Coffee Shop Business Mistakes

5 Coffee Shop Business Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)

Do you want to avoid the coffee shop business mistakes that many new coffee shop owners make?

Now that you’ve decided to go ahead with the idea of owning your own coffee shop, you are ready to start outlining your coffee shop business plan, right?

Even those who have worked as an employee in the coffee industry or have other experience that may help them on their new entrepreneurial quest, still have to have a clear cut idea of what they are doing and what direction they are going in with their new venture.

Coffee Shop Business Mistakes

Here are 5 important mistakes to avoid when planning your new coffee shop business:

Mistake Number 1: Choosing A Bad Location

Even if manage to you get everything else perfectly right the first time around, setting up your coffee shop in a bad location will destroy any chances of being profitable and staying in business long term.

Be sure to research the area and be certain that there is enough demand for your products and that the location has enough of the right demographic passing through.

Mistake Number 2: Having Insufficient Capital

One of the biggest mistakes new coffee shop business owners make is underestimating the start up costs as well as the capital needed to keep them afloat for the first few months until the business catches up and starts to turn a profit. Be sure to research and plan your coffee shop business well before you start.

Mistake Number 3: Poor Quality Products

Another coffee shop business no-no is to sell poor quality products. You would think that this one would be common sense, but you would be surprised what people do when they start thinking about money and profit. Selling bad coffee and other items in your shop may work for you in the short term allowing you to turn a quicker profit on the cheap items you buy wholesale, but you will never build repeat customers – the lifeblood of a new coffee shop business.

Mistake Number 4: Poor Customer Service

Customer service is the glue that bonds you and your customers. You could have the best coffee in town, but if your customer service stinks, then you’ll never have a line up.  You absolutely need friendly staff who love to socialize and are naturally friendly to the public. Your staff also needs to be trained to take their customer service, speed, and quality control very, very seriously.

Customers often start their work day in the morning at their favorite coffee shop. How long do you think they will continue starting their day with poor customer service and a grumpy server? Don’t make this mistake with your new coffee shop business!

Mistake Number 5: Lack Of Marketing

Are you the only coffee shop in your town or city? Didn’t think so. So, that means you are going to have to have a marketing plan. Sometimes new coffee shop owners are under the impression that when the open their door, customers will come flying in automatically. It won’t happen unless you are promoting your new coffee shop business through the local media channels that reach out to your demographic on a regular basis.

It takes more than just an idea to get started. It takes solid planning and it takes ACTION!