Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Jun 29, 2016

Entrepreneurial ideas that surprise or inspire us are often the result of a personal experience. Maria De La Croix once applied for the role of a barista at her local Starbucks only to be instantly rejected for having blue hair.

Rather than sit around feeling discriminated against for expressing her creative side, she decided to use this experience as an inspiration to follow her own path. The universe has a funny habit of pointing us in the right direction when we least expect it. Being turned away from the behemoth coffee chain delivered an idea that would change everything.

Maria decided to create an antidote to the clone towns that consist of an H&M, Starbucks, and McDonald’s across the globe. Inspired by Airbnb, and Uber’s new way of doing business, she found a way of bypassing the old laws of the industry by not buying physical space.

Wheelys Café was born, and the first high-tech mobile café hit the streets of Sweden. Serving 100-percent organic coffee outside the same Starbucks that rejected her could have been considered poetic justice. But visibly taking more money than the global coffee chain was all the proof she needed that she was doing the right thing.

It typically costs over $500,000 to open a traditional café before adding rent, electricity, and other utilities. Upon learning these costs, she created a solution that would open up opportunities to millions of passionate young entrepreneurs. A completely mobile Wheelys café franchise was made available for just three thousand dollars to the global community.

An organic revolution gathered pace in a world that is beginning to tire of industrial fast-food from big brands. Since they launched, Wheelys café has doubled sales every six months and sold 500+ cafés to 60+ countries.

With over 100 people waiting to buy the next batch of Wheelys, It’s easy to see why this innovative idea has become the world’s quickest growing coffee café chain. The mobility allows the owners to follow the crowds from the train station in the morning to a sports venue in the evening.  One owner managed to turn over $1,000 in a day at Santa Monica beach.

Creating a movement of organic mobile cafés in over 60 countries after being rejected from one of the world’s biggest brands is a truly inspirational story. But, its what Wheelys stands for to entrepreneurial people across the globe that are genuinely heartwarming.

Hugely successful fundedbyme and Indiegogo campaigns along with a $2.5 million seed round earlier this year is impossible to ignore. Recently, an invest in Wheelys to grow the movement campaign also proved to be a big hit. A global network of people who want to do things differently are challenging the old way of things. 

In particular, young entrepreneurs are enjoying the benefits of taking home 90 percent of your revenue from their own franchise. The alternative of accepting a minimum wage for working in a large brands coffee chain quickly loses its appeal for obvious reasons.

Wheely’s Cafe ticks every box for a modern business. A small start-up cost, almost no running costs, healthy, extremely profitable and most importantly ECO- friendly. The ability to pedal your business around any City is an incredibly attractive option for anyone that wants to make their own way in life.

On my podcast, I spoke with Maria De La Croix about her inspirational story. Large corporate global brands have used environmentalism as a gimmick over the years. But in this age of authenticity and environmentally friendly businesses for the ethically minded, Wheelys Cafe are standing out from the crowd in a city near you.


william Young
seven and a half years ago

Wonderfull story! Take the energy/emotion from a rejection and use it fuel your new venture!