In this week’s edition of Sub Spouse Small Business, meet Tara Pate! Like so many others, the pandemic posed a unique opportunity for her channel her passion for marketing and leave the corporate world behind. She saw a gap in the market and recently launched Daysie, a unique coffee syrup product.
While her husband left the submarine force, Tara shares some great inspiration for fellow spouses and how to find their calling. Learn more below!
Name: Tara Pate
Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Current Duty Station: (out of military now) Charleston, SC
Q: Tell us about your business.
Meet Daysie! A certified organic collection of not so simple syrups for coffee and occasions. We currently offer three signature flavors: Madagascar Vanilla (anything but ordinary—pinky promise), Coconut Almond (sweet and nutty like you’re favorite Aunt Betsy—bless her heart) and Salted Caramel (our fresh take on that salty-sweet win-win).
Daysie was created to raise your coffee cup up to the place it deserves by adding more to your pour. Our organic syrups offer a whole new level of tastes for you to explore. And the stake we take in claiming coffee’s high ground fuels our support of other entrepreneurial women looking to achieve their peak performance too. Because we believe any brand worth following should take you somewhere worth the trip.
Q: What made you choose this type of business?
It took a pandemic to switch my focus from one kind of daily grind to another. But once I stepped off the corporate merry-go-round, I found the perfect place for my marketing passion in the home coffee bar I built. None of the syrups I tried to source for it delivered the range of exceptional flavors I had in mind, nor the organic ingredients or serving style that I believe our daily drink deserves.
So I took on multiple jobs and worked nights and weekends to create the not-so-simple syrup I dreamed of—one that could complement coffee’s power to spark great things. Whether that’s a quiet moment of reflection, the conversations that forge friendships, or the spirit of other female entrepreneurs, I invite you to try Daysie — and raise your cup to all.
Q: What motivated you to start your business?
Spanx CEO Sara Blakely has a great quote about this, “If you have a good product, if you’re solving a problem, if you are making a product or service better…it’s always a good time to start a business.” I set that as the background of my phone as a reminder to myself that there is no better time to be starting my business.
I saw the gap in the market firsthand when I was building my at-home coffee bar as the pandemic started. I was unable to go to my local coffee shop (which I do on the regular) and so I ordered an espresso machine, my favorite beans, oat milk and some really crappy simple syrup. This giant plastic bottle arrived with the pump and I was super disappointed with the quality of the ingredients and aesthetics. So, I set out to make exactly what I was looking for: A syrup that had quality ingredients and tasted delicious.
Q: How do you manage the work/life balance as a submarine spouse?
I started Daysie at a moment in time in which I could quite literally work multiple jobs. I worked my full time job, did contract work, sold my clothes on Poshmark all in an effort to get Daysie off the ground. The pandemic for me proved to be a time of extreme selfishness. I had blinders on and no kids. Balance was out the window.
As it grows I hope to find it—but for now, I am on the grind.
Q: Any advice for fellow submarine spouses who want to start their own business?
I think it takes a LOT more money and time that I ever thought. Make sure that it’s 100% your passion before you start to waste either of those precious resources.
Q: Favorite thing(s) to do in your current duty station?
Take our quarantine pup, Captain Waffles on long walks and eat/drink our way through Charleston.
Q: Where can we support and learn more about your business?
To learn more, visit www.enjoydaysie.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, IG @enjoydaysie and TikTok @enjoydaysie.