You love to visit your local coffee house. The people are friendly, the ambiance suits your mood, and the coffee is great. Lately, you've been wondering why you're paying those guys tons of money for a cup of coffee when you could start your own coffee business, sell your own coffee and make money for yourself. It's not a bad idea as long as you are well prepared.
Instructions
Create a Business Plan
1. Prepare a business plan. This is where you put in writing what you plan to do–where your business will be located, what items you will serve, what equipment you will use, how you will finance the project. You evaluate the local market and assess the risk in the project. It serves as a road map for you and reassures your investors that you have given this project thorough consideration. Your business plan may well be the most important part of this process, so do it well. Visit the Small Business Administration website for help.
2. Locate the absolute best site for your coffee business. Look at other businesses in the area–who do they serve? Are there competing coffee houses nearby? How does traffic flow in the area? Can customers get in and out of the driveway? Can the site handle a drive-through window? Evaluate the location and the building with an honest and critical mind.
3. Decide what you will serve to your customers. Many coffee houses offer pastries or sandwiches in addition to coffee and tea drinks. If you decide to serve scones and sandwiches, you must then decide if you will prepare them in-house or if you will purchase them from a vendor for resale. Once you have a menu, locate reliable and affordable suppliers for everything in the store–coffee and tea, sugar and milk, napkins and stir sticks, food items–it all comes from someplace.
4. Identify your trademark drinks. Try to offer something to your customers that no one else is serving. Maybe it's your own special roast, maybe it's a coffee concoction. Whatever it is, it needs to set your business apart from the rest.
5. Fill your coffee house with great decor and even greater staff. Cranky characters might work in some markets, but if you’re opening in a friendly neighborhood, you want friendly staff. The decor should reflect your style and personality. If you can’t afford top-of-the-line right away, do the best you can with your budget and upgrade when the money starts coming in.
6. Manage your books. This is critical. Account for every dime that comes in and every dime that goes out. It’s tough to be successful if you don’t keep track of your money. Hire an accountant or bookkeeper if you absolutely can’t manage it yourself. Either way, watch the business on a daily basis.
