“Start Embarrassingly Small”: How Annie Nguyen Built A Coffee Empire With $200

Annie Nguyen arrived in Australia with a background in finance and business, but couldn’t land a job as a barista. So she spent less than $200 setting up a tiny market stall selling Vietnamese iced coffee instead. That stall became ANNEES, now a beloved and growing chain of coffee shops popping up across Queensland. In this episode, Annie shares how she turned genuine human connection into an actual customer-service system, what Shark Tank taught her about backing your own vision, and why starting a business might require far less money, polish and certainty than you think. On today’s episode, you’ll learn: How Annie turned “great customer service” into a repeatable system her team could actually learn, without making it feel scripted. (They remember every customer by name!) What Annie learned from pitching ANNEES on Shark Tank while six months pregnant, being questioned about whether motherhood would slow her business down, and walking away without a deal but a plan instead. How to know when growth requires you to stop doing everything yourself, trust your team and “get out of the way.” How Annie learned aspiring founders can “start embarrassingly small” instead of waiting for the money, infrastructure or perfect grand plan. THE END BITS Support independent women's media. Got a work life dilemma? Send us all the questions you definitely can't ask your boss - send us a voice note or email us at [email protected]. You can remain anon! HOST: Lisa Lie GUEST: Annie Nguyen EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Courtney Ammenhauser SENIOR CREATIVE PRODUCER: Thom Lion ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Sasha Tannock Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.