Summary:
Water, Hunger, and Human-Trafficking – Nobody should die of preventable water-borne diseases, nobody should starve to death, and nobody should lack freedom. We sit down with Kenny Sipes, the Founder of The Roosevelt Coffeehouse here in Columbus, Ohio to talk about his (faith-based) leap from a trusted & sustainable career into entrepreneurship, all inspired by a deep desire to make a positive impact on the world!
Milemarkers:
00:00 – Typical Conquering Columbus Intro
01:40 – Background on Kenny Sipes
02:30 – Typical day in the life of Kenny Sipes
03:20 – Kenny’s leap into entrepreneurship; what inspired it and how it unfolded
06:00 – Putting a definition on Social Justice
08:15 – Why water, hunger, and trafficking?
12:00 – Coffeeshop hopping in Nashville and the impact that it had on Kenny
15:00 – How Roosevelt’s business model supports it’s causes
20:30 – We’re a non-profit social enterprise that donates to organizations that we know are doing the work
24:50 – Where’d the name come from?
27:00 – Getting the coffeeshop off the ground
32:30 – The Summit of Greatness
33:30 – The struggles
36:00 – The support from Columbus was tremendous
38:30 – Once receipts started turning, was it all smooth sailing from there?
38:45 – We spend a lot in milk!
40:00 – The struggles don’t stop, and they just weigh on you, but you learn to roll with it and have faith!
42:10 – If I came to your house, would you give me a day?
43:45 – Joe DeLoss (Hot Chicken Takeover) became a huge mentor!
46:00 – The future of Roosevelt Coffeehouse
51:00 – Building alarm goes off and Josh runs off to make it stop; Kenny continues to spit knowledge so we didn’t cut anything. Welcome to the Conquering Columbus Podcast.
53:00 – Why did you choose (primarily) Columbus based businesses to source your products?
56:00 – What’s the relationship like between all of the Columbus based coffeeshops?
59:00 – Who are three people you’d like to have lunch with?
1:01:00 – What does “Live Uncomfortably” mean to you?
Links
The Roosevelt Coffeehouse
Barista Parlor
The Well (Coffee Shop)
Blood Water Mission
Invisible Children
Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse
Twenty One Pilots
Stumptown Coffee
Hot Chicken Takeover
The Purpose Hotel
GiveBack Hack
Dangerous Grounds
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