Pro-Life Entrepreneur: How to Make a Value Driven Business

In this episode of the Savage Perspective Podcast, I interview Anton Krecic, founder of Seven Weeks Coffee. He built a purpose-driven coffee company that gives back to pregnancy resource centers and supports the pro-life movement. Anton's story covers faith, entrepreneurship, hard lessons, and product obsession. I'm Robert Sikes, and I write about our talk here so you can walk away with the ideas, lessons, and practical steps Anton used to turn a simple Google search into a growing brand.

Origin: A Google Search, a Heartbeat, and a Name

Anton's idea started with a Google search: "pro-life coffee." Nothing came up. That moment hit him like a lightbulb. Two weeks after he got married, he launched Seven Weeks Coffee. The name comes from a meaningful detail: at seven weeks, a baby is roughly the size of a coffee bean, and a heartbeat can be detected by ultrasound.

That idea shaped the mission: donate to pregnancy resource centers and fund ultrasound services so moms can hear that heartbeat. From day one, Anton committed to donating 10% of every sale to local centers. He wanted local impact, not money that gets lost in big national funnels.

Why Pro-Life? A Personal and Local Conviction

Anton walked us through how a summer internship at his church connected him to a local pregnancy center. He saw the staff, volunteers, and the small but powerful impact they have in their communities. That experience stuck with him and later became the foundation for Seven Weeks Coffee.

Anton shared a sharp statistic: less than 0.2% of all charitable donations go to pro-life organizations. That gap motivated him to build a sustainable business model that funnels money directly back to those centers.

How He Launched: Fast, Lean, and Self-Funded

Anton admitted he knew very little about coffee or e-commerce when he started. He learned Shopify, designed a logo, found suppliers, and launched in about two and a half months. He seeded the business with $3,500 of his own money and chose to remain bootstrapped. That pressure shaped smarter, more careful choices.

His first supplier shipped coffee from Alaska. He made lots mistakes in the beginning. Things like typos on labels and supplier problems, but he iterated fast and learned on the fly. Early wins came from small actions: after a single month, he walked into a local pregnancy center and handed them a check for $800 from $8,000 in sales. Those moments validated the mission and helped word-of-mouth spread.

Product First: Why Coffee Quality Matters

Anton refused to be a cause-only brand. He wanted Seven Weeks Coffee to be excellent on its own. That meant sourcing direct-trade specialty coffee beans that are bought straight from the farmers instead of through brokers. Their coffees score 85+ on the Q grade scale and are organically farmed. Direct trade also pays farmers better wages and creates a traceable, ethical supply chain.

Anton even visited farms in the Dominican Republic to see the impact firsthand. That connection, he believes, helps customers feel a deeper purpose when they brew a cup.

Business Model and Operations

• For-profit company (LLC style) that donates 10% of every sale.
• Partnership program now supports over 1,000 pro-life and pregnancy care centers.
• They fund 30–40 groups each month and rotate local month-to-month donations.
• Lean team: about four core people plus contractors and agencies.

Anton explained that donating 10% of sales equals a large share of profits, often around half. He admitted he once panicked about that, prayed, and kept the pledge. The company has been profitable each year since.

Hard Lessons: Suppliers, Contracts, and Tough Choices

Not everything was smooth. Anton experienced a supplier who tried to undercut and compete with them. He had to learn the value of contracts, advisor input, and careful risk management. He also learned how to keep swings measured. When a decision could be catastrophic if it failed, he would take smaller steps instead.

He also leaned on mentors and feedback loops. Advisors helped him avoid major mistakes and gave him perspective on growth decisions.

What Works for Marketing

Word of mouth and grassroots distribution through pregnancy centers have been surprisingly powerful. Anton also uses Facebook and Google ads, podcast sponsorships, and in-person events. He emphasized the importance of showing up and how face-to-face conversations with customers and partners deliver strong results.

Entrepreneur Lessons You Can Use

1.  Start simple: Build a minimum viable product and iterate.

2.  Be obsessed with product quality: Mission alone won't make repeat customers.

3.  Bootstrap if you can: It forces smart choices and protects control.

4.  Get advisors: A good feedback loop prevents avoidable mistakes.

5.  Measure risks: Work to avoid one-decision catastrophes.

Personal Notes

Anton comes from a faith-filled background and spent time in political fundraising in DC before launching the business. He and his wife welcomed their first son at the end of July. Parenthood deepened the meaning of the company's mission for him.

FAQ

Q: How much does Seven Weeks donate?

A: Seven Weeks donates 10% of every sale directly to partnered pregnancy resource centers and pro-life organizations.

Q: Is the coffee high quality?

A: Yes. They source direct-trade specialty coffee, with beans scoring 85+ on the Q scale, and prioritize organic farming practices.

Q: Can local pregnancy centers apply for funding?

A: Yes. Anton built a partnership program that vets and enrolls centers, rotating support to 30–40 groups each month and supporting more than 1,000 groups overall.

Q: Was Seven Weeks self-funded?

A: Yes. Anton bootstrapped the company with $3,500 to start and has declined outside investment to keep control of the mission.

Final Thoughts

Anton's story shows how purpose and product can coexist. If you want to build something that matters, start lean, obsess over quality, and build a simple model that actually gives back. The mission will bring people to your brand. Quality will make them stay.

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Thanks for reading. If you want to support mission-driven companies like Anton's, consider starting your own small business or sharing a product you believe in. It's how real, local impact gets made.

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