When Kaytlan Berry approached her capstone project at Wichita State University's entrepreneurship program, her professors weren't optimistic. A food business plan? That wasn't the kind of "creative thinking outside the box" they were looking for. But Kaytlan did it anyway. In 2012, she graduated and launched Dilly Deli simultaneously-a move that would set the tone for her entire career: follow your instinct, even when others doubt it.
The concept was born from a real problem. Kaytlan was working in a coffee shop within District 142, a multi-suite building in El Dorado, and everyone kept asking the same question: "What's for lunch?" The building had no lunch option. So with her friend Joyce Parker, Kaytlan created Dilly Deli-a deli counter and sandwich shop positioned down the hall. They carried meats and cheeses by the pound, worked with local suppliers like Yoder Meats, and built a solid product. But visibility was brutal. In a small town, getting people to walk down a hallway is surprisingly hard.
When the coffee shop at the front of the building became available, Kaytlan made her move. She created BrewCo Coffeehouse as a separate business entity (though operated under one POS system) and combined it with Dilly Deli. The dual branding stuck-some customers knew them as BrewCo, others as Dilly Dilly. Both names served a purpose. "If you see Bruco, you're not for sure if they have food," she explained. "If you see Dilly Dilly, people don't think good coffee." By keeping both names, she acknowledged the reality of how customers discover and remember local businesses.
After a few years at District 142, building issues forced another decision. Kaytlan waited over a year before moving into the Jacobs building-a former pizza restaurant-because she respected the previous owners and their family business. "I didn't want to be the bad guy," she said. But when the timing felt right, she moved forward. This time, she faced a critical choice: rent or own?
That decision shaped everything. "If you have a chance to own, own," Kaytlan advised. She bought the building on a busy intersection and launched BrewCo To Go to meet changing customer expectations around convenience. Ownership meant control-she could fix the leaky toilet herself instead of waiting for a landlord's approval. More importantly, it meant building equity. "Your business is justifying paying off the building," she explained. Even if BrewCo To Go struggles, she owns an asset on prime real estate.
Kaytlan also shared a surprising lesson about contractors and convenience. The first time she built out a location, she coordinated electricians, plumbers, and other trades herself. The second time, she hired a contractor for convenience. "Sometimes convenience isn't always convenient," she reflected. Because she had existing relationships with tradespeople and knew exactly what she wanted, doing it herself gave her more control and better results.
Throughout the conversation, a pattern emerged: Kaytlan succeeds by trusting her instincts over external pressure. She launched a food business despite professor skepticism. She waited a year for the right building instead of forcing a move. She bought property instead of renting. She refused to rename her business despite pressure to simplify the brand.
She's also deeply committed to her community. BrewCo participates in Grandview Giveback (returning a percentage of proceeds to the school's PTO) and other local initiatives. "It's a win-win for everybody," she said. Customers discover the business for a good cause, new people try the product, and kids benefit. That's the local business growth mindset-staying rooted while expanding.
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