with a friend and I will talk to you all in the next one.
- [18:40]
Chris Christian
Peace Peace.
- [18:42]
LifeLock Announcer
It's Cybersecurity Awareness Month and LifeLock is here with tips to help protect your identity, use strong passwords, set up multi factor authentication and report phishing scams. And for comprehensive identity protection, LifeLock is your best choice. LifeLock alerts you to suspicious uses of your personal information and also fixes identity theft. Guaranteed or your money back. Stay smart, stay safe and stay protected with a 30 day free trial at lifelock.com Specialoffer terms apply if you are.
- [19:12]
Schwab Advisor Services Announcer
An RIA or looking to become one. Schwab Advisor Services is the Watson to your homes. Smart, dependable, always has your back. It's no mystery why they're the number one choice for RIAs who want to be the ultimate solution for their clients. With all the wealth, services, technology and support your firm needs, the difference is so obvious. It's Schwabvious. Follow the clues@schwabvus.com.
- [19:42]
Grainger Announcer
This is the story of the one as head of maintenance at a concert hall, he knows the show must always go on. That's why he works behind the scenes, ensuring every light is working, the H Vac is humming, and his facility shines with Grainger's supplies and solutions for every challenge he faces. Plus 24. 7 customer support his venue never misses a beat. Call quickgranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.