While most fast-growing startups obsess over viral marketing and investor pitches, Pick Up Coffee quietly scaled by doing something far less glamorous—but far more effective.
They fixed small problems early.
“We paid extreme attention to deviations—anything that felt even slightly off,” said Jaime Gonzalez Fernandez, co-founder of Pick Up Coffee, in an interview with Financial Adviser PH. “The goal was to correct issues before they became too big to control.”
That proactive mindset became one of the brand’s most important growth strategies—allowing it to expand rapidly without losing consistency, culture, or customer trust.
Small Decisions, Big Impact
Founded in 2022, Pick Up Coffee launched during a time when most businesses were playing defense. But Fernandez and his team were building a system designed to scale fast, without cracking under pressure.
“It wasn’t about one big break,” he explained. “It was about small decisions—daily decisions—that added up.”
From operations to product development, the team approached every process with a tight feedback loop. When something didn’t feel right—whether it was a delay in delivery, a supplier inconsistency, or a shift in store rhythm—they acted immediately.
“You won’t catch all problems with data. Sometimes it’s just listening to the team, the customer, or your gut,” Fernandez said.
The Cost of Ignoring Small Things
Many early-stage founders fall into the trap of only reacting to problems when they become expensive. Pick Up Coffee’s approach was the opposite: act while it’s still cheap to fix.
“The longer you wait, the more damage a small problem can do—to your brand, your culture, your margins,” Fernandez told Financial Adviser PH.
This habit of preemptive problem-solving helped the team maintain agility even as the number of stores grew. It also created a culture of awareness, where frontline teams were empowered to raise flags early instead of waiting for formal breakdowns.
Operational Excellence Over Hype
Fernandez admits that while most people associate startup success with loud launches and high valuations, the backbone of their growth was operational discipline.
The team built internal systems to track performance deviations, customer satisfaction, and supply chain metrics. But more importantly, they stayed close to the ground—even as the brand scaled.
“People think process kills creativity. But in reality, the right process gives you room to scale without chaos,” he said.
Hiring With Precision, Not Speed
The same principle applied to hiring. Instead of hiring fast to meet demand, the team focused on learning from each hire—what worked, what didn’t—and applying that knowledge to the next decision.
“Hiring is one of the hardest things to get right,” said Fernandez. “But if you take time to study your own patterns, it gets smarter with scale.”
They used data from previous team performance to build better onboarding systems and more accurate hiring frameworks—a small but critical adjustment that paid off as store count increased.
Staying Agile Without Burning Out
Fernandez credits this high-alert, low-drama mindset for helping Pick Up Coffee avoid many of the pitfalls common in rapid growth businesses—like team burnout, customer complaints, and inconsistent service.
And while the brand continues to expand, the principle remains unchanged: Fix it while it’s still small.
“We’re not trying to be perfect. We just try to never be caught off guard,” he told Financial Adviser PH.
What Entrepreneurs Can Learn
For entrepreneurs eager to grow fast, Fernandez offers a piece of advice that rarely gets attention:
“Forget the ‘overnight success’ stories. Focus on what’s breaking quietly—because that’s what can derail you,” he said. “Every small fix compounds. That’s how you grow with control.”
From store operations to hiring strategy, Pick Up Coffee’s rise wasn’t built on shortcuts—it was built on diligence. And in a business world that often glamorizes speed, Jaime Gonzalez Fernandez makes the case for sustainable growth powered by small, smart moves.
