Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Carroll.
Hi Michelle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been an iced coffee drinker since college, but my real interest in coffee began when I tried cold brew while I was working in fashion in New York City. I was able to stay up so much longer without needing a nap, that was a game changer for me. Coffee wasn’t on my radar back then as a business idea, only a drink to get me through long days.
After about 8 years, when my career in fashion shifted after moving up as an intern, assistant and then a stylist, and we were blessed with twins, I started wondering what I could do next that I’d love just as much but would demand a different side of me? After thinking through everything I liked and could see myself sticking it out for a while with, my next obsession became coffee. I dove deep into learning everything from brew methods and grind size to roasting and tasting notes. But the more I learned and explored, the more I realized coffee often felt too serious and from a singular point of view. Brand wise, it just always felt so boring, so masculine and there were no really creative and fun takes on it at the time. I wanted to create something joyful, colorful, and approachable—while still offering high-quality, responsibly sourced beans.
In my last couple of years in New York City, I spent years researching, designing, and sourcing while learning UX/UI design to make a (safe) career switch. When I moved back to my hometown in Kansas, that work continued. A year later, I began selling whole bean coffee and cold brew at the Merriam Farmers Market while freelancing and later working as a barista.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The coffee has been smooth, but the journey definitely hasn’t, and that’s to be expected. One of the biggest challenges has been that to make money, you need startup money. Bootstrapping a brand from scratch has been tough. As a freelancer, I spent years in feast or famine mode, which forced me to get creative about how to get Lovely Day Coffee’s name out there with little to no budget. Building brand awareness is difficult in the beginning, and you have to spend money and time with no immediate results. When you’re new, it’s also hard for others to see your vision and take a chance on you. I was very blessed to be taken a chance on by AIGA, The Black Pantry, and Shop Local KC when I was barely a year in. They allowed me to do pop-ups and sell coffee in their locations.
Another challenge I’ve had to overcome is being public-facing. My target market is gen-z and millennials so it’s what they expect. I’ve always been a behind-the-scenes kind of girl, so being on camera or showing my face for the brand was really uncomfortable at first. I wanted to just post pretty graphics and photos with not much of a story about me or vulnerability—I grew up very introverted. It took years to get in the right headspace to show up consistently on social media or even talk about it in public—but it’s starting to pay off.
I’m also a team of one, which means I’ve had to learn everything—from coffee to marketing to sales—on the fly. It can be exhausting, but it’s also been the best crash course in building a sustainable business. Every challenge has taught me something new, and I’ve learned that resilience and creativity goies a long way. Seeing people connect with Lovely Day Coffee, me and how excited they are about the packaging and the taste reminds me why I started in the first place.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
That’s a tough question because my path has crossed a few different worlds. At my core, I’d call myself a creative. I spent about 12 years in New York City working in fashion styling and branding, which taught me how to blend storytelling, aesthetics, and emotion through design. When life took a major shift—between having twins in 2019 and COVID—I went back to my first loves: design and the internet. I discovered UX/UI and realized it shared the same essence as fashion—researching trends, usability, creating something functional and beautiful, and finding joy in how others experience it.
That same curiosity eventually led me to coffee. With Lovely Day Coffee, I get to combine everything I’ve learned—crafting experiences that delight people through taste, storytelling, and design. My goal in the future is to be seen as a creative, brand, and world builder—someone who designs not just products, but experiences that make people feel something.
I’m most proud of my resilience, of starting over again and again. I stay true to myself each time, and somehow built a life and a little family that reflects that courage. What sets me apart is my ability to come from a small town, still think big and be okay with standing out. I’m not afraid to take risks, to dream, or to go against the grain if it means creating something authentic.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I definitely consider myself a risk taker. I’ve learned that calculated risks are what move the needle in life—staying stagnant or overthinking usually just keeps you stuck.
Since high school, I knew I wanted to leave Kansas. I didn’t know whether it would be LA or New York, but when I was really young, I knew I wanted to work in high fashion and be surrounded by creativity and that type of energy in my day-to-day life. I visited New York in my sophomore year of college—I believe it was April or May—with a group from KU I found on a flyer. After exploring the city, I just knew—it felt like the place where I was meant to go. That same year in August, before my junior year of college, I moved there into a family member’s house–who I had never met until then, with $300, a course load of classes, and figured it out as I went.
Years later, I took the same approach when creating Lovely Day Coffee and moving back home. I didn’t have the traditional resources or roadmap for starting a business, in fact, most people probably would’ve told me to wait or not to do it at all—but I did it anyway, made mistakes, and continue growing through it all.
For me, risk is about betting on yourself even when the path isn’t clear. It’s uncomfortable, but that’s where growth happens. It’s where you discover how far you can push yourself and how deeply you’re willing to listen to your spirit.
Pricing:
- We Outside $17
- Get Lifted – $18
- Nonstop – $17
- Sampler Pack – $40
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lovelydaycoffee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelydaycoffee
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theothermc
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/lovelydaycoffee
