- Julia Kravets is the founder of Little Choc Apothecary, a vegan cafe and restaurant in New York City that she started as a 24-year-old without any prior experience running a business.
- January marks five years since Little Choc opened, having grown 30% in revenue every year. The business will hit $1 million in revenue this year.
- Kravets cautions new business owners to "Be prepared to never not work. It isn't glamorous, but it's so rewarding."
- She spoke with Business Insider about how she grew Little Choc, from a failed Kickstarter campaign to success through online learning and partnering with influencers.
- Click here for more BI Prime stories.
Julia Kravets was tired of sacrificing her sweet tooth for a healthy appetite. A model in the fashion industry, she found that her diet consistently lacked flavorful options.
As a result, she developed a keen interest in nutrition, experimented with recipes, took classes at the Natural Gourmet Institute, and earned a plant-based nutrition certification from eCornell.
She then embarked on an ambitious plan to open Little Choc Apothecary, her dream cafe and restaurant, in New York City. "I wanted to have a place where you could order anything on the menu and have it be good for you," Kravets told Business Insider.
January will mark five years since Little Choc opened in Williamsburg, one of the most happening neighborhoods in Brooklyn. "I absolutely love the area. I really feel like I'm a part of the community," Kravets said. It's come a long way from what Kravets first envisioned; Little Choc has grown 30% in revenue every year and hit $1 million in revenue in 2019. Kravets, now 30 years old, runs Little Choc full time and manages a team of 17.
"It has become a cute spot with a kick-ass menu, amazing cocktails, great music, and just wonderful vibes all around," she said. Kravets plans to open new locations across the city, collaborate with plant-based chefs, and expand her catering offerings.
A failed Kickstarter campaign draws in an investor
Kravets attempted to raise funds for her venture through Kickstarter. She had no experience pitching to investors and thought a Kickstarter campaign would be a good way to present her idea. "Plus, I could prepare by watching tons of other successful pitches on the platform," she added.
For her campaign video, Kravets skydived out of an airplane while eating a homemade cookie. "I thought that move was going to draw some attention to the campaign and I'd get the funding I needed," she said.
The campaign only reached half of its $45,000 goal. "Clearly, donors weren't that dazzled," she said. However, one investor saw the video and asked to meet with Kravets.
He was impressed by her preparation and saw that she had the drive to follow through. Kravets had a detailed business plan ready that she had already worked on for two years. She had created menus and constructed 3D renderings of her ideal restaurant. Most importantly, she had recipes for the investor to try: She brought to the meeting a box of baked goods, including vegan vitamin B12 truffles, brownies, hazelnut cupcakes, and her specialty — coconut bacon.
He was sold. "My investor, Artem, believed in me from the start and has been with me through thick and thin," Kravets said. "Little Choc is his baby as much as it is mine." Kravets said her attention to detail is a major reason for the restaurant's success — even when ensuring quality meant making almost everything from scratch.
She also strives to make a positive impact. "Animal welfare and agricultural sustainability are very important to me, so I continue to make sure all of our products are cruelty-free, organic, and local whenever possible," she explained.
Learning the basics online and through networking
Kravets built her company from scratch, with no previous business training or management experience. She learned how to write a business plan and budget by watching YouTube tutorials and taking an accounting class on Coursera. She created 3D mockups of her dream restaurant space using SketchUp, an architectural sketching and interior design program.
Kravets encouraged entrepreneurs to take control of their education and do as much research as possible. "There are so many free online resources that you can use to fill the gaps in your knowledge," she said.
She added that you should also ask people you admire to go for a coffee with you to pick their brains about business — which is exactly what she did when getting her store off the ground.
Partnering with influencers to rebrand and expand
Marketing has been an ongoing challenge for Kravets. When Little Choc acquired its beer and wine license three years ago, Kravets assumed people would flock there to drink, but that didn't happen. "It's been a long, slow road to educating people about natural wine selections and establishing Little Choc as more than just a daytime cafe," she said.
Working with influencers on social media and partnering with like-minded individuals and organizations helped Little Choc garner exposure and advertise its rebrand.
Mercy for Animals, an international nonprofit animal advocacy group, featured Little Choc on their social media handles for being a vegan establishment, which resulted in over 1,000 new followers for Little Choc's instagram account in less than 48 hours.
"I'm very picky about who I collaborate with on Instagram," she said. "As there are too many 'influencers' who have low engagement with content, meaning that their followers won't necessarily care that this person had a meal at Little Choc, so there won't be any ROI." She also insists that influencers post on their timelines, not just stories, for lasting results.
Kravets also advertises giveaways on Little Choc's social media accounts (the store has over 13,000 followers on Instagram), which have helped to bring in new customers. From asking followers to repost and share Little Choc's photos to tagging individuals in their comments section, Kravets engages with users, offering people a chance to win credit to the cafe and receive freebies in the form of edible treats — all of which have helped boost their presence on social media.
Overcoming the financial hurdles of owning a business
As rents have increased, Little Choc has had to raise prices to afford to stay in the area. "It never feels good to raise prices, but we wouldn't be able to survive if we didn't do it," Kravets said. She was relieved to learn that most guests were okay with the prices; a recent customer said she was happy to pay extra for good food and staff.
Kravets has also learned to be prepared to sacrifice and put herself second. Sometimes she had to skip paying herself so she could afford to pay her staff or had to cancel personal plans to help at the cafe. But she said it's important not to let anyone take advantage of your sacrifices. "I've actually found that most problems fix themselves if you just give them a little time," she said.
Running her business is never a 9-to-5 job, and Kravets cautions new business owners to "be prepared to never not work. It isn't glamorous, but it's so rewarding."
Visit dearJulius.com to get free premium content for all of your lifestyle needs.
COMMENTS