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The USP there was opening till midnight every day, and selling homemade ice cream and baked stuff rather than just coffee and sandwiches. Brownies and cookies were the big seller as well as the ice cream, but that was 10 years ago - tastes may have changed? Either way, dead easy to make, and good for students who either don’t have much cash or want somewhere to study that doesn’t feel “worky”. That combined with summer tourist traffic made 3 shops viable after a few years in operation.
They did did treat the staff like shit though. Don’t do that, obviously:)
Maybe get a job with your daughter for a taster, or to avoid making schoolboy errors when you start.
A detailed plan is essential including any criteria that is unique to you, maybe your music interests as it is essential to be different - I was told 'to be better you have to be different - To be different you have to be better ' - I'm not into sales chat and such clicky terms, but I know what they mean - I don't mean loud music blasting away, but can you bring into play your music interest/guitars etc etc
Look at as many different coffee shops as you can - Go in and have a coffee - See what they do that is good and bad - Build a portfolio up in your mind of what is good and bad about any experience that you gain from this
I'd try and work in such an environment first to a) see if you like it and b) get some ideas and look at strength and Weakness of such a business and indeed yourself
To me the biggest worry is the bank for financing - Up to a certain amount of the actual business loan, you are often dealing with a junior who loads data into the PC to obtain the result - I recall when a bank manager was someone you looked up to and could speak to, in detail, with years of experience - Now many are now just trainees and under 30 - The more you can do without a bank loan the better - Not sure what your start up costs are and what funds you have - Do you start small, reinvest profits and build, or do you go for it from day one and pay the bank on a day to day basis - My gut feeling is the former
Location is essential and can make or break the business from day one - Then add to this the 'decor/experience' when you walk in - ie is it themed in anyway or looks like something from the Apprentice (the one the losing team go to)
In my town there is no shortage of coffee shops - But 2 stand out - One is small but maximises the outside pavement - Great coffee and home made cakes - I sit outside with my dog, even in the rain and love it - The other is run by 2 young girls - The milk shakes are their USP and totally killers for the youngsters - Coffee is good - Cakes awesome - Decor is rustic and I think would look great in a guitar shop
Don't wear yourself out, but the more you can do the less wages you have to pay to a 3rd party - But equally you need a life outside work
Free 10 penneth from me - Forget the custom guitar case business - IMO dead before you start
Good luck
Where's the risk? the premises cost?
Not sure if you could end up in a turf war though !
Your best bet for certain trade is probably the sandwich van idea, you’ve a captive audience on industrial estates and if you make quality food at a good price word spreads quickly.
As a novelty , and because he had no special aspiration other than to keep busy ,he bought a trendy old Citroen H van and set up as a mobile espresso and croissant bar and pitched up from 5 a.m. at Epping station every day until 10 30 pm.
After 6 months he had 3 vehicles covering 3 stations on the London commuter fringe .
That was 5 or 6 years ago...........he now has about 8 vans and also does Events , Shopping Mall car parks ,Car boot sales etc.
He still works one of the vans but his "other car is a Porsche " .......he has also moved to a very expensive house and says he wishes he had known years ago !
You don't necessarily need a shop.
How does the "van" approach work? I.e who decides where you can / cannot pitch up and trade - especially in the cases where you see a small van / tuk tuk pitched up on a pavement / pedestrianised area?
Never started up my own but have been very well acquainted with a number of restaurant startups ranging from tourist locations in Bath to a $750,000 investment restaurant next to the Toronto Stock Exchange and have been involved with them mostly as chef of varying level and occasional accountant.
Important stuff:
-Location is everything. If you're not starting out as a "destination venue" (ie. something people are prepared to travel to) then footfall is king and you need to find the right place. Scope out locations, figure out how much potential trade at lunchtime there will be. Schools close by? Major public sector employers who might provide some trade?
-If you draw up financial plans then add on 33% to 50% at the end ie. if you budget for £20,000, make it £27,000 to £30,000. Opening on time is hard work: opening on budget is even harder and most places I've known underestimated on both.
-Start out small: running a 7 day a week operation is fucking hard work and requires more staff than a 5 day a week operation. It's far better for a business to build up that to start big and then have to reduce hours.
-Licensing: everything from booze licensing to finding out from the council if you can have tables outside. Seen loads of places leave this to the last minute and then suffer delays because of this.
-If you are going to do food then don't use an agency to get a chef because they'll shaft you financially. Instead take time and get the right chef. Use a website like Caterer which is relatively expensive for an ad but the quality of applicant has tended to be better n my experience.
-Spend some time researching suppliers.