Chatterhouse CoffeeThree ambitious young entrepreneurs hoped to open a coffee shop that would provide coffee, community and interpersonal communication skills.
WHO
Lucas Ryan [pictured]
Ashley Ryan
Leobardo Espinoza
THE PITCH
ChatterHouse is a coffee shop that will not only offer
great coffee but also community enrichment
programs, like seminars on doing
taxes or evaluating facts.
Lucas Ryan said they developed the concept because they believed in the social good this business could achieve.
Lucas says taking the business model through the Top Tank application process taught them about business development and design. The mentorship that was available allowed them to really dig into what planning a business means, and taught them how to create the necessary documents to attract investors, instead of just the ones necessary for running a business.
“Without the win at the competition we weren’t able to capture the funds and momentum we needed to be successful,” Lucas said.
“So after the competition ended, we each took the parts of ChatterHouse we liked and found other ways to bring those into the community.”
Lucas says that the valuable insight they gained into the Topeka entrepreneurial community was worth the effort.
Editor-in-Chief
Lisa Loewen has been teaching journalism at the University of Kansas since 2004 on the Strategic Communications track. Loewen brings more than 25 years of experience in advertising, marketing and public relations. Her extensive writing experience includes magazine, newspaper and broadcast, advertising copy for print and television, as well as academic articles. Loewen’s career path has taken her from advertising agencies to corporate offices to education. As marketing director for an international communications company, she managed internal communications as well as information sent to clients throughout the world.
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