Hello. Me and my Gf is taking a big risk by opening our Cafe Shop. She’s passionate about coffee, mine is in construction. We did our due diligence. Nag aral. Nag paid training. Nag research. And I am still scared. What should starters now and do?
by Suspicious-Jelly-282
1 Comment
Oh man theres a list here. So get ready:
First you gotta focus on interior design. Sounds crazy, but people do like ambient coffee shops for extended stays. Plus, nobody wants to order coffee in a dingy place to spruce it up with what you can find in your area.
Second theres the matter of legality. You have to be certified food handler and have your business license set.
Third, don’t start with a massive selection. Upgrade the menu outside of basics if your team feels comfortable in the training they get around coffee, and make sure that the type of coffee shop you want relates to how much your employees know. A specialty shop has way nerdier employees about the stuff they serve while basic shops run the average customer service training.
Fourth – ties into number three and number one – ensure an inviting environment. Hire people who give off a feel good yet firm vibe. The return customer is a god send to business.
Fifth, there is no guarantee. It is almost certain you wont see actual profit for the first five years. Which is why I recommend a lite menu choice and then upgrade to more complex orders. The less cost you have to start out with and can make enough along the way to support yourselves is going to be crucial.
And lastly, expect to occasionally go over budget with what you need to spend. As the saying goes “You get what you pay for.” Some equipment may break, malfunction, have a weird leak that you can’t figure out, all of which can be written as business expenses so at least you’ll get a tax write-off. Aside from these, it’s niche things that I’ll never be able to control. But setting yourself up with no fee marketing tactics (squarespace website building, instagram marketing, the works) would help in boosting digital footprint and getting the word out about your shop.
I wish you luck and I hope to be starting my own in Ireland soon!