If you have your heart set on opening a small coffee shop, there is certainly a huge demand, and with the right ambience, quality coffee and a good location, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy success. Like starting any enterprise, it is all about planning, so first you will need to come up with a concept, on which your business will be based.
Crunch the Numbers
It is important that you know how much capital you’ll need to get the shop up and running, plus a little extra to cover unexpected expenses (there will be), so do your sums and if you have the ability to turn your concept into a working business, you can proceed. If you come up short, think about taking out a short-term business loan, which can easily be arranged through an online lender.
Your Product
Your coffee will either make or break the business, so really do your research about coffee beans, and as you can buy coffee beans online in Australia from an established wholesaler, it is just a question of selecting which products you wish to include on your menu. People today are far more aware than ever, thanks to the Internet, and many prefer organically grown products that are eco-friendly, and when starting a coffee shop, the only thing that you cannot compromise is your product.
Location, Location, Location
We’ve all heard this a thousand times, yet when looking to open a coffee shop, you really do have to get into some deep research, looking for all existing coffee outlets, while also searching for small business parks and factories, where people prefer to have a coffee during a break. Set out a large map, with your intended location at the very centre and draw a 5km circle, with your location as the centre point. This will give you a reasonable radius, inside which, people would happily pay you a visit, and use pins to locate things of relevance, such as:
- Schools – Parents drop of and collect their kids.
- Companies – Not all have cafeterias.
- Factories
- Shopping Malls
You might benefit from offering a delivery service, especially with local offices, and after locating all places on your map, you need to look at passing traffic.
Passing Trade
This will make up a percentage of your revenue, and just how much that is, depends on the number of main roads within the area, so do a road survey. The right signage is critical for success in attracting passing motorists, and this might involve seeking permission from the local authority, so you can place your signs in the best locations.
In-Store Ambience
This is another critical element to success, and if you have no real idea about décor, call in an interior designer, which will be a great investment. Browse online for coffee shop images, which might give you an idea, or let the designer make some suggestions, either way, a lot of time should go into choosing your décor, as this could be the difference between success and failure.
If you plan accordingly and do your market research, there is no reason why your coffee shop won’t be a roaring success.
