More Than A Sale: How Pop-Ups Are Making My Brand the Real Deal

When I started Bravehart Brew, like most new business owners, I was focused on sales.

How many bags did we sell?

How many orders came through the website?

Did I make enough money at an event to justify the vendor fee?

Those things still matter. I'm running a business, after all.

But the more pop-ups I do throughout the DMV, the more I'm realizing something:

Pop-ups aren't just about making money that day. They're about making your brand real.

And that may be even more valuable.

There's Something Different About Meeting Your Customers

Bravehart Brew is primarily an online business.

That means someone can visit the website, look through the coffees and teas, maybe read a description and decide whether they want to give us a try.

But there's something completely different about putting Bravehart Brew directly in front of people.

That's where pop-ups have been a tremendous advantage for me.

I get to talk to people.

I get to explain the different coffees.

I get to tell them how Bravehart Brew started.

And one of the biggest things I've discovered is the power of simply letting people taste the product.

Coffee and tea samples have become one of my favorite ways of introducing people to Bravehart Brew.

Someone walking past the table may have never heard of us.

"Would you like to try some coffee?"

That's sometimes all it takes.

Now they're stopping.

They're tasting.

We're talking.

They're looking at the different bags.

They're asking questions.

Maybe they buy something. Maybe they don't.

But when they walk away, there's a pretty good chance they remember the name Bravehart Brew.

That's a win.

Then Came Occoquan

Recently, I had the honor of partnering with Local Colour Art Gallery in Occoquan, Virginia, during the Occoquan Fall Festival. (Big thank you to Rachel and her team of artisans for accepting me).

I'll admit something.

I knew it was a festival.

I didn't realize it was a FESTIVAL festival.

Then I saw the people.

Lots of people.

Walking through this small Virginia town and seeing the sheer number of visitors really put into perspective just how significant an event like this could be for a small brand like mine.

And there I was pushing coffee.

In the middle of it all.

Partnering with Local Colour gave Bravehart Brew an opportunity to be part of an established local business and community event while introducing the brand to people who otherwise may never have encountered us.

That's exactly the type of opportunity I've been looking for.

Of course, I wanted to sell coffee and tea.

But something else was happening.

People were seeing the logo.

They were tasting the products.

They were hearing the name.

They were asking where they could buy it later.

They were learning that Bravehart Brew existed.

That's brand building.

From "What's Bravehart Brew?" to "I've Seen You Before"

As a new company, one of the biggest challenges isn't necessarily convincing someone that your coffee is good.

First, they have to know you exist.

That's why I've started looking at pop-ups differently.

A successful event isn't only measured by what happens in the cash register.

It's also measured by conversations.

Samples.

Website visits.

Social media follows.

Connections with other vendors.

Potential partnerships.

And the person who walks past your table three times before finally deciding to stop.

Every interaction puts another brick in the foundation.

The goal is for fewer people to ask:

"What's Bravehart Brew?"

And more people to eventually say:

"Oh yeah, I've seen you guys before."

That's when you know you're getting somewhere.

Then I Saw Richmond Coffee-Con

One of the coolest moments for me recently came while looking ahead to the Richmond Coffee-Con event in Chesterfield this November.

Bravehart Brew will be there as a vendor.

That alone had me excited.

Then I saw Bravehart Brew highlighted as one of the event's featured vendors.

Now, I'm still relatively new to this coffee game.

I'm still learning.

I'm still figuring out what works and what doesn't.

I'm still the guy from my first blog trying to balance a coffee company, a firearms training business and a full-time day job without completely losing track of which calendar I'm supposed to be looking at.

So seeing Bravehart Brew featured alongside other coffee businesses meant something to me.

It was one of those small moments where you stop and think:

"Okay...this is starting to become real."

Not because we've suddenly "made it."

We haven't.

There's still a tremendous amount of work ahead.

But every once in a while, entrepreneurship gives you a little confirmation that maybe you're heading in the right direction.

For me, that was one of those moments.

The Pop-Up Hustle Continues

I'm learning that building Bravehart Brew is going to require getting out from behind the website.

I have to take the brand to the people.

That means loading the vehicle.

Setting up tables.

Dragging out the tent.

Making coffee.

Brewing tea.

Packing samples.

Unpacking samples.

Setting everything up.

Breaking everything down.

And occasionally checking the weather every 17 minutes hoping Mother Nature doesn't decide she hates small businesses that weekend.

It's work.

But it's worth it.

Because every pop-up gives me another opportunity to introduce Bravehart Brew to somebody new.

Occoquan gave me that opportunity.

Richmond Coffee-Con will give me another.

And hopefully there will be plenty more throughout Virginia, Maryland, D.C. and beyond.

I'm realizing that I don't necessarily need every person who samples Bravehart Brew to buy something immediately.

Maybe they follow us on Instagram.

Maybe they visit the website a week later.

Maybe they remember the name when they need a gift.

Maybe they tell a friend.

Or maybe the next time they see that Bravehart Brew logo somewhere, instead of walking past it, they say:

"Hey, I've heard of them."

That's how a brand becomes real.

One conversation.

One sample.

One pop-up.

And, of course...

One cup at a time.

Bravehart Brew