#25: Building Dreams, Backed by Community with Mae's To Go Cup

Building Dreams, Backed by Community

In this inspiring episode of IgniteCast, we sit down with Matt and Sarah Anderson, owners of Mae's To-Go Cup, a family-run coffee shop that has quickly become a community favorite. From launching out of a 14-foot trailer to opening their second brick-and-mortar location, their journey is one of grit, faith, and relentless community support.

Matt and Sarah open up about the risks of leaving behind steady jobs, the lessons learned through trial and error, and the long hours that go into making a dream a reality. They share how family support, strong leadership, and customer service rooted in genuine connection have carried them forward—even through moments of doubt and broken espresso machines.

Most of all, they remind us that entrepreneurship is never a solo journey—when the community shows up, anything is possible.

🎧 Tune in for an honest look at small business leadership, the power of teamwork, and what it takes to keep showing up day after day.

#IgniteCast #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusinessLeadership

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Transcript

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Taylor Tutor: [00:00:00] Hey, Judd. 

Judd Wilson: Hey Taylor. 

Taylor Tutor: Do you know what's coming up? 

Judd Wilson: When? 

Taylor Tutor: On Thursday, January the 29th. 

Judd Wilson: The Ignite Leadership Conference. 

Taylor Tutor: That's right, Judd. And where is it? 

Judd Wilson: The Orchard. 

Taylor Tutor: That's right. Again. One more. Do you know where to get tickets? 

Judd Wilson: Ignite leadership.com. 

Taylor Tutor: And you're right. Again, for more information on Ignite, you can follow us on social media.

Judd Wilson: Look forward to seeing everybody at Ignite Ignite.

Taylor Tutor: Welcome. To Ignite Cast where Ideas Spark Action, brought to you by the Community Development Foundation, your Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development engine for Tupelo and Lee County, thank you to our presenting [00:01:00] sponsor, iHeartMedia for powering this season of Ignite Cast. I'm Taylor. 

Judd Wilson: I'm Judd 

Taylor Tutor: and welcome to Ignite Cast.

Judd Wilson: Taylor, it's that time again at Nightcast. I was looking at my favorite podcast. 

Taylor Tutor: It's this one. It's this one. Of course. It's just I love, 

Judd Wilson: I love the host. 

Taylor Tutor: They're the best. 

Judd Wilson: They're good. They're a good group. They're a good group. Maybe that's why it's my favorite podcast. But as I say on these at night podcasts, what's right there in front of us?

Mm. 

Taylor Tutor: Ignite 

Judd Wilson: it. Night Leadership conference is right around the corner. Get your tickets for it. Why? 

Taylor Tutor: Because right now we've got the Early Bird special. 

Judd Wilson: I love the early bird. Love the early bird, but you know, I love more than the early bird. 

Taylor Tutor: Mm. Tell me 

Judd Wilson: talking to guest on the night podcast. We love it. Who do we have 

Taylor Tutor: today?

We have Nice to go cope. So I'm so excited to have [00:02:00] Sarah and Matt on the podcast with us. 

Matt Anderson: Welcome y'all. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Hello. And when I see the next podcast, I don't want to hear you say the same thing, that it's your favorite. Right? I 

Sarah Anderson: wouldn't be So That's right back. That's right 

Matt Anderson: back.

Judd Wilson: He's fact checking me right here. As we sit. As we sit. I love Bays to go. You know why I love it. 

Taylor Tutor: Well, I know you don't drink coffee. 

Judd Wilson: I don't. But I still love going because he drinks coffee. Everybody else in my family, everybody else, but no. What I love about Maze to go. It's a family business. We have Matt and Sarah here, but it's the whole family, isn't it?

Matt Anderson: The whole family. That's right. So our two older kids work for us, uh, after they get with smiles on their faces. A hundred percent. Okay. Making hundred percent. Uh, and then the 9-year-old is up there just as much as we are 

Judd Wilson: whenever she's outta school. And, and I remember, uh, doing y'all's ribbon cutting, do your Facebook live, which y'all did incredible at, by the way.[00:03:00] 

Your 9-year-old, what's her name? Macy. Look at that. Look at that. It is a family business. 

Taylor Tutor: It is, it is. 

Judd Wilson: How do the other two feel about the day? 

Matt Anderson: Uh, well when we started they thought we had lost our mind 'cause we quit our daytime job to work, work out book. We were not 

Sarah Anderson: full anymore. 

Matt Anderson: 14 foot enclosed trailer is what I like to call it.

Um, so they thought we were crazy. But here we are today with. About to open our second location, and they think it's really cool now because all their friends are showing up to school with our cups and they're like. Okay. You know, this is kind of cool. So I 

Taylor Tutor: guess y'all showed them, huh? 

Matt Anderson: That's right. 

Taylor Tutor: Well, I know it's been a long journey and I, to, to someone on the outside, it seems like y'all had immediate success, and I know it wasn't always that way.

Definitely, probably didn't feel that way to y'all. But if, if you could tell someone that maybe before y'all started Maze and they're in your shoes and they have an idea and they wanna start it, what would y'all tell them? [00:04:00] 

Sarah Anderson: Dive in and do it. Um, we learned so much just from trying, going through trial and error and there were a lot of errors, um, but we lifted each other up and overcame it and kept going and people kept showing up for us.

If we had something go wrong, you could ask for it, and we had 10 people there ready to help us. Mm-hmm. And that's because of this town we live in. Mm-hmm. That's awesome. 

Judd Wilson: Matt kind of talk on that a little bit. 

Matt Anderson: Yeah, so, you know, looking at the outside or outside looking in, I think everybody thinks that it's just easy, you know, we show up every day and you know, when we first started it was, I think we're up in seven to 11.

So everybody's like, oh yeah, you got better than banker hours. I heard that. I don't know how many times you got better than banker hours, but they didn't see all. And it was those bankers on the golf course telling you that properly. [00:05:00] That's exactly right. Uh, but they didn't see everything that was going in behind the scenes.

Yeah, we closed at 11 o'clock and yeah, today we closed at two o'clock. But it's not just a six 30 to two o'clock job. I mean, we're three o'clock in the morning. Sarah and I are up and, uh. You know, 5 36, 7, 8 o'clock at night, we see the sunrise and we see the sunset in that same building today. Uh, but we wouldn't be able to do it without her family.

I mean, they're, her parents are at our house every morning at five o'clock. Taking our kids to school. Um, 

Judd Wilson: sounds like Sarah, your mom was doing food prep right? When we were doing this show. The phone rang and it was her mom 

Sarah Anderson: asking about what we need for tomorrow. 

Judd Wilson: Yeah, yeah. So 

Sarah Anderson: when I started, uh, looking for a food prepper, my mom said, well, I'm retired.

I'll do it. So she comes up there and preps two to three hours a day [00:06:00] and, um, helps wherever we need her. There's, there's numerous things that she does for us, but um, she is part of this, uh, as well. It's great. 

Judd Wilson: So you said jumping in feet first, Sarah earlier. Um, kind of tell us, 'cause Matt, I know you from your previous jobs and, um, you know, and you said.

They thought we were crazy 'cause we quit our day jobs. Kinda what, when was it the point that you said, okay, we really are jumping in feet first, we're gonna, 'cause I mean, the good thing about your day job, I mean, it, it was security. Mm-hmm. For sure. So tell, talk about that, that leap of faith basically.

Matt Anderson: Yeah. So I guess about, uh, we started October of 23. October the fourth is when we opened the trailer and I was helping Sarah in the morning time. Then doing my job mid-morning and after hours, um, I guess about two months in when we felt [00:07:00] like that, uh, that we could maybe make this work. And, uh, customers kept showing up.

And, uh, I guess December of 23 is when I fully jumped in full time with her. And that's, 

Sarah Anderson: and I'll say this, he came home and said. Have you thought about hiring anybody? 'cause I'm tired and I said, uh, no, you're, I think it's time for you to quit your job. So we, I mean, we sat down hard finances and looked and to see what we need to do to make it happen.

And 

Matt Anderson: a lot of cutbacks. Yeah. Uh, a lot of, a lot of struggle at first. Uh, but we knew that. Our community was gonna be behind us mm-hmm. From day one and, and stand in there with us and try to help us get through it and oh my God, they have 

Sarah Anderson: Wow. Still doing that. 

Matt Anderson: And they're still showing up every day. You know, you open the door every morning and you just hope that somebody shows up.

I'm not selling a membership, I'm not selling [00:08:00] you, we're not selling anything. I mean, we are, but not something that somebody has to have every day. Um, 

Judd Wilson: I think there's some addicts out there. I think, I think he got 'em booked 

Taylor Tutor: probably a 

Judd Wilson: hundred percent. So good. That's 

Taylor Tutor: great. That's awesome. I don't think I get on any social media platform and not CMAs to go cup posts, so kudos to y'all.

'cause the community does love it and I, I think. I see them showing up for y'all day after day and just, it's not just for the coffee or the food that you have, but it's also the service that y'all give and the encouragement. Everyone that leaves seems to have a smile on their face. So that's, that's a lot that y'all do.

Um, we also ask this every podcast, what's the best leadership tip you've ever been given?

Matt Anderson: So I'll say this, you can be good at a lot of things, um, but you're not gonna be great at everything. [00:09:00] So if you, if you find a, a. A spot in your business that you're not great at. Hire that help, that can be great at it with you along the journey. Mm-hmm. Um, you know, I can lie to you and say that I'm great at most things are everything, like every man can do.

But, uh, there's a few things that you can struggle with. And so if you can hire that help that. Um, that can be along the journey with you. That's better than you at that. Bring 'em on board. And I felt like that's what we've done at both of our locations. Baldwin's not open yet, but we're getting ready to open in a couple weeks, and I've hired somebody that, that I think's better than me that's gonna run that place.

So 

Taylor Tutor: that's awesome. 

Matt Anderson: That would be my encouragement. Yeah. To 

Judd Wilson: somebody. 

Taylor Tutor: Yeah. 

Judd Wilson: So, Sierra, talk, talk to me about this. I mean, this is a leadership podcast and. Y'all do, I mean, you talked about the family that worked for you, works for you, but you know, I've, I've known some of the high school folks that have worked for you as [00:10:00] well.

How do you kind of give wisdom to them and lead them, uh, as your employees? 

Sarah Anderson: Good question. Um, I guess growing up, uh, having. Bosses, I should say. I never thought I'd be a, a girl boss. Um, it's cool and it's overwhelming 'cause you wanna make an impact on them. You want them to know, um, you want them to trust you and you want them to show up and you want them to have the same love for.

This coffee shop that I do. Um, so I think just getting to know them, um, and teaching them, teaching some life skills, how to communicate, how to smile. Uh, communication's been really hard with some of the younger generation that we've hired and, and getting to do that with more of 'em has been. Really neat.

I think it's helped in my teenage relationship daughters, uh, as well. But it's been fun getting to, to guide and lead and there's some that, that have [00:11:00] come to us wanting to do a food truck and I am good with them working there and let's teach you how to do it and let's get you going on your own. And um, it's been really fun for us to get.

To show how we did it. Mm-hmm. Um, it's, it might not be the easiest way, but, but it, it gets you there and we're all learning from it daily still. Um, but it's really neat getting to, uh, to be a leader and kind of show them, um, how, how good your community is to you. 

Judd Wilson: Yeah. It's, and it's it, and you're probably teaching them things that they'll look back at when they're older and say, Hey, I learned this here.

I mean, I was. It was, somebody was asking me some questions, uh, from the Mississippi Business Journal. Look at me name dropping. Matt, did you, why would they call me? I don't know. But they were doing some questions and, and one of the questions that they asked me that I thought was interesting was, what was your first job and how did that impact you?

I thought, I hadn't really thought about it, but it would. I was at Chick-fil-A, um, in Pensacola, Florida, [00:12:00] inside the mall, because I'm old enough. There was no such thing as a freestanding Chick-fil-A back then. But it's funny because I, it kind of got me thinking. What I do today. There's some of the stuff that I learned back then in high school, you know, and, and what I learned working inside the mall at, at, at the Chick-fil-A there, that, that I still take with me today.

We, I don't think we said my pleasure back then, but, um, we were very helpful. Um, but, um, it's kind of neat 'cause of those skills that I, that I learned then that, you know, those folks that are, that have kind of come through with y'all, those high schoolers, I think that when they get older, they'll look back and think, hey.

This is why I'm the worker that I am, because I learned at, you know, at a young age. I think that's important for sure. 

Taylor Tutor: So in 2024 at the Ignite Leadership Conference, we had Jerry Carter, who is the owner of Queen's Reward Metery, another small business here in Tupelo, and we're gonna listen to a clip from her from that Ignite, and then get y'all's feedback on that.

You're capable 

Jeri Carter: of so much [00:13:00] more that you realize you're capable of. We all are constantly battling our own thoughts and our own doubts and our own worries, our out with fears because if you can't do it, you're smart enough to find someone else that can help you pick up the slack in those areas. You don't have to do it all, um, but you do have to be smart enough to ask for help when you need it.

Taylor Tutor: So there you have it. Another small business owner that's kinda already talked about. That just mentioned something y'all already talked about, but I wanna hear maybe what was, what were y'all's doubts and, and worries when start even starting out? Like with just you alone, without him quitting his job yet.

What, what were those doubts you had? 

Matt Anderson: The biggest doubt is, was just work. Can we make it, um, you know what she's saying? If we, we as business owners. We are worrying about everything at, at the business. But on the flip side of that, we also have a family at home. We have, you know, kids at home, we [00:14:00] have her parents at home.

You know, we worry about a lot of things. So if we can put the right people in place, um, to help us through this journey, which I feel like we have, um, that. It takes a lot of the worry now 'cause you're worried about financials and you're worried about it. Can you make the next month's rent? Can you make payroll?

Can you, you know, ordering all your stuff. There's a lot of stuff that business owners worry about, and if you can put the right people in place to help you help with that, that's just a, and makes stuff, makes you feel a little bit better. 

Sarah Anderson: Mm-hmm. I'll tell you a big, a quick doubt story, um, right after we opened the brick and mortar in January.

It was maybe two, three weeks in. Um, and our big Cadillac espresso machine went down. I immediately started crying. I was like, the, what? What are we doing? Why did we do this? Why did we open this? Um, and I [00:15:00] immediately tear up. He is like, Nope, don't do that. Stop. We gotta keep going. We had a line inside and outside.

I was like, I don't know what to do. I started freaking out and he remained calm and. He told me to go outside and I went car to car and I was like, y'all, I'm so sorry, but we cannot make a hot or cold drink. I only have frozen drinks. And I was like, there we're just close the doors, Matt. And he's like, no, it's fine.

See if anybody leaves. Nobody left the line. Everyone stayed. Everyone stayed inside. We made like 75 frozen drinks in a row. I can't believe our blenders still worked, but. I doubted, um, myself and what we could do to pull through that. And having a support system that supports you when, when it hits the fan is very crucial and important.

And to surround yourself with those uplifting people. Mm-hmm. And my husband, thankfully, has been that for me from day one. Um. And you just, you gotta keep going through the rough spots. And my golly, they, our community didn't [00:16:00] leave and they came back the next day. I was like, nobody's gonna come back. They all came back the next day.

So it, uh, you just gotta keep going. Don't give up. 

Judd Wilson: Let me ask you this. So what's been the biggest surprise? I mean, you were in the trailer that many years ago. You're about to open up the store up there in, in Baldwin when you look back. What's been the biggest surprise? Like, can you believe this? 

Sarah Anderson: Oh, I still say that every day.

Had it yesterday, sitting there. We sat on the couch after we closed and I was like, we are doing this. And he was like, are you okay? And I was like, no, I'm tired. But it is so surreal and so cool. Um, 

Matt Anderson: I would say the biggest surprise to probably both of us is, you know, as a business owner, you eat. Just when you open the door in the morning, you just hope people show up.

I keep saying that and I've said it before on this podcast, and we did [00:17:00] another podcast last week with, they're kind of big on the podcast, you know, that was our first one. 

Speaker 7: Oh, I 

Matt Anderson: didn't know. Okay. We're not real sure about the podcast thing yet. Okay. Two and two weeks is a lot, but we did another one last week and I said the same thing.

We, you just as a business owner, it doesn't matter what you're done. When you open the door in the morning, you just hope that somebody shows up. And that, that's probably been our biggest surprise is people keep showing up. I don't know what we're doing right or wrong, or if our coffee's any better than that.

'cause we have some great coffee shops in Tupelo. Mm-hmm. I mean, we do, but like I tell our, our employees, a lot of these customers are driving past four or five other coffee shops to come to us. I don't, we don't know why. I don't know if it's our coffee's better or if it's not better or what it is. It's going through that Cadillac machine.

She talked about dry. Uh, but customer service, that is something that we probably harp on way [00:18:00] too much. And we do it in the interview and we do it after we, they're, we hire 'em. Customer service is one thing that you're gonna get at May's. You're gonna leave with a smile on your face. Or at least I hope you do.

Yeah, 

Taylor Tutor: I would think that's true. I, I think people, if you hadn't have said that, I was gonna say, people come back to y'all for the, the friendly service that they have and just being genuine about it. Right. It doesn't, it doesn't feel like you're being rushed through the line. It doesn't feel like. You're just slinging coffee and getting things out of there that you really are wanting to impact every person that comes through there and make their day better and start their morning right, and just make 'em happy that day.

Matt Anderson: Yeah. Coming from the corporate world, you know, everything's a number. Um, your sales are a number and your customers you're going to see is all a number. You know, everything's a number. It's one thing that we don't want. We don't wanna treat our customers like a number. We want to treat you and just like your [00:19:00] family, and we want 'em to know about your kids and how the ball tournament went over the weekend.

So we're gonna get to know you when you come through the drive through line, or you come and set. But we're still gonna get you in and out pretty quick, but we're just gonna ask you a few questions before you leave. 

Speaker 7: Yeah. 

Matt Anderson: Yeah. 

Taylor Tutor: I think that's important. In this day and time because yeah, people can come in and just be on their phones and not really pay attention and not feel seen or heard or anything.

And especially with the younger generation. So I know it means a lot to people when, when they get that from y'all. 

Judd Wilson: For sure. So tell us about the vision of Baldwin and, and expanding that and do we see more expansion after that? Kind of how did that happen and, um, I.

Matt Anderson: Uh, this could take a long time. Uh, yeah. So Baldwin, you know, when we were in the trailer, our, we would set up in Tupelo four days a week, [00:20:00] and then Punta Tuck one, um, 

Judd Wilson: Taylor's happy about that spot. A top girl girl. 

Matt Anderson: Our goal is we knew we were gonna have a second location, and our goal was to have a, our second location was gonna be in puck.

Um, 

Taylor Tutor: he says it correctly as well, Ana talk. That's right. 

Matt Anderson: I promise. Yeah, I promise. See what 

Speaker 7: he said that that's He did That's right. All in one word too, which was incredible. Probably not good for podcasts. I bet he didn't do that on that first podcast. That right. Um, 

Matt Anderson: so yeah. Our, one of our customers actually sent us this building that was for selling Baldwin.

And literally, this is how Baldwin come apart is, is, uh. We went and looked at it on a Monday. We used to be closed on Mondays. Uh, we went and looked at the building on Monday. Had probably three people call in on Tuesday and Wednesday. And when we got done Wednesday, we went to the house and we actually laid down, took a nap, and, uh, [00:21:00] 

Taylor Tutor: much needed.

When 

Matt Anderson: she woke up, I told her, I was like, you own a building in Baldwin, just to let you know if you'll sign that contract in your email. Uh, but yeah, our goal is to have, you know. I don't know how many. Yeah, we'll see where that goes. But our next location will be in Otton. 

Judd Wilson: Look at that. Woohoo. We'll make sure Macy is fine with that too.

She makes the final check. The balls. Yeah, she checked. Makes the final decision. 

Matt Anderson: That's right. She has to sign off on it. Yeah. 

Judd Wilson: Yeah. So, um, man, just unbelievable entrepreneur stories and, and. And how that kind of relates to leadership as well. Um, and we, we talked about sort, sort of those leadership principles, but you know, if you were to, looking at your, if you were to talk to yourself when you first started, what would you say when you were in the trailer today, what would you say to those folks in the trailer that first week?

What would you say to yourself? [00:22:00] Oh. 

Matt Anderson: She would probably tell me to slow down, uh, 

Sarah Anderson: which I have several times. 

Matt Anderson: Yeah. Uh, yeah, probably she would, we would probably say slow down a little bit. You know, we got a, a wild hair when we bought bald when that a building upon I thought came available and she would not let me pull the trigger on too at one time.

So she has told me that. The hammer too. It's just to slow down, let it, and let it grow organically. 

Judd Wilson: Yeah. Sarah, what advice would you have given Sarah that first week in that trailer? 

Sarah Anderson: I keep seeing myself hunkered in the corner, crying. She 

Matt Anderson: couldn't talk to anybody. 

Sarah Anderson: Um, when Matt always says in, in a lot of stuff that we talk about maze, people keep showing up.

I was in the corner and I couldn't see the window and I would make a drink. Then I would put it and I'm like, oh my God. There's people, there's a line and he's like, there is [00:23:00] a line. Keep going. And I'd make more drinks. And I'm like, oh my God, there's more people. And he's like, look, you gotta quit looking up and just keep making drinks.

There is a line. Um, but I think I would tell myself to get up and keep going. I, um, I hunker down a lot. I, we would not be where we were are today if it was for me. 'cause I had a lot of self-doubt. Um, he pushed me, uh, and I learned more about myself than I've ever known before. And, um, takes a good team and he's good.

We're good together. Mm-hmm. Good, 

Judd Wilson: good. Yeah, that's true. Leadership is knowing. Where you need help from that. Mm. And you seek your help from him, and I bet you seek your help from her. 

Matt Anderson: Uh, a hundred percent. Yeah. You could have said that far and that, right? Yeah. 

music: It goes 

Matt Anderson: back to you. Yeah. I mean, it's not, it's not easy.

I'm tell y'all something. It is, it is not easy, especially working. I mean, she would say this more than probably me, [00:24:00] but working with your spouse is, is not just off great all the time, you know? But. Just like we tell our employees, Hey, when you come in that back door, leave your stuff at home. Leave it outside.

Uh, because there's mornings that her and I go in together and we're not on the same page. And, but when you come through that window, you do not know it. Do not, you will never know it. Um, so hopefully we keep bringing. 

Judd Wilson: At that, it just turned into a Dr. Phil episode. Look at that. That's awesome. No. Um, but yeah, it, it goes back to that as just leaning on one another.

So it, it, it's amazing to watch your story and what y'all have done. Um, and it shows, you know, true leadership and, and it, the entrepreneurship community and our community as a whole. And we, we appreciate, um. What y'all do. 

Matt Anderson: Well, we couldn't do it without you guys here at CT F, so we really appreciate it.

Thanks. Thank y'all. Thank y'all. 

Judd Wilson: Taylor. Was that not fun? [00:25:00] 

Taylor Tutor: That was great. Makes me wanna go get a cup of coffee. Yeah, it 

Judd Wilson: wants me to get a cup of hot chocolate now. I'll do the bagel bites and the sausage balls off bombs. You know what I'm saying? Come on. They are, 

Matt Anderson: they've been called everything under the sun.

So 

Judd Wilson: crack. I mean, what can we say that? But no, thank y'all so much for being on this episode of AT Nightcast. It's been wonderful having you here. You've been an inspiration, uh, to all love us, Matt. Sarah, keep doing what you're doing. Thank you. Thank y'all. Thank y'all for hanging. Thank 

music: you.

Taylor Tutor: Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Ignite Cast, presented by iHeartMedia For more leadership insights and engaging conversations, be sure to hit subscribe. And if you enjoy today's episode, we'd love for you to leave a review and remember, go for go forth and do great things, great 

[00:26:00] things.