I started The Nitro Bar with $1,500 and wood from my basement. Here's how I grew it to a 7-figure business.

Audrey Finocchiaro at a Nitro Bar location. Audrey Finocchiaro Audrey Finocchiaro turned a coffee cart into The Nitro Bar, which will soon have five locations. The Nitro Bar's major growth was fueled by a $100,000 investment from a supportive local family. An engaging social media presence also helped The Nitro Bar grow, leading to more in-person business. This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Audrey Finocchiaro, the 33-year-old cofounder of The Nitro Bar, based in Rhode Island. It has been edited for length and clarity. The summer I graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2016, I moved back home to Rhode Island and started working in restaurants with my boyfriend, Sam. I also took on a part-time job tracking a social-media account late at night. Sam and I had a limited budget and always talked about how restaurant jobs can come with unnecessary negative management.