It’s obvious. The world has not shown any indication of running out of coffee addicts or dreamers who hope to fuel people’s collective addiction through their own coffee shops. But what does it really take to put up your own coffee shop?
Of course, the first requirement for a potential coffee shop owner is to have the passion for coffee.
Sure, any top graduate from a business school who has more passion for business than coffee can put up a coffee shop, but it is often the personal touch of a coffee fanatic that can spell the difference among customers.
It is important to remember, however, that a coffee shop business does not run on passion alone.
It seems that a perfect shop owner is one who is both passionate over coffee and has natural business acumen at the same time.
One important consideration before getting into the coffee business is to have a concrete business plan.
A plan will help you clarify to yourself and to your financial backer why you want to have your own shop and where you want to go.
Your plan will also help identify your possible market and their needs. A good business plan should spare no details.
This is because it is the business plan in the first place that could help you secure financial aid. If you can’t convince the bank why you need a loan and how you are going to pay for it, your coffee shop business will be doomed from the very beginning.
When you have settled the preliminary business details, you need to shift from business concerns to functional aesthetic considerations.
What are you going to do with all that money when you have no idea what a coffee shop should look like?
A coffee shop can’t just be any place or any room. It would help if you had an architect who has some experience with coffee shops.
Without such an expert on your side, you may have to study and think up the physical placement of your furniture and equipment yourself.
You should consider such things as counter placement, dimensions and space allotment for your equipment. It may help to do some research and to observe actual coffee shop set-ups.
The next step after securing the financial and physical aspect of your coffee shop business is to intensify your coffee fanaticism.
It’s not enough to train hired help to be your crew. You need to get yourself elbow deep into the details of everything about coffee.
As a coffee shop owner, you shouldn’t just love the taste of coffee; you should also be an expert in coffee beans, coffee mixtures and novelty coffee products.
If you want to be the big boss, you have to know better than your people and your competition.
Well, it’s not that easy, but no business, no earnest passion really is. If you’re a coffee lover and you want your own coffee shop, make sure to be prepared so that you will be up to the challenge.
