From selling coffee at 2AM to building a $12,000/month brand
I didn’t come from money. I didn’t have a degree, a laptop, or even a proper plan. At 19, I worked night shifts at a gas station in suburban Melbourne. It was quiet. Cold. Lonely. I made $8/hour brewing cheap coffee for tired drivers and Uber Eats guys. Most nights, I felt invisible — just another kid stuck in the loop of low-wage survival. But there was one thing I couldn’t forget — my grandfather’s old coffee recipe.
It wasn’t anything fancy. Just a blend of spices, old-school roasting techniques, and a taste that reminded me of warmth, home, and better days. People used to come to my grandpa’s small café just to have that one special cup. It stayed with me — the feeling that a single cup could change someone’s mood, someone’s day.
One slow night, with nothing but the sound of vending machines around me, I opened my notes app and wrote this down:
“Start a small batch brand. Sell 20 bottles. Just try.”
I had no capital. No website. But I had a dream — and enough time during night shifts to research how to make it real.
I started watching free YouTube tutorials about food packaging, labeling, and eCommerce. I learned how to use Canva to create a brand label. I set up a Shopify store using a free theme and a trial period. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I kept building, one video and one Google search at a time.
For three months, I saved up $370 from my shifts. That money went into ingredients, packaging, and printing just 20 bottles. I took my product photos on a kitchen counter, using my phone, a towel, and an old ring light. My entire launch setup cost me less than $30 — but it felt like I was putting my entire soul into it.
I launched the website with excitement and posted the first reel. First week? Zero sales. Second week? Three sales — all from friends who probably felt bad for me. Third week? One refund. That one hurt. I was ready to call it quits. I started thinking, “Maybe this isn’t for people like me.”
But that night, while scrolling Reddit, I found a single comment that shifted my perspective:
“If you can’t sell, give. Offer value first. Samples build trust.”
That one line lit a fire inside me.
I gave out 10 free samples to local drivers, café workers, and students. I asked for honest feedback. Seven people said they’d pay for it. One even posted it on their story. That gave me an idea: I made a reel from those reviews and shared it.
That reel exploded. 34,000 views. My inbox started filling up. I sold out in three days. Then I restocked — and sold out again. Every time, I learned more. I optimized my packaging, improved my store, and slowly started building a real customer base.
Now, I run everything from a small rented storage unit near my apartment. It’s not glamorous — but it’s mine. I do the packaging, design, customer support, and shipping. Every bottle I send out reminds me of that gas station, of the vending machine hum, and the version of me who almost quit.
Today, my coffee brand brings in $12,000/month in profit. I haven’t spent a dollar on paid ads. All my growth has come from reels, TikTok posts, Reddit shares, and storytelling. I use the same formula: give value, build trust, and let the product speak for itself.
I’m not trying to be Starbucks. I’m just building something real, from scratch — like my grandfather once did.
So, if you’re broke, tired, and unsure where to start — remember this:
You don’t need investors, a MacBook, or a degree.
You just need to start. You need a reason. You need to be willing to suck at something for a little while — long enough to get better. Long enough to believe that it’s possible.
And most of all — you need to believe in that one recipe, that one idea, that one version of you that refuses to settle.
