For some people, coffee is like a basic need like rice. Coffee is in great demand by all people, both young and old. Coffee in Indonesia has a distinctive taste and is quite well known to foreign countries.
With the high quality of Indonesian coffee, and with very high coffee enthusiasts, Indonesia is very fertile for the cafe business. Many cafe businesses both from abroad such as Starbucks and from within the country are competing to win this very large market.
Seeing the enthusiasm of business actors for the coffee business does not reduce this very large and growing market share. There is still a big opportunity in this cafe business.
If you are opening a cafe business, this is a great opportunity especially if you are a coffee lover.
But building a cafe is not as easy as brewing coffee, you have to be skilled in running a business. At the time of its inception, the cafe faced a formidable challenge.
In this article, we will guide you in opening and running a cafe business.
Immediately, the following are the stages that must be passed when opening a cafe.
1. Doing Research
If you want to start a cafe business, then you have to start by doing research. By doing research, we can see the potential, opportunities, and threats that may be faced in the future.
Opening a cafe requires a large investment of time and leisure. All of that is based on objective research before everything is actually done and implemented.
Take a look at the cafes of your potential competitors, what makes you special from them? Who is your target market? What menu will be provided?
Doing research should also involve potential buyers. Know in advance who your potential buyers will be, know what their needs are, what time they are busy and will come, what their expectations are.
These are all very important when doing research.
2. Design a vision
Vision is the first basic foundation in your cafe business. Once you have a physical plan of what your cafe will look like, you also have to design a vision, how you view your own business. Mental construction of your cafe business must also be built consciously.
Write down what you want you to achieve from your efforts, more than material things. This vision can later be realized by having this mission and mission that directs your actions later.
Once you have a vision, it will be easy for you to make important decisions in this cafe business.
A clear vision will help you in choosing a name, determining decorations, planning menus, types of coffee, types of cups, how to interact with clients and more.
A cafe that has a clear vision feels very different from a cafe that only pursues profit, there is no contribution and growth value that is felt by business owners when serving coffee to their customers.
3. Make a detailed cafe business plan
When you want to open a cafe business, maybe you forget this because you are too busy so you don’t have time to make plans.
Some think that a lot of planning prevents someone from starting a business. Others consider making plans useless because reality is not what it appears on paper.
But if you don’t make a cafe business plan, it’s the same as going from a new place to another new place without using a map. you can get lost because you don’t have a travel guide.
I believe that before the business is built, we can know almost with certainty that the business will succeed or even disband.
We can find out by planning. Business is math and math is an exact science. Cause and effect.
So if you want to get the best results (effect) do the things that cause it to happen (cause).
Plan what you do, this is done to prioritize what is important for your cafe business.
Your business plan should include:
• Summary: What this business stands for, and how it will be superior to competitors.
• Market analysis: Who are your customers? Who are your competitors?
• Your team: What will you do yourself or hire employees?
• Marketing plan: What is unique about your cafe business? How would you communicate this uniqueness?
• How much money what you need to get started and where it’s coming from.
• Financial projections: Profit & Loss Projection, Cash Flow
• Strategy location and rental.
There’s a lot to think about, but taking the time to plan each of these aspects of your business will help you succeed. Be a guide for those of you who want to run this business.
4. Choose a strategic location
Location is critical to the overall success of your business. In fact, it is often one of the main factors in the success of a cafe business.
Before you choose a place that you want to use as a business location, take the time to look for other locations. Collect as many strategic locations as possible that can be used as cafes later.
This strategic location is characterized by being on the side of the road, easily accessible either by pedestrians or by vehicle and quite crowded, not too close to other cafe businesses.
Remember later the location you choose is the location you spend the most time there. Make sure you are comfortable there and can spend time in your cafe as your customers will.
5. Find the best supplier
Finding the best reliable supplier is a key component of a cafe’s success. The supplier of course depends on the type of cafe being run. Suppliers can usually supply coffee, milk, bread, fresh produce as well as groceries.
Make sure they offer low prices, quality products and guaranteed availability. Maybe you don’t rely on just one supplier. Look for some of the best.
6. Promotion
You can do promotions on social media such as Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. You can also register your cafe business on Google Map so that it appears in local search results.
Be sure to make online promotions personal, interactive, and engaging. Use images and videos to drive shares and engagement. Ask your customers to follow your cafe business’s social media.
You can offer free coupons or products to encourage others to follow the cafe’s social media.
7. Have reliable employees
Cafe owners would agree that the main problem in their business is finding and keeping great employees. Many are looking for experienced employees who already have the skills and knowledge of coffee.
But actually there is something more important than the skills that can be trained, namely attitude. Skills can be learned, character is an innate trait.
Prioritize people who have a good attitude and are willing to learn more than skills.