Opening a coffee shop near the school: looking for business highlights

"I am the head of the school's KAB Entrepreneurship Club, and I have a group of like-minded friends. I started to open a coffee shop, that is to say, I did it." Before graduating from Heilongjiang Agricultural Reclamation Vocational College, Tang Pengxiang opened a coffee shop near the school. When his classmates were still looking for a job, he had already become the boss.

To be able to embark on the entrepreneurial path, Tang Pengxiang said that the KAB entrepreneurship course offered by the school helped him a lot. "in addition to classroom teaching and practice, the instructor gave me advice, and the coffee shop was also included in the school's entrepreneurship education curriculum and obtained the reserve price rental contract for the 100sqm store in the school's creative park."

Tang Pengxiang told the reporter that he found that there were not many cafes near the school, and that he was very interested in coffee culture, so he worked with an upperclassman to do research around the school. After repeated discussions with seniors, Tang Pengxiang finally decided to open a coffee shop by joining a chain. He chose a beverage chain that is well-known in the northeast. "the franchise fee cost 10,000 yuan, and we got equipment and technical support." Tang Pengxiang said, "choose this chain mainly because the franchise fee of the other party is relatively cheap, and there is a lot of room for negotiation, which is very suitable for entrepreneurs in the initial stage."

Subsequently, Tang Pengxiang successfully persuaded a start-up company to get nearly 30,000 yuan of venture capital, coupled with his savings of 20,000 yuan and the support of his parents, he began to decorate the store.

Although he is a franchise store, Tang Pengxiang insists on "having a little bit of his own style." Through negotiation, Tang Pengxiang's coffee shop did not copy the unified style of the franchisee, but hired a designer to design it separately. He said frankly: "I don't understand very well, but it is said that it can create a kind of rural warmth." The design fee is not cheap. 60% to 70% of the initial investment is spent on decoration. " As he overspent while building, he had to save money and even cut back on the purchase of equipment.

Finally, the coffee shop with a total investment of nearly 100000 yuan opened.

The coffee shop employs only one regular employee and several college students to do part-time jobs. Tang Pengxiang and his seniors work in partnership. The two have no clear division of labor and discuss problems together. "if you really can't make up your mind, consult with friends who are familiar with this kind of problem, and then try their methods. Sometimes we have to ask the teacher who teaches entrepreneurship because he knows more people. " Tang Pengxiang said with a smile.

From the beginning of decoration, Tang Pengxiang encountered a lot of difficulties when he started his first business. First of all, due to the lack of effective communication, the raw materials were not delivered, which led to the delay of the construction period; then, they did not understand the procedures, did not prepare enough, and took great pains to get a business license. "fortunately, these steps were successfully completed in the end." Tang Pengxiang laments that he will face more difficulties after opening his business.

In Tang Pengxiang's idea, the coffee shop should subdivide the market according to the needs of the customers. He divided the customers into students, family members and staff. He also set up low, middle and high grade drinks, and divided seats such as lobby boxes. "as Xiao Shenyang said, today's students are 'not short of money' and they are willing to spend money to taste something new." Coupled with the great differences in customer taste requirements, these measures have not achieved the desired effect of targeted marketing.

The daily passenger flow of the coffee shop is unstable, so the revenue does not meet Tang Pengxiang's expectations. Due to the lack of understanding of coffee, it often leads to unequal investment and return. Once, coffee beans bought at a high price recommended by merchants are not welcomed by customers. "because of the unstable source of customers, it is also a headache for us to schedule our employees. We often get too busy during rush hours and slow business when we have sufficient manpower."

There is no publicity in the coffee shop. "We use the word of mouth of our customers, and our part-time classmates also do publicity for us." In order to attract customers, Tang Pengxiang also thought of some ways, such as putting a small coffee grinder in the store for customers to DIY coffee. "Unfortunately, not many people are interested." however, the provision of entertainment venues such as board games attracts a steady flow of passengers every month.

Tang Pengxiang said frankly that there are no bright spots in the current operation of the coffee shop. "Coffee culture is as broad and profound as tea culture. I am also working hard to find my own business philosophy."

China Coffee Trading Network: www.gafei.com