Self-Funded and Scaling: How He Built a 5-Cart Coffee Company

In this episode, we sit down with Austin from Viator Coffee to unpack how he scaled a multi-cart coffee business—all without a single dollar of investor funding. You’ll hear how Austin went from building a DIY cart in his garage to operating five carts, a café, and a roastery, all while balancing family life and rapid growth.

Austin breaks down the systems, automations, and sales rhythms that helped Viator double revenue year over year—and the real story behind building a business that actually works without burning out. Whether you’re bootstrapping your first cart or trying to grow a team, this episode is your playbook for building a sustainable mobile coffee brand.

We cover what it takes to scale without capital, why systems matter more than style, and how the right tools (like Flashquotes) help you move from solopreneur to scaled operator. If you’re serious about growing your coffee or bar cart business, this one’s a must-listen.

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⸻ ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 01:52 Austin’s journey from Starbucks to startup 04:03 The original business plan—and what changed 06:17 Why starting small actually worked better 10:26 Building a coffee cart in a garage (literally) 13:31 First bookings and early growth strategies 18:22 Using bridal expos to drive leads 23:10 Opening a café mid-pandemic 29:21 Acquiring a roastery and adding new carts 32:15 Multi-cart operations and logistics 36:02 Systems, tools, and scaling with Flashquotes 45:50 Creating a business that works without you 50:33 Austin’s advice for scaling to market dominance

⸻ 🔑 Key Points: • How Austin scaled from one cart to five—without investors • The strategy behind 100% year-over-year growth • Why systems and team training unlock real scale • The sales rhythm that keeps Viator’s calendar full • How Flashquotes helped them run 40+ events in one week