TrueStart Coffee

@UniofBath @UniofBathAlumni @BathSofM Woo go Helena!

☕ We spoke to Helena, @UniofBathAlumni and founder of @TrueStartCoffee, about building her coffee brand, and how studying @BathSofM gave her the drive and confidence to start her own business.

.. You find TrueStart. Top of page. Scan the receipt. Scan the barcode on the tin. Then boom. You're offered your cash back. You and Karen stare in disbelief. Your bank account stares in relief. The car bonnet owner beeps in outrage.

.. Don't forget your receipt you think to yourself. Scanned and paid for you collect this magical receipt and leave. Karen exits at the same time "Let's scan them together!" So you huddle over the car bonnet and open up Shopmium.

.. They're hassling a store team member because they forgot to press yes to wanting a receipt. Ah. You remember it said on the email you need a picture of your receipt. Oh dear.

.. There it is, front & centre when you walk into the store. You pick up a tin & take it to the winding queue at self checkout only to see someone struggling with their till. Is that..? Karen? "YOU SAW THE EMAIL TOO?!" They screech across the store, waving the yellow tin around.

It's an email from TrueStart, as if they knew you had just run out.. "Try TrueStart for £2!" Surely not. But you read through. Seems legit. You have a Morrisons just down the road and time before your first meeting. Fine let's see..

.. So with office coffee off the cards you sigh in despair, no coffee today, not with your pitiful bank account. Friday it is. Then out of nowhere a notification on your phone pings through..

You weren't going into the office this week whilst they were closed for re-carpeting. You start to wish you had never danced with Karen that True Monday.. All it ended with was a coffee stained carpet and an angry office manager.

.. Downstairs you trot, the sun shining through your frosty windows and you have a little flash of optimism. You open the cupboard, open your coff.. NO. Looking back at you is one measly quarter teaspoon worth of coffee.

.. Every morning you open your little app of doom only to see no anonymous donation. One day. But today you suppose you'll just have to get on with it.

POV: It's the final week of January, your bank account is glaring at you impatiently for payday..

@ChrisJGilbert86 @coopuk It was FAB to meet you! Thank you for your support 🥳

Great to meet Helena today and support promoting ⁦@TrueStartCoffee⁩ in our ⁦@coopuk⁩ store. ☕️☕️☕️ linkedin.com/posts/chris-gi…

... One of them smiles at you as they leave and says "Don't worry, they run these swim mornings every month! Come along to the next one" You nod politely. I think I will. Maybe in a wetsuit though.

... As you round the corner you see a bunch of these shivering, robed creatures all hovering behind a brightly coloured truck. Who needs a roof tent in winter? But each one that leaves with a warm coffee in hand looks ecstatic. I wish I could feel like they look.

... Waving the flask in front of you "They were even giving coffees out of Sunny's booty.. boot? Boot! Sunny's boot" Okay that's the hypothermia kicking in, you usher them along to get warm but continue to walk in the direction Karen came from to see this circus yourself.

... Karen hops from one croc to another, rather triumphantly, as they exclaim "I've had the BEST morning. I went for a swim with TrueStart! Golly I feel ALIVE. I'm BUZZING. AAAAH" Yes,well that is apparent..

... Now that they're stood in front of you you can see this outfit in all it's glory. Karen's hair is wet, have they just been swimming?!

... The TrueStart legs. That means. It couldn't be.. "MOOOORNING! IT'S ME KAREN! HOW ARE YOU?!"

... The figure comes into view, waving their arms around so manically they drop a flask. It rolls towards you and as it hits your toe you see a familiar looking pair of legs on it..

... Wait a second, why are they waving? I don't know anyone in this city that would be outside before 7am. Oh god they're running now. Panic.