Dream Chaser

[sayscafe]

:heart: Hi everyone,
My name is Sarah (aka Say), I Love coffee and i also love business. I am Currently self employed And working with my husband, although i have always had a dream of owning my own business, My own cafe.' I currently own a landscape company and an online bakery and could never understand why no matter how much i did i felt like i was never truly happy. well after lots and lots of conversation with anyone that would listen i realized that i needed to step out on my own and open the business i really wanted, A Cafe'. so now i am starting my journey towards my dream. I want to open my own cafe... but im not 100 % sure as to what my first steps should be, so i was doing some research online and stumbled across this site and though why not who better to talk to then people who have been through it and people who love coffee. so here i am. learning and asking for any advice i can get ..


Say

 

[Coffeefix]

Hi Say,
Do plenty of research, maybe see if you can get a job in a busy well respected coffee shop first - you probably have a lot to learn if you haven't done it before?
Look out for a local, respected coffee company that can provide "Barista training" - you should find that they will put in quite a bit of effort into helping you, often for free - if you make great coffee they will benefit too from increased sales.
Lots of people shout "location" when they hear you are looking for a cafe - it can be important but so is quality. It sure doesn't matter if there is a bus stop outside, a hospital next door or just lots of people walking past. You will also find that you might have to sell a lot of coffees to cover the cost of properties in these areas. However, I also like words like unique, quirky, friendly, fun...
Take a look at YouTube, search for espresso extraction, latte art, coffee grinder set-up etc.
Good luck!

 

[smalltowngirl13]

Welcome to the forum Say..

 

[coffeemannw]

To learn the industry, I would suggest finding a great independent shop in a non-competing market and offer to work for them at low or no cost. Also, go to CoffeeFest. Looks like there is one in Chicago this year.

When looking for a location, I'd suggest finding a place that you can serve both sit-down and drive-thru. I've seen some low-traffic locations work out well simply because they offer better service and great drinks.

 

[sayscafe]

Thank you so much for you advice i found it very helpful i am currently getting ready to work with my connections in the chamber of commerce that my other businesses are in to see if there is a vompany willing to mentor me. I have been doing reasearch for a while now but i am definitely a hands on learner. Quality is definitely key to any endeavor you have to have an amazing taste and look to get people to come back i have learned that 10 times over working in the bakery industry .

 

[sayscafe]

Hi Say,
Do plenty of research, maybe see if you can get a job in a busy well respected coffee shop first - you probably have a lot to learn if you haven't done it before?
Look out for a local, respected coffee company that can provide "Barista training" - you should find that they will put in quite a bit of effort into helping you, often for free - if you make great coffee they will benefit too from increased sales.
Lots of people shout "location" when they hear you are looking for a cafe - it can be important but so is quality. It sure doesn't matter if there is a bus stop outside, a hospital next door or just lots of people walking past. You will also find that you might have to sell a lot of coffees to cover the cost of properties in these areas. However, I also like words like unique, quirky, friendly, fun...
Take a look at YouTube, search for espresso extraction, latte art, coffee grinder set-up etc.
Good luck!

Thank you so much for you advice i found it very helpful i am currently getting ready to work with my connections in the chamber of commerce that my other businesses are in to see if there is a vompany willing to mentor me. I have been doing reasearch for a while now but i am definitely a hands on learner. Quality is definitely key to any endeavor you have to have an amazing taste and look to get people to come back i have learned that 10 times over working in the bakery industry .

 

[sayscafe]

Welcome to the forum Say..

Thank you very much !

 

[sayscafe]

To learn the industry, I would suggest finding a great independent shop in a non-competing market and offer to work for them at low or no cost. Also, go to CoffeeFest. Looks like there is one in Chicago this year.

When looking for a location, I'd suggest finding a place that you can serve both sit-down and drive-thru. I've seen some low-traffic locations work out well simply because they offer better service and great drinks.

I will definitely look into coffeefest. I have alot of friends that own diffrent business that use conventions to make connections and learn .. thank u so much