Jeremy Lopatin - small business owner, Arbor Teas

People or experiences that led me to where I am

My wife, Aubrey, who wanted to go into the business for a long time. We were both fond of tea and wished to deal with customers. However, instead of starting a tea shop, we started a business over the web—because there were already plenty of shops like that in Ann Arbor. We learned everything we needed to know by ourselves. Also, our shop is extremely environmentally oriented.

What I like most about my work

Because we own the business, being our own boss grants us a lot of freedom and flexibility.

Volunteer or other experiences you might check out to learn about my field

There are two main parts: learning about tea and learning about business. One could visit teashops or warehouses to get an idea of how these things work.

Challenges and exciting changes I see in my field in the near future

It is difficult to constantly keep up with information on organic, high-quality tea, especially in the sense of documentation. Also, developing sustainable, environmentally friendly packaging must considered all the time. In the business area, as we grow, it will be necessary to keep hiring more hands.

The kinds of training and education needed to keep up in my field

There must be a continual flow of knowledge about regulations and laws, organic/fair trade rules, technology changes, etc. Also, you need tea training and meetings, understanding how to update websites, and understanding changes in databases/spreadsheets.

Other career fields where my skills could be put to use

Managing small businesses, website creation and internet marketing, and restaurant/culinary jobs.

How my job impacts my family life

Although it is flexible enough to take care of others’ needs, it is difficult when things are really busy because everything is dependent on you. Also, we pay for our own health care and insurance, and long vacations are hard to ensure.