# SCORE Mentor — Notes & Goal-Aligned Action Plan

**Program:** SCORE NW Indiana (free small-business mentoring)
**Mentors:** Paul Yadron & Don Pelka (Chapter Co-Chairs) · paul.yadron@scorevolunteer.org · 708-955-5717
**Meeting:** Call Aug 17, 2026 (notes emailed Aug 18) · **Next call: Thu, Sept 10, 2026 @ 4:00 PM CST**
**Venture:** The Daily Pour / SnS Hospitality Group LLC

> **How to read this doc:** the raw SCORE input is preserved at the bottom for fidelity. The top is
> the part that matters — their advice **filtered through our own Decision Framework** (the Three
> Gates: **Time · Net Worth · Freedom**) and the non-negotiable *"I own, I don't operate"* principle.
> Not every good idea is a good idea *for us right now*. This sorts them by our goals and stage.

---

## The lens (our goals, unchanged)
- **Target:** $150K/yr to Sam from trailers within 5 yrs → **2–3 ramped trailers** get us there.
- **Bottleneck is execution speed, not revenue** — every month without a trailer open ≈ $11.7K foregone.
- **Founder role:** capital allocator + systems builder. **Never work a shift.** Every system runs without me.
- **Compound, don't consume:** Trailer 1's profit funds Trailer 2.

So SCORE's advice gets sorted by one question: **does it accelerate opening T-00 well and building a repeatable system — or is it a distraction from that?**

---

## Tier 1 — Act on now (directly serves the goal; do before/at launch)

| SCORE recommendation | Why it passes our gates | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| **Lock a local roaster partnership** (their #2 priority after location) | **Net Worth + Freedom** — it's our only durable *moat* (no chain can claim a South Bend roast) and a systemizable supplier relationship. Aligns with **Bendix Coffee Roasters** already in the plan. | Sam + Kiowa |
| **Design trailer flow / throughput** (how fast we make + serve) | **Net Worth** — throughput *is* revenue at $8/ticket; and a documented production SOP is exactly the "runs without me" system. Bakes speed into the build, not a retrofit. | Sam + Kiowa |
| **Licenses · ServSafe · Insurance** | **Freedom** — non-negotiable gate to open; already in `required-docs-and-compliance.md`. A lapse pulls me in. | Kiowa |
| **Written location contract** (lot lease) | **Net Worth + Freedom** — no signed lot = no trailer. The #1 thing gating T-00. | Kiowa |
| **Bakery partnerships (the 2 identified)** | **Net Worth** — a margin add-on with a local-sourcing story; delegable to Kiowa, off my plate. | Kiowa |

## Tier 2 — Do once, cheaply, for leverage (high insight-per-hour, then move on)

| SCORE recommendation | Principled read | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| **Talk to the Portland shop owner** (our inspiration) | One call. De-risks the model from someone who's lived it. Time-boxed — not an ongoing relationship. | Sam |
| **Study The Coffee Can (Taylorville, IL)** — Airstream, doing great business | Free competitive/ops intel on a proven mobile model. A visit or call, once. | Sam |
| **Talk to a franchisee** about startup + obstacles | Cheapest way to surface unknown-unknowns before we spend capital. One conversation. | Sam |

## Tier 3 — Systems to define, not agonize over (SOP work, delegable)
Menu · waste handling · equipment list · storage/cups. These are **T-00 operations design** — capture
each as an SOP so it's repeatable across all 10 trailers (that's the compounding play). Don't let menu
perfectionism delay opening; ship a focused menu, iterate live. → Sam + Kiowa

## Already handled — report back to SCORE (shows momentum)
- **"Have you formed the LLC?"** → **Yes.** SnS Hospitality Group LLC, EIN 42-4288652, formed 8/6/2026.
- **"What's the agreement with your partner?"** → **Done.** Signed multi-member OA (incl. Kiowa's
  5%→15% vesting + tax-distribution clause).

---

## ⚠️ Corrections to raise on the 9/10 call (keep SCORE working from real numbers)
1. **Startup cost:** SCORE's notes say **~$450K**. Our real figure is **$50K per trailer** (~$500K is
   the *10-trailer fleet* total). Correct this — a 9× overstatement distorts every recommendation and
   any funding intro they'd make.
2. **Barista/hiring framing:** SCORE noted "looking for a barista." Reframe per our hiring philosophy —
   we hire **one reliable *Location Manager* per trailer** (character over craft; espresso is trainable
   in 2 weeks), not a "barista." This matters because the whole "founder doesn't operate" thesis rests
   on that lead hire.

## What I'm deliberately NOT prioritizing (and why)
- **Chasing a "moat" beyond the roaster/relationships/execution-speed** — SCORE-adjacent worry, but our
  framework says the moat is *speed of profitable expansion*, not defensibility. Don't over-engineer it.
- **Over-investing in menu/equipment optimization pre-launch** — fails the **Time** gate if it delays
  T-00. Open, then optimize from real data.

---

## Next step
- **Follow-up call: Thursday, Sept 10, 2026 @ 4:00 PM CST** (Paul & Don). Bring: corrected startup #,
  roaster-partnership status, signed lot-lease status, LLC/OA done.
- *(Separate: in-person meeting with **Tracie, Sept 1, South Bend**.)*

---
---

## Raw notes (verbatim from Paul Yadron's email, Aug 18, 2026 — preserved for fidelity)

**What SCORE was told:**
- Works for Amazon, wants to start a mobile coffee shop in South Bend. Business plan developed; trailer type identified. Name: The Daily Pour.
- Open 1, then ~10 around the area heading **west** from South Bend. Eventually hire a manager for day-to-day; first one Sam is hands-on.
- Idea discovered from a mobile coffee shop in **Portland**. Has a partner + social-media + IT help. Looking for a barista.
- Estimated startup **$450K**; projected revenue **$250K** first 2 years. Has someone scouting a heavy-traffic South Bend location. Identified **2 local bakeries**.

**What SCORE recommends:** Location is #1; **coffee is the next biggest thing** — find a local roaster to partner with. Touch base with the Portland shop owner. Study **The Coffee Can, Taylorville IL** (converted Airstream, great business).

**Items to think about:** trailer flow/production (speed to make + serve) · waste · equipment needs · menu · storage/cups · license · ServSafe classes · insurance · partner with the bakeries · talk to a franchisee about startup & obstacles · what's the agreement with your partner · keep working on BP + revenue projections · have you formed an LLC · contract with the location.

**Next step:** Call Thursday **9/10 at 4pm CST**.

*— Paul Yadron & Don Pelka, Chapter Co-Chairs, SCORE NW Indiana*
