Author: Reachany

Let me tell you something that took me years to understand: hitting restart doesn’t mean you failed. It means you’re brave enough to try again. In 2023, my small café business collapsed. I watched everything I’d built fall apart. The money was gone. My confidence was shaken. But you know what I didn’t do? I didn’t stay down. Instead, I picked myself up, enrolled in entrepreneurship courses at CamEd Business School in Phnom Penh, and learned what went wrong. By mid-2023, I opened The Press Day Coffee. Same dream, smarter approach. Why We Fear Starting Over I get it. The…

When people ask me how much money they need to open a coffee shop, they usually expect me to say $50,000 or maybe $100,000. The look on their faces when I tell them I did it with $3,186? Priceless. Let me be clear from the start—this isn’t some clickbait story. I really did open my café in Battambang, Cambodia, with just over three thousand dollars. And yes, it’s actually profitable. But here’s the thing: my first coffee shop failed. Spectacularly. My First Coffee Shop Failed (And Why That’s Important) Back in 2016, I was fresh out of COFICO, a vocational…

It’s 6:15 AM in Battambang. The street is still quiet. My coffee shop, The Press Day Coffee, looks closed from the outside—shutters half-open, chairs stacked up. But I’m already inside, moving fast. I have just 30 minutes to get ready before opening. Miss one item on my checklist, and the day unravels. Running a coffee shop isn’t just about making good coffee. It’s about being ready. Every single morning. Here are the 5 things I always check before my first customer walks in. 1. Check the Espresso Machine First thing I do? Turn on the espresso machine. It needs about…

My $10,000 Mistake (And How You Can Avoid It) Back in 2021, I did something really stupid. I opened my dream coffee shop without knowing how to price anything. I’d walk into fancy cafés, see a latte for $2.50, then check the street vendors selling iced coffee for 50 cents. My brilliant strategy? Pick a number in the middle and cross my fingers. Spoiler alert: that shop closed in 2023. The problem wasn’t my coffee. People loved it. The problem was simple—I had no idea if I was actually making money or slowly going broke with every cup I sold.…

When I tell people that patience is the most important skill for entrepreneurs, they usually look at me like I’m crazy. Everyone wants quick results, instant success, the overnight breakthrough. But here’s what I learned after failing once and starting over: patience isn’t just helpful in business—it’s absolutely essential. Let me share my story and the three types of patience that kept me going. The Foundation Stage: When Nothing Seems to Happen Think about a giant tree. Why doesn’t it fall over during storms? Its roots go deep underground, anchoring it firmly in place. Your business works the same way.…

I’ll be honest with you: when I opened my first coffee shop in mid-2021, I had no idea what I was doing with my menu. Sure, I had my economics degree and training from COFICO. But somehow, I still convinced myself that bigger was better. I looked at Starbucks and thought, “If they have 50 drinks, I should too.” Big mistake. My Menu Was Killing My Business Picture this: 50+ items on the menu board. Every type of coffee you could imagine. Six different teas. Four juices. Smoothies with exotic fruits. Fancy frappuccinos with names I could barely pronounce. It…

Everyone tells you that location matters when you open a business. But nobody tells you how much it matters until you’ve already made the mistake. I’m writing this from my coffee shop right now. It’s called The Press Day Coffee, and it’s doing well. But three years ago, I was running a different shop. That one failed completely. I want to tell you what went wrong. Maybe it’ll save you from making the same expensive mistakes I made. The “Free Rent” Mistake That Cost Me Everything When I decided to open my first coffee shop in 2021, I was really…

We all carry burdens. Some days, they feel manageable. Other days? They crush us. For me, 2023 was one of those years that was crushing. When My Coffee Shop Failed I still remember the day I had to close my small coffee shop. I had poured everything into it—my savings, my time, my dreams. When it failed, I didn’t just feel like I had lost a business; I felt like I was a failure as a person. Have you ever felt that way? Like carrying a stone so heavy that you can’t even stand up straight? That is exactly where…

Mid-2021 changed everything for me. That’s when I finally opened my own small coffee shop, turning a long-held dream into reality. If you’re thinking about starting your own business, I want to share my story with you. Not the polished, Instagram-perfect version—the real one, with all its messy ups and downs. The Truth About Starting Your Own Business Everyone dreams of being their own boss. I certainly did. But here’s what nobody tells you: it’s harder than you think, and it won’t make you rich overnight. You’ll Work Harder Than Ever Before When I started, I thought working for myself…

I’ve always dreamed of running my own coffee shop. There’s something special about creating a cozy space where people can relax, chat with friends, and enjoy a good cup of coffee. When I graduated from the University of Management and Economics with my degree in Economics in 2016, that dream felt closer than ever. But I knew I needed more than just business knowledge. I needed to understand coffee itself. So I spent the next two years learning to be a barista at the COFICO vocational training center. After that, I worked at a local café from 2018 to 2020,…