21 in 21: Joe Carlo on How Bitcoin Changed Pink Owl Coffee Forever

Show Notes

Haley Berkoe sits down with Joe Carlo, co-owner of Pink Owl Coffee, a café that began in San Rafael, California, and has since expanded to three locations across the Bay Area. Pink Owl is one of the earliest Square merchants to integrate bitcoin into its business model. For several years, Joe and his partner Saandra have been converting a percentage of sales into bitcoin as part of their long-term savings strategy, and they recently joined Square’s beta program to begin accepting bitcoin payments directly, ahead of the public launch on November 10th.  Joe shares how he first discovered bitcoin, what inspired him to use it as a small-business owner, and how he’s helped educate both customers and staff on what it means to pay (and save) in bitcoin. 00:00 Introduction to Joe Carlo and Pink Owl Coffee 00:56 The story behind the name “Pink Owl” and what it represents 02:15 Joe’s first encounter with Bitcoin back in 2014 03:34 Why Pink Owl started converting a portion of sales to Bitcoin via Square 05:34 Accepting Bitcoin as payment 07:37 Educating staff and customers on paying and saving in Bitcoin 08:42 Not phased by volatility 10:06 Saving on fees and other business benefits 13:42 Community response to Bitcoin adoption 16:59 How to encourage people to spend their Bitcoin 18:28 Advice for small business owners curious about Bitcoin 21:34 Bitcoin and Pink Owl’s future 23:23 Where to find Pink Owl Coffee https://pinkowlcoffee.com