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Plan for success, insure against mistakes. If you plan for low
volume, you will have low volume. If you plan for high volume but
get low volume, make sure your insurance is good. Go to
The Well.
Vision is a very helpful tool for the entrepreneur. If you see the
conditions you use to determine success it is far more likely that you
will create them. This is real important in constructing your
business and in life; in my opinion, it is The critical piece.
See the crowds? See the people serving the crowds? Smiling
faces? Entertainers? See what you want. Then build a
plan in your mind and on paper (paper is for the bank - they always ask
for it but never read this paper plan). Build the plan in your
head. See it. Imagine what it will look like. If you
can't see it, then maybe don't do it. Seeing it brings focus,
attention, action and a plan. It is good if you have the vision.
Does your location support this vision? No? Get another.
Success is a vital part of business. Plan for it. Plan
for the crowds, the volume demands that go with it, the staff that is
needed to supply it, the money that is needed to supply the supplies and
the staff. Plan for success! Put the ingredients in place.
You will do this for a good espresso, do it for the business.
Silly you say. Why not month to month on the
rent? (Because you are planning on escaping).
Why is a 1 year lease bad (because you are planning on how to get out if
... )? If you hit a home run (why not) with a one year lease you
can bet your espresso you will share your wealth with your landlord, and
this can be fatal.
Why not buy?
Why accept loaner equipment? (because I might not .... or, because I
don't have enough money - you need to have enough money).
Plan for success and flexibility. Freedom.
Have you seen twenty five other sites?
Have you joined the SCAA?
www.scaa.org
Have you tasted Ethiopian Yrgacheffe? Want to?
Yes! (Send me an e-mail and
put in it the subject "send me Yrga Cheffe").
Plan for success and you will be successful.
You will figure out how to fix a Bunn Brewer, but anyway, they rarely
break.
There also comes a time when you must stop the planning and go.
Open. Stop fretting. Trust yourself, trust your work, trust
your vision, open.
My first store was a mall coffee bar, bean store and gift store in
one. I signed the lease on November 7th, 1990 and I opened
November 14th,1990. One week. I knew exactly what I was
going to do. I had visited a zillion stores, made arrangements
with suppliers, knew the layout, the merchandising, the menu, the
baskets, the gifts, the name, and I was working on creating the
opportunity when along came a mall and said yes.
I was ready and I said go. Now I have to tell you that I ran out
of mugs on December 17th. This is not good and you do not want to
have this happen. But the reason I ran out of mugs one week before
Christmas was that I was successful. I sold more than I ever
dreamed I would. I had plenty of coffee and plenty of energy, but
not enough mugs. I had not planned for success in mugs. So I
went to The Well.
This will sound nuts, but I actually went to the local drug store,
bought all their mugs for like $3 each, went back to the store and sold
them for $6 and made baskets with their mugs, and had a heck of time and
I still have one of those mugs on my wall. I will never forget it.
Remember the mugs. Plan for success.
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