With a little fuel from LinkedIn posts, a passion for spotlighting independent businesses, and a call in of coffee (or cocktails), three groups of entrepreneurs are making sure that Atlanta creatives are finding new ways to meet one another outside Zoom calls.
For Ryan Klee, co founder of Decatur marketing agency Rootstock, it is as his t-shirt professes: “Do Cool %$%$ With Cool People.” A slogan that grew out of their Atlanta Marketing Mixers – citywide networking events started alongside Terra Elan McVoy, Rootstock’s editor and chief of staff, and Carter Parrish, senior producer at Robotproof – the trio believes that “a rising tide lifts all boats.”
While the Atlanta Marketing Mixer, launched in early 2024, initially kicked off with a focus on “Atlanta’s marketing ecosystem, brand side, agency side, entrepreneur, solopreneurs, creatives, consultants, fractional, whatever it was,” Klee said the true heart of the meetups is authentic engagement. “I believe there’s enough business out there for everybody, and I believe we can all benefit and grow by supporting and uplifting each other.”
McVoy shares Klee’s support for community connection. “Our intent is that we are crafting events where, even if you don’t know anyone, you will leave and have built a meaningful relationship,” she said, noting that past mixers have incorporated a scavenger hunt, or placed attendees into randomly selected small groups for visual art Q&A’s.
But what propelled Klee, McVoy, and Parrish to kick it all off? Over cocktails at Independent Distilling in Decatur in late 2023, Klee realized: “We were starting to get that feeling that people were kind of sick of being behind screens and doing virtual Zooms and Zoom happy hours and all that. And while it was necessary and great for a long time, we were starting to get that itch to like, let’s create some kind of small, intimate, gathering of like-minded folks.”
By February 2024 the event was off and running. But it turns out Klee, McVoy, and Parrish were not alone in their vision.
One of their frequent attendees, Paul Carpenter, president of the Atlanta chapter of the American Marketing Association, had also been on a meetup march of his own.
Carpenter’s need to connect more off-screen arose after a combination of challenging life turns: pandemic aftershocks, a major career pivot, and the sudden loss of past AMA Atlanta president Jana Ferguson, who Carpenter worked with closely for over 12 years.
Spurred to do something outside of his comfort zone, Carpenter recorded himself unboxing what turned out to be a book and a note from a trusted friend and mentor. And then he went further, by posting his vulnerable response on LinkedIn. Regarding the camera with tears in his eyes, Carpenter said, “It’s moments like this that tell me, we are not in this alone.”
Along with the video, he set forth a call to action, encouraging readers to “Get up and away from your phone (or computer) and go grab coffee or lunch with someone.” He ended the post with an invitation: “Now who is the first person you are going to treat to coffee? Start today. Build your world with meaningful partners.”
Carpenter said the response to his post was immediate: “ [People commented] ‘Hey, Paul, let’s get coffee. Paul, let’s get coffee. Paul, let’s get coffee.’ And I was like, no, wait, y’all aren’t understanding. It’s not get coffee with me. It’s get coffee with anybody…”
And so Carpenter picked a Friday, selected a two-hour window, and invited folks in his network to meet at Opo Coffee in Decatur. Carpenter admits that at first he “didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was a one-and-done.” But what floored him was what happened as a result: “There were seven people that showed up besides me. And of the seven, none of the seven knew one another.” But that wasn’t all: “Everybody stayed for [the entire] two hours. Nobody was checking their phone. They were just so engrossed. Everybody hugged. Everybody walked away and said, ‘Are we doing this again next month?’”
And with that, the Good Energy Coffee Crew took off. Meeting monthly at various Metro Atlanta locations – the July mixer also incorporated a tour of South Downtown and Atlanta Tech Village – attendance continues to grow. And, while Klee, McVoy, and Parrish’s AMM events are usually in the evening, often with a gratis cocktail and some light bites (locations so far have been everywhere from Chamblee and Edgewood to Avondale Estates and West Side), GECC meetups are geared for the a.m. hours.
Given the enthusiasm and the authenticity behind these initiatives, it is not surprising that the GECC and AMM have also led to a spinoff of additional connections, including the founding of ATL Tech Collective, which launched not long after entrepreneurs Heather Gibbons, Sarah Woodward, Michael Simms, and Toshi Jones met up at a GECC event earlier this year.
Authentic connection is also the vision for Bri Wykis, Commercial Relator of CRE Realty Group with KW Commercial First Atlanta. Having relocated to Atlanta via Alaska, Wykis started a monthly Coffee + Connect group in early 2025 – not only to expand her personal network, but to connect people from diverse industries that might not have the chance to meet otherwise. “I’ve always loved the in-person interaction,” she said.
Her thought process behind mixer opportunities was also aligned with the impetus behind AMM and GECC meetups: “[I thought] this would be a good way for me to get out there, but also I want[ed] there to be a big takeaway where people share amongst each other…it’s valuable as an entrepreneur…you get to share about your business. It’s not just attending an event and being talked to [or] being presented to…it’s interactive.”
Like Klee, who intentionally seeks out “cool and funky” locations for AMM, Wykis is also passionate about hosting the event at businesses with a vibe, and often at establishments newly on the radar. The July Coffee + Connect, for example, spotlighted Shibam Coffee Co., which launched its Alpharetta location in early 2025 and specializes in Yemeni coffee. “Hosting at coffee shops creates the opportunity for the group to come and support that location and learn about the owner and the establishment,” Wykis said. A September meetup is already on the books, and a fall C+C is planned for another soon-to-debut coffee shop in West Midtown.
Like AMM and GECC, Wykis’ Coffee + Connect is also well attended, often with 30 or more entrepreneurs, many of whom keep a standing commitment to the mixer. The diversity of industries is also noteworthy – a sampling from last month’s event included representatives from financial services, architecture, travel agencies, roofing, the wellness industry, real estate, the National Fighting Championship founder, business owners, and more.
Wykis typically gives each entrepreneur a minute to speak about their business round-robin style, shares more about the business owner and the event site, and then encourages attendees to mingle. Guests are also invited to register and reach out to past Coffee + Connect attendees.
“I think…the best part is I feel the presence of people and their energy…that’s something I’ve gotten a lot of feedback about…people feel good to share together,” Wykis said. “I want to create that environment where people feel comfortable to talk about themselves, and don’t feel anxious and overwhelmed to be there.”
Hamad Shirazi, a recent graduate, doctor of chiropractic and M.S. Ed in exercise physiology, is a Coffee + Connect regular. “Bri’s kind nature attracted me to attend…[this event]…I’ve met fellow like-minded…professionals with genuine energy,” Shirazi said. “The community is more authentically aligned, which inspires me [to return] and to invite others.”
No matter what the approach, Atlanta entrepreneurs are thriving on in-person meetups with the same thing in common: creating unexpected connections.
It is, as Klee said, also what it means to build and create true community: “It’s all about…people meeting people, meeting more of the right people…with authenticity, and not just transactional.”
HOW TO CONNECT
Atlanta Marketing Mixer
Quarterly, next event: Aug. 26, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Reach out here for details
Good Energy Coffee Crew
Monthly, next event: Aug. 22, 9-11 a.m.
Location TBD
Follow here for registration details
Coffee + Connect
Monthly, next event Sept. 9, 10-11:30 a.m.
The Bunny Hive, 101 Vickery Street, Roswell
Follow here to register
Wykis also hosts a quarterly ATL Women’s Entrepreneurial Networking Event in the evenings. Those meetups also offer vendor spaces and demonstrations. Reach out here to register.
