Shaunie Grigsby
Owner
Flava Cafe
St. Paul, MN USA
“All of who you are is okay. All of the weird and quirky things that you like are okay. There isn’t a model in terms of your identity that you need to subscribe to.”
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By Roadtrip NationShaunie Grigsby
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
When I was younger, my cousin was killed by a young suspect, which spurred me to want to work with youth to help prevent things like that from happening.
I initially set out on a path to work within the justice system, but I didn’t really see many positives within that industry—so I switched to a more sociological lens, which led me into youth work.
After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in sociology, I started working as a youth development staff member for the North Community YMCA Youth & Teen Enrichment Center.
I continued to build my career in youth development, working in roles such as a youth transitions coach, youth programs manager, and young women’s initiative cabinet coordinator.
I eventually decided to open up my own social enterprise cafe, Flava Cafe, which is focused on eliminating disparities for young women and gender expansive youth.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Graduate
Education - Youth Development Leadership
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Education - Youth Development Leadership
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Career
Owner
I own a social enterprise coffee shop.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Food
Entrepreneurship
Upholding a Cause and Belief
Day to Day
I am out of the door and at the shop by 7 a.m. to open. Most days I can be found running the front or back of house operations, which includes being the cook, barista, or cashier. On really good days, I'm generally in my office responding to emails, coordinating or engaging in meetings to help elevate the brand and business, creating social media content, or running errands for the business. Sometimes I get the opportunity to attend fun networking and community events.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
My path to entrepreneurship is not intrinsically tied to my academic pathway, however it did inform the type of business structure that I lead with, specifically social entrepreneurship. I would recommend taking a business or marketing course, but there are also fellowships and other cohort learning modules that are tailored to specific entrepreneurship interest.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
