If you are an avid coffee drinker and have a business mind, you may want to try building a coffee shop business. You won't be just working for a passion, but also get a chance to establish a lucrative business.
Aside from having a passion for coffee, there are a few things you'll need to prepare before really establishing a coffee shop. You do not want your investment to go to waste, because of a lack of preparation. Having a fruitful coffee shop business will be possible if you follow the right step-to-step below:
Create A Solid Business Plan
Creating a business plan is one of the most important stages you'll need to do before opening your coffee shop. Inside your business plan includes info such as:
What kind of business do you want to run
What is the goal
Your customer market group
Competitor
SWOT information
Projection of sales and revenues
Milestones timeline
We advise writing a one-page pitch before you start working on a formal, lengthy business plan. This will enable you to swiftly validate your business idea, have a solid understanding of your target market, determine how to approach them, and identify strategies to set yourself apart from your competitor.
Choose The Location
You need the ideal location for your coffee shop if you want it to succeed. You want something that meets the criteria listed below:
Conveniently situated and accessible
Highly noticeable and regularly visited by people
Remember that great locations are hard to come by and in high demand. Finding the ideal location may take some time, but it will be worthwhile for your coffee business.
Construct A Floor Plan
For a coffee business, a strong and welcoming floor plan is essential. Customers should have enough room to form a queue and staff members should have easy access to the supplies they require. It will take some time to create a nice floor plan.
To make it easier when visualizing your floor plan, you can create a rough draft on paper, and through free websites available online -you can bring to life this rough sketch. This will really help you to get your planning process going.
Choose The Best Supplier
To have a successful coffee shop, you have to choose the best supplier. From your coffee farmer, and baked goods ingredients, to your bottled water manufacturer. You need to choose the best supplier, which can also offer the best price.
To compare costs, keep a list or spreadsheet of all the costs you need to pay. Get at least two price quotes from a different supplier, before making a purchase to avoid overpaying.
Hire Staff Slowly
You will need assistance to run the register, serve clients and make drinks, but be careful not to hire too many people too quickly. You can begin by recruiting a few friends or neighbors who are willing to work with you for the first few weeks and employ other staff gradually as necessary.
Create Your Marketing Strategy Before Launching
You're already behind if you just started marketing after your opening. One of the ultimate marketing strategies is to have that thrill build up before the opening day. From a few months before the opening, you should start to establish your marketing plan.
Options for easy marketing strategy:
Utilize social media prior to the opening.
Participate in community events and hand out free samples of specialty coffee in the run-up to your grand opening.
Launch a modest email or direct mail campaign to distribute coupons to nearby businesses or residents.
Make The Most Of Networking
You can only go so far with a prime location and excellent coffee. In order to draw in more clients, networking is important. Consider affiliating with a neighborhood charity, the chamber of commerce, or a business association.
The Exterior Building Is As Important
You'll probably worry about every tiny aspect inside of your coffee shop, from the design, the artwork you should hang, and other tiny things. During this process, it can be very easy to overlook the façade of your coffee shop.
While in actuality paying attention to the exterior building is as important. It's the first thing people notice from your shop, thus you should pay attention to the landscaping, make sure your coffee shop sign is visible from all angles, and overall external aesthetic as well. Make a good first impression because some people will choose whether they will have a cup of coffee from your shop or not, after viewing how your coffee shop looks from the outside.
Maintain A Positive Personality
You'll have to overcome many obstacles to start your shop, just like any other business. It's vital to maintain an optimistic outlook when things aren't going your way. In addition to improving your point of view in life, you should also demonstrate it to your team. Having a positive personality will help to make you seen as a capable leader. You can also greet your client, and show them that you are grateful that they visited your coffee shop. This will definitely make an excellent first impression on them.
Even though opening a coffee shop requires a lot of work, the process doesn't have to last for a very long time. You'll position yourself for success early on if you concentrate on building these fundamental components listed above.