How to Start a Coffee Shop Cafe
If you feel that you are a coffee expert, you might consider making the leap from being a consumer to a proprietor. Starting your own coffee shop requires three basic things; a well formulated business plan, proper amount of capital and a feasible location. When these three things are at your disposal, you are only a few days away from making money by selling coffee.
Instructions
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The first step is to write a comprehensive business plan. Writing a business plan for a coffee shop is just like writing a feasibility report for any project. Your plan should have answers to questions such as who, what, when, where, how and why.
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After you have written the business plan, you need to secure the necessary amount of capital. First, tap your own savings. If you still need more capital, approach friends and family and then contact potential investors as a last resort.
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Coming up with the right location for the coffee shop is very important. Ideally, locations with heavy traffic and surrounding shopping malls are best to open a coffee shop. A drive-through option may not be feasible at the very start because it will mean high construction costs. But if a facility already has a built-in drive-through, that will be great.
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Decide which products you will be selling. Apart from coffee, most coffee shops sell tea, pre-made pastries, baked goods and logo merchandise. Once you have finalised a list of the products you plan on selling, decide the vendors of those products.
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Prepare a list of expenditures you will have to bear at the start. Paper goods such as disposable coffee cups, disposable serving trays, paper towels and tissues; uniforms for your employees; initial supply of to-be-sold products and cleaning supplies are some of the items on the list of initial expenditures.
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Now it comes to hiring employees. Interview prospective employees and hire the one’s you think will serve you best. Decide their working hours, any bonus plans and monthly wages.
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Finally, you need to spread the word. Start by marketing the coffee shop in the local vicinity by displaying flyers on windshields of parked cars. Word of mouth is the best advertisement. Contact your friends and ask them to visit your coffee shop on the inaugural day.
