This Minneapolis cafe created a community space for bicyclists who love coffee

Bikes and coffee ... they're great together, right? But not many people think of combining the two into a single business.

Enter Josh Klauck. Nearly six years ago, he saw an opportunity and founded Angry Catfish Bicycle Shop & Coffee Bar in Minneapolis with some friends. Despite having little business experience, Klauck and his team bought an abandoned space, gutted it, and decorated it with furniture made from repurposed bicycles. They started brewing and selling coffee - and, in time, they sold bicycles, too.

Klauck, who had worked in several bike shops, describes himself and his friends as "super passionate about coffee. We probably serve the best coffee in Minneapolis. We're specialty. So we brew every cup one at a time, through a pour over method or four different brew methods, depending on what people want."

BI Studios spoke with Klauck about combining his love of bikes and coffee as part of our Fast Track Q&A series, in which small-business owners are asked about their professional and personal inspirations. Read more in the Fast Track Q&A series »

BI Studios: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when grow up?

Josh Klauck: I wanted to be an English professor. Mostly I wanted to mold kids' minds, sit on a big porch in the mountains, smoke a pipe, hike, and read classics.

How did you get the idea for your business?

I worked at bike shops for a long time, since I was fourteen. Then I saw an opening in the marketplace for a shop that had more culture and more of a community based feel to it. The coffee shop is here largely to help break down barriers and, again, create community and a gathering space.

How did you pick the name of your business?

The name was more or less picked for us. We had a lot of names that had to do with bricks, coffee, the neighborhood, and the area. But none of those really emulated what we wanted to do. And my friends and I were trying to be fun. We ended up at this party, and this woman came up to me and basically said, "You look like a catfish." I named it Catfish and it stuck.

What's the biggest risk you've taken in your career?

Certainly, it was a leap of faith to start the shop because I didn't have any idea what was going to happen and how to start from scratch. And a large risk was working with my friends and trying to maintain a business relationship with them. It continues to be a challenge to this day, but I wouldn't do it any other way, either.

At the time I basically maxed out my credit card and sold some coffee. We opened up the coffee shop first, and we didn't really have anything bike-wise except for some tools. We would buy a bike, sell that bike, then buy another bike and repeat the cycle. We slowly opened and got some of our personal bikes in here for examples of what we wanted to do.

My friends and I just tried not to overextend ourselves and kept reinvesting in the shop. Thankfully we had some good neighborhood support. It was pretty scary at the start, and then it just kept getting busier, busier, and busier.

What is your greatest talent?

Speaking to customer, vendors ... pretty much everyone.

What was your first job?

I cleaned cabins on a resort by a lake. I mean it was just cleaning - very domestic. It was girlfriend's parents' resort, and so my girlfriend and I got to hang out. It was nice; we'd go hiking, swimming, fishing, and hang out afterwards.

What's the weirdest job you've ever had?

I didn't have that many jobs. I was a dishwasher at a restaurant when I was fourteen. I learned a lot about life and swears and stuff. It was interesting. I pretty much only worked in bike shops after that.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

I would probably eat as much as I want without getting fat.

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs?

Find what you're passionate about and follow that. You can make a career out of something you love. You will definitely always be happy and it won't be like work.

What's the biggest thing you've learned about managing your finances at your business?

We're a task-based business so we try not to take out any loans - it's money we don't have at this point. And it's done very well for us.

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