Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla Cruz.
Karla, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Holla!
My name is Karla Cruz, I’m 29 years old and I am also an immigrant from Honduras. I was brought to the United States when I was eight years old and I’ve lived here in Los Angeles since then. Being an immigrant in a city like Los Angeles makes you want more out of life than just a regular job. It could be because here in LA, you are always hearing about rich people, celebrities, expensive stuff and fame.
All that can put a lot of pressure on you. I had that same pressure, except that I couldn’t even get a job because I did not have a work permit to work legally. I always felt like the moment I got a job I would feel like I was”doing” what I was supposed to do.
“Come to America to get a job, work really hard, and be thankful for having the opportunity to do so“, because that’s what immigrants do. I don’t know who put those words on my head, but I felt that way.
In 2012 a policy called DACA was approved by the Obama administration and I happened to qualify to receive a two-year temporary work permit that would allow me to get a job, get a driver’s license, a social security number and also granted me protection against being deported.
The DACA policy CHANGED my life, at 23 I had finally an opportunity to get a job, make some money and “live the American dream”!
It was long until I realized that working at a job getting paid $11 an hour was not what I thought, I was supposed to do. I was thankful for being able to legally work, but how was my job the American dream?
Job after job, I would feel like there was more to just having a job. I wasn’t going anywhere and I felt I deserved more than just a job.
My country was 2,377 miles away, and I lived in a city where you could do anything, in fact, I saw how people here did business. I saw how if you owned a business, your chances of achieving the American dream where higher than being at the bottom, working always working and living paycheck to paycheck.
It wasn’t until a year ago when me and my now-husband Michael Burton decided to do things differently. We both had enough out of jobs, we both knew we wanted more. We wanted to be business owners.
One day last year around October, I was in Echo Park Lake, I saw a guy pushing a bicycle and on it, he was selling hot & iced coffee. When I saw that I felt like this guy was doing something that I saw my self doing.
I came home that day, excited I told Michael ” I saw this guy pushing a bike selling coffee!” Michael looked at me and said, “That’s a business, WE CAN DO THAT!”
That same night as we thought of all the possibilities of a mobile coffee bike, we started researching online, and we both believed we could make it happened.
My previous jobs included banking, customer service, office work and barista work. Out of all those jobs, I never considered being a barista would help me achieve my dream, but what’s funny is that out of all those jobs, the only job I actually enjoyed was making coffee drinks for people.
With my coffee experience and Michael’s business experience, we decided to start our own mobile coffee cart called Karla’s Coffee Cart.
After months of research and lots of paychecks saved from then my barista job, we finally opened for business 4th of July weekend.
Has it been a smooth road?
I would be a liar if I said we didn’t have any struggles.
We had lots of them, and continue to have some.
One of the biggest ones was not having the money to even start a business.
How could you even try to start something when everything requires money? Lots of it, and you have nothing but your tiny paycheck? I knew we had to make sacrifices, we limited our spending, we saved every penny we could, we worked long days. I, at the coffee shop I was working at, and Michael driving for Uber.
No fun days, no going out, no shopping, no spending other than coffee stuff.
We saved and we slowly stared buying the supplies and equipment needed to make coffee. We saved more and on November of 2018 we purchased our mobile cart.
At times I felt like I was making a mistake and I felt scared, who would guaranteed me that our coffee cart was going to be successful?
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We served specialty coffee drinks, such as lattes, cappuccinos, matcha, cold brew and more.
Our coffee is roasted weekly and locally. We are known for our Horchata Cold Brew. A house-made horchata (rice, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar) and house-made cold brew.
What I am most proud of is being able to serve a full coffee shop menu on a tiny pink mobile cart. When people see my menu and see how small the cart is they are amazed of how we did it.
I am also proud that as an immigrant woman I own my own business, I can now say I know this is what I was supposed to do. I’m still working hard, even harder than at a job, but I am working for me, I created my own work and soon I will create more opportunities for my self. This is what I think its the American Dream.
Karla’s Coffee Cart is a story of hard work, sacrifices and a pathway to my own American Dream.
This is what sets Karla’s Coffee Cart from others :
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I love about Los Angeles is that is a city where you can look around and see people CREATE things. You see people creating businesses, art, music, entertainment, properties, media content, and more.
It makes you also want to create your own something. I love that people are willing to hear your story, believe in you, and support you.
What I like the least of LA is the pressure and illusion that there is of creating something OVERNIGHT. Of moving fast and catching up to all these successful people here.
People think that success is an overnight thing, when in fact it takes time, patience and gratitude.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 2138803011
- Email: Karlacruzruiz6@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karlascoffeecart/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/karla-s-coffee-cart-los-angeles-3?osq=coffee+cart
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