Jason Collier is a dental implant surgeon, single father of four, and now viral sensation with a simple mission: to spread goodness in the world, one cup of coffee at a time through his company, Good Guy Coffee.
So how did this dentist find himself in the spotlight? Waking up one morning to texts, and comments from friends and family Jason found himself mistaken online for ANOTHER Jason Collier. In an effort to save his name, he created a post that soon went viral and brought thousands of others to have an interest in the “GOOD” Jason. After another video he posted went viral again, he figured he should use this leverage to give back, and “Good Guy Coffee” was born.
Good Guy Coffee is a fair-trade, organic coffee company that gives back to organizations such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Women Against Abuse, and The Hoffman Process.
What is Good Guy Coffee all about?
I have owned a dental implant practice for the past 12 years and have been very successful with this on every level. I have enjoyed my work very much. It is gratifying to me. I have been able to literally change people’s lives. It is very rewarding for me. A few months ago now, my personal and professional reputation came at risk when someone else with my same name was found to have been involved in some things that were scandalous and illegal.
Long story short…I made a few light-hearted posts differentiating myself from this person. People seemed to gravitate to my posts, and they went viral. Out of that, a fan club developed and a coffee company was started where we are giving all profits to various charities supporting children in need and women having suffered abusive circumstances. A friend of mine suggested the name Good Guy Coffee. The name stuck.
Our mission is to provide excellent, organic, fair-trade coffee…to project goodness into our world…and support great non-profit organizations in the process. Within 3 weeks of even coming up with the concept, we had a fully functioning e-commerce company. Good Guy Coffee became a movement that thousands of people around the world jumped on board with and chose to support.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
In my mind the top three things needed to be a truly successful entrepreneur is to:
- Have a strong “Why?’ What is my deep sense of purpose in starting this company?
- Have passion and curiosity for that “why”…to the point that it doesn’t even matter if you succeed or fail. It is about accomplishing something greater than myself.
- Determination to push through the obstacles as they come.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
I plan to grow this company by starting with those closest to us. Share our vision and passion. Spread a curiosity for the good we are doing. Invite others to join our movement. And have FUN…continually projecting goodness through Good Guy Coffee.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
To be honest I am not too concerned about separating myself from anyone else. Our biggest competition is ourselves. We have to always be better than we were the day before. I would love to be a force that even unites “competition”.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
Well, I am very early in our Good Guy Coffee venture…but from previous ventures, I have been involved with I have seen the mistake of spending way too much money on the front end of e-commerce business with having no real product or means of actually selling it…leaving a black hole of debt or cash out of the bank. It was very important to me to quickly develop my purpose, direction, and brand, develop a well-designed website that could allow people to make purchases, and have a great product right out of the gate that looked and tasted top notch.
What has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
A study was recently done that looked at marketing strategies that held loyal followers. What was most successful when comparing blasting out a message versus spreading a consistent powerful message to a close-knit group that organically grew, the blast strategy grew fast but had no loyalty or traction. The second grew more slowly but developed more loyalty and repeat customers. This second is definitely our strategy…to spread via love and passion…and hopefully, create organic blasts throughout of genuine love for what we are about.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenges were probably really pulling together a clear vision for what we represented and a brand around it…along with the functional means of sales. Early in the process, I hired a business consultant team to help me through these more unfamiliar areas…and they did a phenomenal job. Once that was in place…everything else has just come naturally. As we grow and expand, I know we will have more challenges to discuss and overcome.
What was your first business idea and what did you do with it?
My first real business idea was to own a dental implant practice within two years of graduating dental school. Within a year and a half, I was well into negotiations for the purchase of an existing practice with a world-renowned implant surgeon who eventually became an excellent mentor of mine both in my practice of implant dentistry and business…and also a dear friend.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
Currently, I am learning as much as I can about the coffee industry. I am learning about how to run an e-commerce website. I am learning about the depth of the need people are experiencing and how we can hopefully help one sip at a time!
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
So far I am pretty happy with how this started. Learning from past lessons I knew a few mistakes to avoid as mentioned earlier. Because of these lessons, I am hoping to reach a point of profit by the end of our first year. Once we reach that mark, I would like to begin widening our reach exponentially…through giving.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
We are using an e-commerce website on Shopify. It is an easy-to-use platform. I do not have a background in e-commerce and am learning new things that can be done on Shopify every day. It is a well-designed and user-friendly layout. For an inexperienced person, there is still naturally a learning curve…but they make it fairly simple. We use social media to spread the word about what we are doing. It is natural and supports organic loyal growth. I also strongly recommend a fan page. This was NOT my idea…but those in that group that started this have been so much help and have been so fun to work with and bounce ideas off of. I couldn’t have gotten this off the ground without them!
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
There’s a saying, “Eat the frog,” which basically translates to ‘just do it’. Whatever that one item on your list that you may lack the motivation to complete, just do it, or else you’ll continue to procrastinate. If you know you have to eat a frog…just do it as your first thing. If you don’t it will be an energy drain on you all day, all week, all month. If you just eat the damn frog and get it out of the way, everything else is downhill…and your energy is freed up for creativity and the fun part of why you went into business.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
A passion for the “why”!!! When the universe opens three doors in front of you and you see the good things that can be done with it, even if I “fail”…I know that my cause and direction toward the “why” was worthy of walking through those doors.
How can readers get in touch with you?
You can learn more about Good Guy Coffee by visiting our website: goodguy.coffee or visit us on Instagram, or Facebook.
Tech Founder: A Look into the Future of Real Estate Financing with Kristiyan Lozanov
