Meeting an owner

[motenkjr]

I am meeting a coffeehouse owner in a couple of weeks. I'm wondering what would be the best questions to ask said owner about owning and running a house in our area. I am in the beginning phase of moving toward opening a house and I want to get as much valuable info and insight without wasting time. Thanks for all of your help.

 

[motenkjr]

Can anyone help me out here?

 

[PinkRose]

Hi "motenkjr"

I'm assuming that the coffee house owner has already agreed to meet with you. Keeping in mind that he or she is probably a very busy person, you'll need to zero in on the questions that YOU need answered.

Where are you in the beginning phase of opening a coffee house? Are you thinking about it? Have you selected a location? Have you done any research on your own? Do you have any experience working in a cafe or dealing with the public?

Do you have a business plan? Have you done any market research?

Are you looking for information about the skills you need to be a successful coffee shop owner? (self starter, people person, goal-setter, problem solver, etc.)

Are you looking for the pros and cons of owning your own cafe? (there are threads on this forum that also cover that)

Are you looking for financial information? (how much start-up cash, back-up cash, growth process, cost cutting, etc.)

Are you looking for tips on how to hire employees; how to haggle with suppliers; how to market your business?

Have you at least come up with a name for your coffeehouse? Have you done traffic counts in the area where you plan to locate?

These are only some of the things you need to think about before you generate a list of questions to ask the coffeehouse owner.

Focus on what YOU need to know. Keep in mind that the coffeehouse owner is going to ask you where you are in the planning process. If you say that you're just thinking about it....you'll be out the door fast.

Rose

 

[CanadianBrian]

Hello;
Rose you are correct in all that you have stated. If motenkjr has not taken the initial steps of researching those basic questions you have proposed then it would be a waste of both parties time. You must do some basic research before you even meet. This forum is full of alot of questions and suggestions. Let us know how much you know and we might be able to answer your question better.
Brian

 

[John P]

I am in the beginning phase of moving toward...

(sigh)

Please be certain to have something specific and to the point you want to ask. Make sure that whatever you are going there to discuss with the owner is specific and relevant to your local situation only and not some generic coffee or business related questions that you, as a prospective entrepreneur, should have the initiative to find out for yourself.

If this is information you can get from your local small business center, or anything you can find by doing an extensive search in coffee based forums, such as here, Barista Exchange, Coffee Geek, or Coffeed, then I would not impose on their time.

Oh, and not to point out the obvious, but make sure you order a drink as soon as you sit down. My first rule is, if anybody wants to ask questions, or pitch me a service, etc., if their first move isn't to order a drink, they are out the door.

Respect their coffee business, it will serve you well. (no pun intended)

 

[motenkjr]

I already planned to order a drink for me and hopefully her one as well. My main reasons for meeting with her is to see if I could get some experience by either working for her or volunteering my time. I also wanted to get some idea of how to deal with suppliers and the approximate cost of running the coffeehouse. I have selected a name and looking at prospective locations. I won't be in competition with her ask will be about 10 miles away from her. I was trying to see if certain questions were more important or needed than others. I am still working on my business plan and recipes and am making great progress but it's a work in progress.

 

[andyrodgers]

best of luck for your meeting

 

[John P]

I would caution you against trying to make it a job interview if they didn't ask you in for one. And there is no "volunteering". That doesn't help the business. If you are not good enough to be paid as an employee, then there isn't a place for you. Unless you've been a regular customer for a long time, I would not even bring up the subject. Really bad form.

If you want to work there, go through normal channels.

 

[motenkjr]

Ok. Thanks for that advice.