aeneas1
New member
at the risk of sounding like an ogre, do you really think you have chosen the right line of business kimbica? frankly, it sounds to me as if you are at the very least months away from the "selecting a consultant" stage in that it appears that you still have an enormous amount of homework to do - if for no other reason than not to get fleeced by the very consultant you are hoping to depend on.
i believe you need to know the answers to most of your questions before even thinking about hiring a consultant, architect, etc... such hired guns should be retained as sounding boards, advisors, devil's advocates, etc. not business planners or business partners.
also, fwiw, i would exhaust a search for turn-key operation for sale before even considering an architect - the mortality rate in this line of business is enormous and great deals can be found that require very little (relatively speaking) investment...
i believe you need to know the answers to most of your questions before even thinking about hiring a consultant, architect, etc... such hired guns should be retained as sounding boards, advisors, devil's advocates, etc. not business planners or business partners.
also, fwiw, i would exhaust a search for turn-key operation for sale before even considering an architect - the mortality rate in this line of business is enormous and great deals can be found that require very little (relatively speaking) investment...
. But actually, I am a little bit impulsive and I will admit that I am not as fully educated in this business or any other kind as perhaps I should be. I am jumping in to this now because I have a unique window of opportunity in my family life and the financial support of my husband to do this now. It would be much more complicated to wait a couple years and do it then, because my daughter will be entering school then and would possibly feel neglected if I was gone all the time to my other "baby". Also we may not have as much flexibility with funding available then, since my husband's profession has ups and downs with assets. Not that this really matters to the bottom line; it is just more feasible to try this now than to wait. Maybe I am naively hoping that the people I hire to help me will be adequate to get me rolling - I will take my chances. I have done preliminary research by visiting numerous shops, talking to owners, reading about coffee and equipment, etc. I just don't have a good handle yet on the mechanics of buildout and setting up my support network. I am working on it, albeit slowly. Though some things I may have to learn as I go, I prefer this to waiting and waiting for it to seem like the "right" timing. I don't want to lose my momemtum and excitement because these will help carry me through all the hard work that is coming soon. Thanks for your .02 though. You may be right that I am rushing into this. But I am determined to succeed and I would appreciate (also) encouragement and well wishes as I get into it. I really do not want to be talked out of getting started now. :? 
