Becoming an Entrepreneur
Starting a Café
We've collected some good advice that is ideal for aspiring entrepreneurs who are thinking about starting a caf�. This is a must-read before you start!
Wondering how to start a caf�? We take you step-by-step from start to success.
Business Plans 101 for Caf� Startups
Startup entrepreneurs slave over the creation of their business plans, investing countless hours in the details of their startup strategy. Now it's time to address details about your industry.
The absence of a thorough industry analysis may incline lenders and/or other external stakeholders to take a negative view of your company. In most cases, industry analyses discuss the opportunities and threats that confront similar businesses throughout your industry.
To succeed, you'll need to be careful to avoid common industry analysis mistakes and to accurately represent your startup in an industry context.
Review Competitors
Before you open a caf� in your town, it's a smart move to determine how strong the competition is. Try our link below to get a list of local competitors in your area. After clicking on the link, type in your city, state and zip code to get a list of caf�s near you.
Is the established competition doing a good job? It's important to understand their strengths and weaknesses and think through how you'll stake up against those established businesses.
Learn from Others Who Are Already In This Space
Once you've finished assessing the competion, it's a wise move to learn as much as you can from somebody who is already in the business. It's very unlikely that the local competition will talk to you. The last thing they want to do is help you to be a better competitor.
However, an entrepreneur who owns a caf� in a location that is not competitive to you may be willing to share their entrepreneurial wisdom with you, once they realize that you are not going to directly compete with them in their community. In that case, the business owner may be more than happy to discuss the industry with you. Our estimate is that you may have to contact many business owners to find one who is willing to share his wisdom with you.
How do you find a caf� founder in another community?
It's not that hard. Just use the handy link below and enter in a random city/state or zipcode.
Gaining Access to Caf� Ownership
Common sense will tell you that to enter the world of caf�, you'll either need to start a new business or acquire a promising company on the business-for-sale marketplace. There are a lot of benefits of buying a caf�.
The current economic climate is a buyer's market � if you have enough capital to start a caf�, you should have no problem financing the purchase of a caf� that has a solid earnings history and a workable business model.
Don't Rule Out Franchising
If you prefer to partner with others to launch your new business, you should evaluate going the franchising route.
Prior to starting a caf�, it's worthwhile to investigate whether there are good franchise opportunities available that might increase your chances of success.
The link below gives you access to our franchise directory so you can see if there's a franchise opportunity for you. You might even find something that points you in a completely different direction.
Related Articles on Starting a Company
These additional resources regarding starting a business may be of interest to you.
Consideration Before Buying a Franchise
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