Coffee Shop Business Plans

[joel]

I think the SBA guide in how to write a plan is great.
you cannot just buy a plan for your business, and cookie cutter styles are boring. The SBA "how to write a plan" provides thoughtful questions that if you answer each with a write up practically provide your entire plan.
After it is important to make it sweet and simple, so that your readers basic questions are answered.
I think people buy templates with the illusion that it will be easier, but the questions that one has to answer are still going to be tough. 'What is my businesses unique selling point, what is my product?'
A program cannot answer your questions for you and its the questions that are tough.
I think the key part to the start of your coffee business is a passion for coffee. Maybe you are just a cool person and are in it for the ambient coffee house and its all about style- figuring if you get the machine anyone could operate it- wrong. What you sell is coffee. When you dont know about your own product you are in trouble. Its like turning out bad craftsmanship low quality goods.

here is a test: how much liquid is in a double shot of espresso? And how should that espresso taste? if you cannot answer dont go into business.

the plan is agonizing but i think it takes a ton of thought.

-joel d.

 

[gimme_coffee]

so are the free ones even worth looking at? that's what I'd like to know since I thought about using one for a jumping off point

 

[consciouscup]

Business Plan

I'm a bit late to this discussion but have a few strong points.

I bought two packaged business plan programs with examples. Neither program was easy to modify or perform "what if" analyses with.

Business Plan Pro helped in that it laid out a basis for a business that could be exported to Excel. Business Plan Pro also had severl helpful prototype plans.

I ended up exporting the P&L statement from Business Plan Pro, then used the step by step process in the program to develop the BASIC text/written plan. That was exported to Word and then unlinked, as was the spreadsheet, from Business Plan Pro. I purged the BPP charts and tables and entered my own from Excel.

This is easier than it sounds and I know precisely the source of every iota of information in my business plan financials.

I now had control!

Microsoft Office on-line also has P&L, Cash Flow and Balance Sheet Templates that I incorporated into my ultimate plan.

I will give Quick Plan Coffee a nod: We're using their operating manual templates. Again, Microsoft Office on line offers a series of templates for hiring, EEOC and other issues. Local, state and regulatory agencies and the SBA likewise offer these items.

OK, I'm a bit of a geek with this but the issue is to be results oriented: We sign the the lease within a week and look to open in 90-120 days!

 

[billagirly]

To you guys that have done the business plan thing before: where did you get your numbers? There are so many blanks to fill in on a business plan - where does that information come from?

I've seen this question on the forum in some different places, and everyones response is 'research'. But where do you find this stuff, and who do you ask?

 

[mikefly]

start with a traffic count DOT usely has them if your near a highway, we figured that we could get about 3-%4 of that traffic in our doors then figured out average ticket price based on our lowest items and our most expensive items...if the DOT doesnot have those numbers then i suggest a lawn chair and a clicker for a few hours a day and different times of the day to get your average traffic count......

 

[CoffeeBar]

I purchased CrimsonCups' "Seven Steps to Success" which includes a sample business plan as welll as a wealth of other, pertinent coffee biz info. There are explanations to guide you through creating your BP (i.e., where the data and info is derived). With a bit of Excel experience, you can crank out the financials in a few hours. The beauty of this (as opposed to 'fill-in-the-blanks') is you will fully understand the interrelations in the numbers part of your business. (Caveat: if you don't have some spreadsheet knowledge and/or the ability/experience to sort through a balance sheet or cash flow statement, this might not work for you.)

The verbiage portion of the plan (exec summary, management, etc.) is all stuff you need to generate (from inside your head) in any case. That is, these are the plans, concepts, ideas, whatever - that will make your business your business. The CrimsonCup thing provides a good jumping off point for these portions of your plan.

No, I'm in no way affiliated with CC. I paid $129 for the book and they sent me a real nice pound of their coffee with it. This is a slender volume that can be read (and re-read) in a few hours. yet provides the basis for evaluating whether you want to get into the business or not.

 

[ds40014]

BP - dumb question???

Hello, I'm new to the forum. I have been reading through all the postings and want to thank everyone for all their valuable wisdom!

I have a question on Business Plans (sorry...): When submitting a completed business plan to solicit financing (from a bank, etc.), you leave them the Business Plan for review, correct?

What if the Plan is rejected, do you ask for the business plan back? How do you protect your plan? Should there be any concerns that the rejected plan could then be copied or passed on to someone with the same business interest?

I know this probably sounds far-fetched or dumb, but just curious as to how do your protect ideas, "dreams" and plans you put so much work into, and keep anyone else from "stealing" them before they come to fruition.

Thanks!

--david :-D

 

[nickolas]

Any coffe shops in Montreal ?

I'd like to know great coffe shops in montreal, where can I go ?

 

[FrothGadget]

Where can I go?

Montreal

 

[queensbishop5]

coffee shop business plan

i bought a plan from http://www.businessplanning-4-you.com/business-plans/Coffee-Shop-Business-Plan.html - this was great for me as it was very easy to modify as the plan was already in word doc format.

It was also cheaper than palo alto and far less complicated.

Not only did i get a sample coffee shop business plan but i also got tons of extremely useful excel spreadsheets which i use to help run my coffee shop. I also got loads of word documents that have also assisted me.

 

[cafemakers]

I reiterate the comments of elpugdiablo and csssharkey above and suggest that anyone developing their new coffee business DO IT THEMSELVES. A purchased business plan is as useful to you as a purchased term paper in school - it may allow you to pass the class, but there is no value in the exercise.

Please visit the SBA for additional information, here: http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/pl ... gplan.html

SCORE recently made new information and very basic templates available online for free, here: http://www.score.org/template_gallery.html

and, for more information on the subject of writing a business plan, I have written my comments in my publication on the subject, here: http://www.cafemakers.com/coffee-busine ... -plan.html

Best of success,

Andrew

 

[jellyfish]

Don't expect to be able to write a business plan in a few hours. It will probably take a month to have a well thought out, consice business plan. The numbers are quite hard to figure exactly, but the more research you do on the area will help. I know at our university library I was able to find some financials for some local businesses (through D&B I believe). You might be able to do the same.

 

[futurecoffeeshop]

[quote:5ad301e507=\"mikefly\"]start with a traffic count DOT usely has them if your near a highway, we figured that we could get about 3-%4 of that traffic in our doors then figured out average ticket price based on our lowest items and our most expensive items...if the DOT doesnot have those numbers then i suggest a lawn chair and a clicker for a few hours a day and different times of the day to get your average traffic count......[/quote:5ad301e507]

Hi Mikefly, is your business up and running and are you capturing 3-4% of traffic? I''m doing three scenarios 1% (conservative) 2% (yea!) and 3% (best case) so I''m wondering if I''m being too conservative?

Thanks

 

[SouthCountryMom]

Opening Coffee Shop in the South

Hello! I am new here and happy to have found this place. We are trying to purchase a coffee shop at present but if this falls through (another story--sigh) we hope to open one anyway.

As we live in a small town, we hope to have a book/coffee shop and sell some coffee supplies, beans and perhaps a few exclusive gift/collectible items.

I would love to have any advice on putting together a business proposal to present to the bank, perhaps even obtain a ''worksheet'' showing a dummy proposal...any info at all.

Thanks so much!

 

[coffeedream]

business plan

Hi everyone..first time on this site. Its awesom to have such a great support system! I will be opening my first coffe/dessert shop in florida. New to this. As i work on my business plan..i am not sure of all equipment and things I need to include in my plan. When I have this info, do I get avg. prices for such items and include them? The financial part confuses me and is verty intimidating. Any help you can offer is well appreciated. Thanks