Starting up a coffeehouse?

[simonr93]

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on how I'd go about starting up a cool/trendy/personal coffeehouse with £0 funds?

I've loved coffee since I was like twelve and always wanted to open my own shop. Now nineteen (almost) that dream of having a sweet little place in the city is still a thing. I'm an optimist and hard-worker but know nothing about starting up a business, bar the business plan and the like.

The only things I can say for sure is that I know where I'd like it, what I'd want it to look like, who my target market is and what I'd be selling. It's just so difficult being young and for lack of a better word poor.

It would be warm, friendly and a great atmosphere that you don't really get at the other places, --manufactured, faceless and tasteless. I hope you know what I'm getting at there.

My goal isn't to compete with the big-boys, your Starbucks and what have you, I'd want to be that cool little place that sells really nice coffee where you can taste, smell and feel like there has been a lot of effort put in the cup.

Any tips/tricks or general advice would be excellent and greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.
Simon
optimist and dreamer

 

[Mark Walters]

I'd recommend getting a job in a coffee house as your first move - to get some experience, make some contacts and build up some funds.

Probably not the advice that you wanted to hear, but it's advice that will take you in the direction of one day owning your own coffee house.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Read this.
http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=195362

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

I think a lot of people will now be investing in this industry as it is now been established that profits are tax free

 

[RedEvo]

My goal isn't to compete with the big-boys...

I'd review this train of thought. To be successful you will be competing with these guys. I'm not saying you can't, small businesses have many advantages over large businesses, but don't dismiss them and suggest you are not competing with them. You're going to sell coffee, they sell coffee.

d

 

[GraemeL]

My goal isn't to compete with the big-boys, your Starbucks and what have you, I'd want to be that cool little place that sells really nice coffee where you can taste, smell and feel like there has been a lot of effort put in the cup.

Any tips/tricks or general advice would be excellent and greatly appreciated.

Rent for cool little place in Cambridge centre is £110k a year (Plus rates, plus power plus plus plus). At £1 margin per cup, thats 110,000 cups a year, or 2,100 per week, or 350 a day working a 6 day week.

Coolness sometimes doesnt work.

G

 

[antoine82]

£110k for a small unit in cambridge!

I guess the room must be paved with gold!
I think you divide this price by 3 or 4 to get a fair estimation.

As for the op, 2 advice:
1. Get yourself a job in this industry and watch, learn the job.
2. Save money. You will go NOWHERE without any funds. The catering industry is where you have the more bankruptcies and banks won't lend a penny if you don't have personal funds, experience and assets to secure the loan.

 

[Vectis]

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on how I'd go about starting up a cool/trendy/personal coffeehouse with £0 funds? ..............

With zero funds you have zero chance of starting up, unless you have parents, relatives etc willing and able to fund you. Sorry.

How do you seriously think you'll be able to rent space on the high street or wherever, fit out the premises, buy stock, advertise etc etc etc without any money behind you?

As others have said, go and work in a coffee shop and start saving, although I don't think you'll be earning much working in a coffee shop.

Unless you have parents willing to fund this, I'd put the idea on hold for now until you have some money saved up.

 

[Rasta Pickles]

My goal isn't to compete with the big-boys, your Starbucks and what have you, I'd want to be that cool little place that sells really nice coffee where you can taste, smell and feel like there has been a lot of effort put in the cup.

With respect, to get the sort of volume of footfall into your shop that you need to make a living from it, you have to deal with all sections of the British public.

And that means, for the most part, chavs. You can't pick and choose your punters.

Chavs don't ponder about the effort that you've put into the cup, trust me.

Chavs don't push their four children by three different fathers into the Nags Head and announce what a wonderfully delightful coffee they had in your shop, trust me.

Set your shop up, provide cofee and a few titbits at senisble prices, give the chavs free wifi so they can update their Facebook status after each mouthful and you won't go far wrong.

 

[Alan]

@simonr93 are you under 25? I ask as there is a government sponsored mentoring and loans scheme available for younger entrepreneurs. http://www.startuploans.co.uk/

(there may be others too)

Regarding Coffe shops, a friend of mine has set up independent coffee shops in the past and they have always done very well.