Who is Steep Insights: Founder's Circle for?
Steep Insights: Founder's Circle is a membership community built specifically for tea entrepreneurs, covering loose leaf, powder, and teabag formats across direct-to-consumer, wholesale, online, and brick-and-mortar or cafe models. You can join at any stage, whether you have an idea on paper, you're already selling, or you're years in and trying to break past a growth plateau.
How much does it cost to start a tea business?
You can realistically start a tea business for under $1,000. Tea has one of the lowest barriers to entry of any consumer beverage category. The harder number to plan around isn't your starting cost, it's your timeline to profitability. Most tea brands, and most businesses generally, don't survive past five years with meaningful revenue. The real question isn't how little you can spend to start, it's how quickly you want this business to start paying for itself, and eventually paying you. Founder's Circle can't guarantee your business succeeds, but it gives you the tools, templates, and a group of engaged tea founders who want to see each other get there faster.
Do I need tea industry experience to join?
No. Members range from people with zero industry background to operators who've already run a tea business for years. What matters more than experience is whether you're ready to do the work of building out sourcing, product, and go-to-market.
How is this different from a tea industry association or trade group?
An industry association membership is typically built around general industry information, static resources, and broader networking. Founder's Circle is built around active, personalized support: bi-weekly check-in sessions where you can ask about your specific business, expert-led sessions to learn from vendors and professionals outside of the group, and a community of founders working through the same stage-specific problems you are. If your priority is general industry news, an association is a good fit. If your priority is your next concrete milestone, your first wholesale account, your first profitable month, your first hire, this is what you need.
Is the Tea Business Startup course included in my membership?
The Tea Business Startup course is a separate product from membership. Non-members can purchase it standalone for $549. Founder's Circle members get it as a discounted add-on: $399 for monthly members, $99 for annual members.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. New members get a 14-day free trial.
How is this different from a course or coaching program?
A standalone course ends once you finish it. Founder's Circle is an active community. We built our own Tea Business Startup course for those seeking a structured path. It's a comprehensive course on its own, but even more powerful paired with live feedback from the community as you build your business. Members get the course at a discount off its standalone price.
Who are Billy and Don?
Billy Dietz spent nearly a decade leading R&D at DAVIDsTEA before co-founding BDH Consultants. Don Ho built and exited an eight-figure tea and foodservice business, with fourteen consecutive quarters of growth across four locations. Together they bring over thirty five years of combined tea industry experience directly into the community, through live sessions and day-to-day participation in the forum.
Can I cancel my membership?
Yes. There are no long-term contracts on either tier, and you can cancel anytime.
Is the annual plan worth it?
If you're committed to building your tea business over the next twelve months, yes. The annual plan saves you two months of membership at either tier, a straightforward call once you know you're in for the year.
