Getting a coffee shop business up and running comes with its own set of chores. You can look forward to busy work days full of hustle and bustle, long hours, sharp competition from other coffee shops and the list can go on and on. But, if running a successful coffee shop business has been your lifelong dream, well the only way is forward and we are here to help you get started. Over the past couple of decades, the UK has been catching up to its continental European cousins in accepting and adopting the café culture. Having a successful cafe or coffee shop is attainable; the only catch is meticulous and clever planning. Serve a better brew than anyone else by following these 7 tips and you will be well on your way climbing the ladder of success! 1. Find an Amazing Coffee Roaster An amazing coffee roaster should not only roast coffee with precision and serve it on time, but should address all your queries by email, phone and social media any time during the day. If you come across coffee roaster with these attributes, know that he is a keeper. Maintain good relations with them and ensure that you always pay them on time. It will be a smart move to purchase your own coffee equipment as it will be easy to part ways with your beverage supplier in case of any misunderstanding or if you feel that you need to make a change. 2. Acquire Some Work Experience If you have never worked in a cafe or coffee shop before, it will be a good idea to spend at least a month or two in one to get a hang of the amount of work involved. You can use this time to your benefit and acquire invaluable tips on how to make your coffee venture a booming success. In your work experience you will find that most business owners are surprisingly helpful as long as you are not going to directly compete with them. 3. Stand Out from the Crowd It is pointless to make an impact as a generic high-end coffee shop as the largest chains have effectively monopolised that specific niche and have the resources to easily undercut you with better prices. Therefore, developing a unique identity is the key as this has the potential to give the customers a reason to choose your establishment over a generic high-end cafe. Perhaps you could offer an assortment of unusual or ethically sourced brews, or provide a unique theme to your shop or some other diversion to offer customers a more comfortable and home-like experience than the sterile atmosphere of Starbucks. It’s all about attaching that one element that will be the unique selling point of your coffee shop. It could be in terms of quality, doing something different and with more care as compared to a high-end coffee shop. 4. Importance of Location A whopping two-thirds of people buy coffee when they are on their way to work or headed somewhere, so it only makes sense to pick up a location that witnesses a lot of foot traffic. However, this can be really expensive given the exposure and visibility your business is likely to get. Or, you might decide to move to a more spacious location off the track and spend the money instead in buying better beans and enhancing the quality of your coffee. 5. Size Matters Are you planning to set up a kiosk for the everyday busy commuters so that they can get their dose of caffeine fix for the day? Maybe you want to place plush sofas where people can relax and catch up with their buddies. Think about all these questions, figure out what you need when selecting premises along with the number of people you are expecting to host at a given time. Some rules of thumb to help you in your quest of finding the perfect place are listed below:
Firstly, you will need a business lawyer who has proficiency dealing in real estate matters so that he/she can go through all of your contracts and lease agreements. Next, find accountants in Northampton, or a bookkeeper who will look after your finances and keep them in order. Find a good commercial insurance agent as well. If, in future you find yourself in a legal situation or there is an occurrence of a calamitous event, you will know that you have the proper cover in place. Last but not the least, find a reputable payroll company who will take care of your taxes and other reporting responsibilities. Having lawyers and financial people on your side will take away a large part of your business related worries and help you sleep better at night. 7. Know your Food Safety Being involved in a business where you serve food to the public, you need to be acutely aware of the relevant laws. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the government body in charge of food safety laws in the UK. They publish Safer Food, Better Business’ leaflet which contains key elements on serving food that comprises of cooking, cleaning, contamination, management, chilling and maintenance of food diary. As a soon-to-be coffee shop owner, you should also educate yourself on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, or HACCP, which is an internationally recognised method of identifying common food safety hazards in the preparation process. Make small improvements wherever necessary in your quest to establish the coffee shop of your dreams. That way, your business will become more rewarding and enjoyable. Your chances of attaining financial success will improve drastically and it will be a win-win situation overall!
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