Meet Benjamin Hernandez | Entrepreneur & Dad of 3 Inspirations

We had the good fortune of connecting with Benjamin Hernandez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Benjamin, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
I started Revolution Coffee Co. in 2019 and in only 3 short years, we have withstood a global pandemic, a turbulent economy, a partnership split that left us with two months to leave our location, amongst a myriad of other issues. At every turn, the opportunity to quit has been there, glowing and tantalizing. I often joked about quitting to go work at a Home Depot, disposing of any notion of running my own business and just working a simple, easy job that I knew I’d enjoy.

The reality at every one of those pivotal moments was that I had chosen to be where I was. I had chosen to start my own business, I had chosen to pivot and figure it out in 2020, I had chosen to take a stand for my business no matter what it meant for our future. Life had not happened to me and Revolution, we were where I had chosen to lead us. Messy and daunting as it was, the beauty within that was that I could choose to lead us elsewhere. And I did. It was the decision to accept that where we were and where we could be were a direct result of what I chose on the day to day that changed my perception of running a business.

So many of my fellow entrepreneurs feel helpless amidst the rapidly shifting world, equating holding on and trying to make it to grasping at falling grains of sand. Within us lies the power to choose. To lead. To sacrifice. To prove that we truly love what we do and care about what we’ve started. I chose to sacrifice the easy road, the comforts and security of a stable job, in order to ensure that this coffee shop, our Revolution, can live on. I will choose that every day of my life.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Revolution Coffee Co. is a craft coffee shop (also known as a third-wave café) that seeks to provide mind-blowing coffee, superb service and a strong, tight-knit (but easy to permeate) community. All of our syrups are hand-made (because that’s the most craft thing you can do) and we take full creative freedom in rolling out deliciously irresistible drinks (strawberry vanilla matcha gang). We also do light food, with our crown jewel being our hand-made belgian leige waffles (try the butterscotch banana walnut).

We are on a massive growth path as of today, and it was anything but easy. I could detail a variety of anecdotes on how we overcame but they all revolve around what is truly the best part of this business: our community. Our community has held us together in the darkest of times, encouraging us, believing in us, even going so far as to donate to a gofundme to keep us going when we were left without a place to go. They are revolutionaries in every sense of the word and have taught me so much about community.

I started this business after leaving my old community, my old life so to speak, and felt like a nomad in a new land. I was beat down, tired and unsure if there was even a chance for this business to mean what I wanted it to. It took me 3 years and two locations to finally open my eyes and see that it has meant something. My life’s goal is to be a useful idiot in people’s lives, and in our darkest hours I saw that my life, my struggles and lessons that I freely shared had meant something to people.

I want the world to know that where we are and where we are going are only a reality because I never tried to hide from my mistakes. I had no idea how to financially manage a business and almost sunk us. I made so many mistakes and have dug us out of so many holes that I put us in. In each of those holes I accepted that it was my fault and that I had to make it right. In that, I was able to grow and learn because I left my ego in those holes. No entrepreneur really wants to admit they were an idiot, but I can promise you that the only place to go from that admission is up.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My ideal day in Denison is as follows:

7am – Wake up
7:30am – Get in a workout at Old Firehouse
8:30am – Grab breakfast at Nick’s Family Restaurant (chicken fried steak and eggs)
9:30am – Get a bomb cup of coffee at Revolution Coffee Co. and play some smash bros. (always set up for our customers)
11:30am – Realize you spent way too much time playing smash and that you’re starving
12:00pm – Grab the divine creations at Frank & Lola’s Bohemian Tacos
1:00pm – Roll out of the booth full of tacos, chips and queso
2:00pm – Arrive at Lake Texoma for kayaking
5:00pm – Get back to shore soaking wet (I’m top heavy alright?)
6:00pm – Pop over to Camino Viejo in Sherman for that fr Mexican Food
7:30pm – Roll out of the booth full of fajitas, chips and salsa
8:00pm – Grab a longboard and cruise under the stars at one of the many parks
10:30pm – Go to bed ready to do it all over again.

My go to tip for anyone traveling is to find a good craft coffee shop and hang out there for a bit. Get to know the baristas and ask them about the area (we’re practically geishas).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Amanda Mendenhall. Once the devoted marketer, then turned into the supportive girlfriend and now, most likely when this is published, my fiancée. I don’t believe I have the space to adequately catalogue everything she’s done for Revolution, for me, for my kids, for every aspect of my life. She has seen me at my worst, loved me at my lowest and roused me from the heaviest darkness I’ve ever experienced. She’s believed in my vision, even when I didn’t. She remembered my passion, even when I couldn’t (ugh, I wasn’t trying to rhyme I swear). Amanda deserves most of the credit for where Revolution Coffee Co. is today, and I’ll proudly say that for the rest of our life together.

Website: https://www.revolutioncoffeecodenison.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revolutioncoffeeco/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RevolutionCoffeeCo.USA

Image Credits
All photos credit of Amanda Mendenhall (Arc Creative Co.)