Everyone has dreamed of starting their own business at least once in their lives – to be able to manage your own store or create your own product, work for yourself, and create better experiences for people around you.
However, only few ever really put in the effort to turn that dream into something more concrete.
One of the best things that happened over the last two years despite the pandemic was that people started taking their chances by building the lives they wanted to lead, in spite of all the odds.
Small businesses have reached an all time high and are still continuing to grow as more people turn their passion into a full-time profession. Similarly, there’s been an increase in the number of bakeries and cafés as well—and the world couldn’t be happier about it!
If you’re one of those people who have always dreamed of opening your own coffee shop and have finally found the chance to do it this year in 2022, then here are 4 helpful tips which will help you stay on track and cross the finish line! Let’s dive right into it.
Do Your Research Before you Begin
Even if you have enough money saved up to dive right into it—stop. Take a good few weeks to do your research and figure out the market. How many coffee shops are there currently available in your area?
How many people visit it everyday (on an average)? Which months are busiest, and when does business slow down? What kind of food and coffee do people generally seem to enjoy? Is there anything that people really want but aren’t able to get in the existing shops as of now?
Basically, you need to do something called User Research. It’s when you make a detailed analysis of your future customers’ needs, which will help you cater to them better.
What’s more is that you’ll be able to figure out where you can have a competitive edge, by giving customers an experience that isn’t available anywhere else.
Make a Business Plan
Here’s where you’ll work out all the details – where you’re going to have the shop, what your initial budget is, how you’re going to source the money, who’s going to be working for you, by when do you want the business to be up and running, and literally everything else related to your business.
By planning ahead, you’ll be able to see how much the overall cost and manpower will come up to, helping you see if it fits within your budget. This is important, because you may otherwise end up over-spending and not have enough left to finish.
Don’t Restrict Yourself to Just Coffee
Even though coffee is going to be the primary drink of choice, there are other ways in which you can add a competitive edge to your business. For instance, don’t just sell coffee, sell coffee-related accessories and gifts too!
The people who are going to be coming to your coffee shop are going to be coffee lovers, and being able to take back coffee gifts and souvenirs will make your shop stand apart from the rest, especially if the merch you’re selling is of good quality!
Hire a Great Designer
This is something you won’t regret, because great design is what’s going to give character and personality to your café.
People aren’t going to come there just for the coffee—they’re going to be visiting for the overall experience – the pretty decor, the wall murals, the lovely (and fun) menu cards, the fun bean bags they can relax on, and all these details add up to the experience.
Hiring a good graphic designer and interior designer will be a great idea if you don’t have an artistic eye yourself.
All you need to do is stay on track of everything and make sure you’re moving towards your dream, one step at a time.
