Business plan

[luvncoffee]

Does anyone know if there is a company out there regarding Coffee, espresso, ect that will help with a business plan. And how detailed do you usually have to be in a business plan? I have LOTS of fun great ideas but I really need to know if it is reality in my area. Any advice would be VERY appreciated!!

 

[Jumpin Java Bean]

I don't have a referral for you, but I can post a thought or two. First, kudos for even asking the question - it's heartbreaking to see all the failed shops and businesses in any town or city, and consider the savings wasted and debts incurred - not just coffee shops, but "fun ideas" seems to be the mantra of so many failed but "lovely to behold" cafes and other specialty shops.

Maybe you don't even need a consultant - maybe you do - but I would say read every post in this section of the forum, and start to make a long list of questions for yourself, and wear out some shoe leather wandering around town trying to figure out what other people are selling and how they're doing. Are you seeing the starbucks bottled beverages in convenience stores? A good sign that people have acquired the taste. How about your general region: nearby towns, etc? Finding a few shops would be very encouraging. Hang out, buy lattes, and see if they have steady traffic or are counting on musicians and expensive cookies on Friday night to pay off the rest of the week.

Mainly I'm suggesting that in any business interaction you want to control the discourse as much as possible. Don't grab a consultant, slap down your pile of money, and ask him or her to tell you everything. Find out the local rents, etc, and put yourself in the position of (relative) authority. It's the consultant that wants your business. So gather some resources first, and you should be able to stretch your research dollars. Good Luck!

 

[Coffee Guy]

I agree with some of your points JJB. Alot will depend on the time you have available to research alot of these things yourself, however, don't disregard what a good consultant can do for you. Especially in a start up capacity. Keep in mind that a consultant is a business expense. Alot of people don't know how to use a consultant effectively or actually what a consultant is for. I would advise you to do as much of the due deligence as possible as JJB suggests. When you feel that you've done just about all that you can, then look for that consultant to fill in the rest of the blanks. There are a lot of people with great ideas, just some don't know how to make them a reality. 8)

 

[cafemakers]

Don't grab a consultant, slap down your pile of money, and ask him or her to tell you everything.

I have to agree with this statement; we used to offer a service where customers could "purchase" an entire business plan following a lengthy interview and continued discussions - it was a mistake on my part. I found that, although clients received insight from my experience having written such documents in the past, it was MY vision of their business and not THEIR vision. We discontinued the offering and now only collaborate, review and enhance existing documents.

The business plan is as much a process as it is a product; this should not be written with the sole intent to obtain financing or the consent of a landlord, but rather, to help you understand the details of your prospective business and commit those details to paper. Additionally, once you have thought through each of the steps of your business from concept to execution and written those down for future review and reference, you will in effect, have established your policies to help you make business decisions as questions arise in the future.

If you have not done so already, I suggest that you take a look at the SBA website on this topic; it's really quite good. http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/index.html

Best of success,

Andrew

 

[SFG75]

I know that there are some interesting computer programs that guide you through things step by step-but a lot of it you can do yourself if you so desire.

 

[klanmckay]

This is a very good information on the business plan it is very good.