It Started With a Layoff, and a Latte: My Journey to The Brewed Collective “Sometimes it takes a layoff. Sometimes it takes a kid with a big idea.

For me, coffee has always been more than just a drink. It’s a pause. A conversation starter. A quiet way to connect—whether with a friend, a stranger, or yourself.

But I didn’t plan to start a coffee business. Honestly, it began with a layoff.

A Year of Searching

After being laid off, I spent nearly a year applying for jobs. I poured myself into applications, interviews, and follow-ups, but nothing stuck. The silence was discouraging. It chipped away at my confidence and made me question what I was meant to be doing.

At some point, it stops being about the job and starts affecting your confidence. You question your skills, your worth, and your direction. And in the middle of that spiral, my daughter—sweet, observant, brilliant—said something that changed everything.

“You love Starbucks so much, why don’t you just work there?”

She was serious. She had already planned her whole summer around coming to visit me at the store. She thought it was the coolest idea in the world. And honestly? It was cool. It reminded me that sometimes, the best ideas come from people who love you the most.

At the time, I was also working toward my degree in transportation and logistics, and since my military background was in logistics too, I figured, Why not apply for a supply chain job? I sent in applications and began exploring those paths.

Around the same time, I had a great conversation with my amazing sister, who works in retail and understands the industry deeply. She helped me think things through, and that’s when I had a realization: Even if getting a job in supply chain might be tough right now, maybe I could start somewhere that would give me inside access to operations.

So I applied for a store manager position at Starbucks. I saw it as a chance to learn the organization from the bottom up—understand the structure, the flow, and how everything connects behind the scenes.

And then, I got the call. It was one of the best interviews I’d ever had. And just like that, I stepped into a role that would quietly plant the seed for everything that came next.

Finding Purpose Behind the Bar

I walked into Starbucks thinking it was just going to be a job. A stepping stone. Something steady to get me back on track.

But what I found behind that bar was something else entirely.

It wasn’t just the drinks or the routine—it was the people. It was the rhythm of the space. The way the team moved together during a rush. The way regulars came in like clockwork for their comfort orders, sometimes just to feel seen. It was watching new hires become friends, building connections over shifts and shared playlists. It was the quiet “have a good day” moments between strangers. The held doors. The quick chats. The gratitude.

It was a community.

And it felt familiar—like something I’d always been drawn to but never had the words for.

There was one shift in particular that I’ll never forget. We were deep in the weeds. I was tired. But in the middle of that chaos, I looked around and saw something beautiful. Everyone was moving with purpose. The drinks, the smiles, the stories—it all mattered.

That’s when I felt it:

I don’t just love coffee. I love what it creates.

But even in that environment, which was built on connection, there were times I felt like there wasn’t always space to fully connect—to really engage with people the way I wanted to. Sometimes business runs by the numbers. Quotas, time stamps, drink counts. It’s part of the system.

But what I truly enjoyed were the slower moments. The times when a guest walked in and I could just tell they were having a rough day, and what they needed wasn’t just a drink, but a smile… or even a hug. Moments when a stranger became a friend. When a quick spark of connection over a drink turned someone’s whole day around.

Those were the moments I wanted to hold onto. Those were the moments I wanted to create more of.

That was the spark. The beginning of everything that came after.

Looking Back, Coffee Was Always There

Coffee has been a quiet thread in my life for years—it just took slowing down to realize how deeply it was woven into who I am.

I learned to make coffee from my grandfather. Once I was old enough, it became part of my morning ritual. Every day, I’d wake up and put on a pot for him. It was our routine, our connection, and our love—unspoken, but deeply felt. I made that pot every single morning until the day he passed away.

After that, I didn’t make coffee much. Not for a while. Not until I joined the Army in 2008.

That’s when coffee came back into my life—but in a whole new way. Long mornings, long nights, missions, movement, exhaustion—coffee was always there. In the field. In the motor pool. On deployment. It became something that bonded me with my battles. It was how we started the day. How we got through it. It wasn't just caffeine—it was part of how we showed up for each other.

After four years away from home, it was coffee that helped reconnect me with my sister. We had grown apart in those years—life does that—but somehow, something as small as a caramel macchiato built the bridge between us. She wasn’t even a big coffee drinker, but that drink became our thing.

Every morning on our way to work, we’d follow behind each other in the drive-thru. I’d order one for her, she’d order one for me. We’d send a quick “have a good day” text. It was simple. But it meant everything.

And then, there was my daughter.

When I came home from deployment, I didn’t return to normal—I returned to COVID. New job. New home. A world shut down. And a little girl who had gone from toddler to school-age while I was away.

We had to relearn each other. She was back in Texas. I was different. She was growing. I was adjusting. So we started taking walks down the road to our local Starbucks. It was our escape, our routine, our quiet rebuild. I’d get a coffee. She’d get a cake pop and a frappuccino. We’d talk, walk, laugh, and sometimes say nothing at all.

Those mother-daughter walks were our way back to each other.

So when I found myself behind the counter at Starbucks, watching people create their tiny rituals and meaningful moments, I realized something:

This had been part of my life all along.

It wasn’t just the drink. It was everything that happened around it. The memories. The healing. The transitions. The people.

Coffee had always been there when I needed grounding, connection, or comfort.

And that’s what I wanted to build. Not just a business. Not just a bar. But a space for those kinds of moments to live and grow. A space where people could slow down, connect, and create something worth remembering.

That’s the heart of The Brewed Collective.

The Brewed Collective

That’s how The Brewed Collective came to life—not as a business idea, but as a response to everything I’d lived, felt, and learned.

It started with a pot of coffee for my grandfather. Then it followed me through long Army nights, into reconnections with my sister, and quiet walks with my daughter. It’s been there through every chapter of my life—and now, it’s the heart of what I offer to others.

The Brewed Collective is a mobile espresso bar, but more than that, it’s a space built on connection. Every cup we serve is rooted in presence. Every setup is designed with care. And every experience is created to feel personal, thoughtful, and real.

We show up for all kinds of moments—corporate offsites, team retreats, weddings, birthday brunches, brand activations, and everything in between. No two events are ever the same, and I love that. Every client brings their story, their energy, their vision. My job is to honor that with what we do.

I don’t just want to serve drinks. I want to create a feeling. Something that grounds people, invites them to slow down, and reminds them they’re seen.

That’s what The Brewed Collective is about. Not just coffee. But connection—in every single pour.

Why I’m Doing This

I didn’t grow up dreaming of owning a business. I didn’t have a roadmap, or funding, or a playbook for how to build something like this. What I had was life.

Life experience. Leadership. Loss. Resilience. The kind that shapes you when you're not even looking.

And somewhere along the way, I realized that something as small as a drink—when made with care—can hold so much more than people realize. It can carry a memory. A connection. A moment of peace. A reason to pause. A beginning.

The Brewed Collective isn’t just a business. It’s a reflection of everything that’s shaped me—my service, my family, my healing, my joy. Its presence. Its intention. It’s a community in motion.

It’s the path I found after the one I thought I was on disappeared.

It’s what happens when you take all the little pieces of who you are and finally permit yourself to build something with them.

So if you’re planning something—big or small—and want to create a moment that feels real, grounded, and unforgettable… I’d be honored to be part of it.

Let’s brew something meaningful together.

Dayz Nellon