Don’t Be a Barista
Your business doesn’t need more hustle. It needs a builder. Here’s how I scaled, stayed present, and still hung out with the kids after school.
New feature! Scroll to the end for a snazzy AI prompt you can use today to get clarity.
The year I had to make money and be everywhere at once
In 2014, Rick and I moved from South Africa to a small town in Canada. Three kids in tow: 14, 12, and 9. We were chasing what we thought would be a quieter, small-town life. Slower mornings, family dinners, and regular, occasional beach days?
That dream lasted about a week.
We had just traded countries, communities, and currencies. To reap the dreamy benefits of small-town living, Rick left his corporate job and took a drastic pay cut. We’d bought a house with a bigger mortgage than we’d ever carried. And somewhere between unpacking boxes and figuring out the local school system, it hit me: I needed to bring in some income.
I had two options: Get a job OR build something from scratch.
A job wasn’t going to cut it.
I’ve always been job-averse. Not because I don’t like work, but because I know what traditional jobs demand. Fixed hours. Set locations. Little margin for sick calls or afternoon cookies with kids. And our kids were in the prime of childhood. Old enough to make some of their own choices, yet young enough to still need me.
Also, I knew even then how fast it would go. (Now that they’re 24, 22, and 19, I can say with confidence: those years vanish in the blink of an eye.)
I didn’t want to be the kind of mom who says my kids are my priority; I wanted a life that showed it. I wanted to be around when they came home from school, chaperone their field trips and get to know their friends.
But I also wanted to build something for our family, for my kids, and me.
So I opened a café.
How I built a café with 3 kids at home
From idea to opening, it took three months. Looking back, that sounds unhinged. But I had clarity (and bills to pay), so things moved forward quickly.
First, I didn’t try to do it all myself. I hired a consultant who handled the name, branding, and decor. When he pitched the café name, I just said yes. No endless brainstorms. No chasing perfection. That quick decision alone saved us weeks of back-and-forth and sleepless nights.
Second, I planned for scale, even from day one. Although I was bootstrapping, I prioritized hiring a bookkeeper and accountant early on. Not all perfect fits (another story), but I made sure systems were in place because I didn’t want to treat this like a side hustle. Instead, I tried to treat it like the big business of my dreams.
Third—and this mattered most—I stayed in my lane. I wasn’t going to be the barista, the cashier, or the scheduler. So, I hired a manager before I opened. For all the years I ran the café, there was (almost) always a manager in place who wasn’t me. That single choice gave me the freedom to grow the business and be around for the kids by 3:00.
I wasn’t the barista. I was the builder.
As an owner, it was my job to hold the vision. The more I stayed focused on strategy, systems, and growth, the better the business ran. And the more present I could be at home, where, frankly, the stakes were just as high.
No, it wasn’t slow—but it was very full.
People move to small towns for the quiet. When I moved to a small town, what I got was a very full life with a business I believed in and a family I didn’t miss. I built a business, kept our family close, paid the mortgage on time and got to the beach for sunset. That’s abundance, at least to me.
Having It All means to me a structured business that holistically reflects your life’s priorities and values.
Your turn.
If you try to build something while juggling too many priorities or values, don’t start with a logo or Pinterest board.
Start with this:
🪞What can only you do?🪞
Answer it honestly. Ask it about your whole life, not just your business. Build from there.
Sketch the non-negotiables first, then engineer systems that make them a reality.
Because you can have a business that grows and be home by 3:00, but only if you stop trying to be the barista and start being the builder.
Happy building,
Sonya
I’d love to know: What clever system did you place at the beginning of your business that set your business up for success?
🤖 Robot Corner
New feature: 💫 Your weekly AI prompt to clear the clutter and run your business like a CEO.
If you’re ready to stop being the bottleneck and start being the builder, use this AI prompt to design a business that supports your life. Just copy, paste, and customize it with your own details:
Prompt:
ROLE:
Act as a strategic operations consultant for creative entrepreneurs earning [$dream income] or more annually. You specialize in helping visionary founders create time-leveraged systems that align with both their revenue goals and lifestyle values. You are also an out-of the box thinker and suggest things normal strategic consultants wouldn’t suggest.CONTEXT:
I run a growing business and want more freedom in my daily schedule. My top priority is [insert priority/value: e.g., being home by 3PM, creative focus, reducing stress, etc.].Your task is to:
Identify the tasks that only I should be doing based on my role, strengths, and strategic value.
Pinpoint what I should delegate, automate, or stop doing entirely.
Design a weekly work schedule using 3-hour focus blocks that supports business growth and my desired lifestyle.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Before generating your output, ask me exactly 10 short clarifying questions about:
– my business model
– my client type and offer structure
– my current work tasks
– my team/support system
– my ideal weekly rhythm
– family or personal scheduling constraintsFORMATTING:
Once I answer, format your output in three sections using plain, direct language:“Only You” Work – 3–5 tasks I should uniquely own as founder (e.g., holding vision, final creative direction)
Stop / Delegate List – Tasks I should eliminate, automate, or hand off (e.g., inbox, admin, scheduling)
Schedule Suggestion – A sample weekly work plan with 3-hour blocks and daily focus themes
STYLE & TONE:
– Respect my desire for freedom without compromising growth
– Avoid fluff or generic advice
– Be strategic, practical, and encouraging
- give me at least one piece of advice I’d never expect
Hi! 💫 I’m Sonya, and I write this Substack weekly to share insights from my life in business. I’m currently leveraging my business experience and legal education to create a secure and protected firm that doesn’t run me ragged, allowing me to spend more time with my husband and adult children.
I support ambitious founders and creatives in protecting, structuring, and scaling their businesses. You can check out my services here.