Do You Run Your Business From A Coffee Shop? Do you know there are rules of etiquette that should be followed if you’re doing that? Why? Because, just as you are an entrepreneur, so too is the coffee shop a business that needs to make sales and turn over tables in order to stay in business.
If you’re at a coffee shop you’re likely there because you’re inspired by the ambiance, in love with their coffee, making use of their Wi-fi and holding meetings there if you don’t want clients to come to your home office, right? It’s a great situation for you, but is it so great for the coffee shop owner?
Here are some rules for being a good customer if you’re growing your business at the local cafe.
Pay “rent.” Buy food. Don’t just ask for a cup of hot water in which to dunk your the tea bags you’ve brought from home. Buy coffee every couple of hours and splurge for lunch.
Don’t spread out and take up a large table. Stick to a small two-person or one-person table so you leave the larger tables open for other paying guests.
Park on the street — don’t take up prime on-site parking if you’re going to be there for the entire day.
Keep it down. If you’re taking calls or listening to webinars, keep the volume down. This is especially true if you’re talking about sensitive topics. Also, if other people are in the coffee shop, they are there to enjoy themselves, not listen to you.
If you’re not buying lunch, vacate the table at lunchtime to make way for paying customers. The owner will thank you and will continue to welcome you.
Do you use a local coffee shop as your base of operations? Do you find it conducive to getting work done?
If you’ve always dreamed of being an entrepreneur, what’s stopping you? Overcome some of these fears and see whether living the life of an entrepreneur is the life for you!
Making Your Business Dream A Reality
Face your fears. The fear of failure has stopped many an entrepreneur with a great idea in his or her steps. Be willing to fail — call it an experiment then move on.
Be focused in your efforts. If you have myriad business ideas, choose the one that speaks to you the loudest and focus on that one. Bring in your other ideas once you’ve mastered the first.
Start small and lean. You can print business cards at home if necessary. You don’t need a fancy office space. Work from a home office and meet at coffee shops until you can afford your own space — you may find you never need your own space. Create a small product to kick off your endeavor. Add on more options as you grow. You will want a website, but you can even get those for free and many are easy enough for those without much technical knowledge to build themselves. Save your money until you’re making money before you focus on a website with a lot of bells and whistles. If your’e selling product, though you may need a more robust site.
Use social media to help share your message BUT don’t share a message until you know what it is!
Look for a “team” or an accountability group. It is nice to have like-minded business people to bounce ideas off of and to help you through rough patches and with whom you can interact and offer insight. Mastermind groups are great for start-up businesses especially when new endeavors can feel so isolating.
Don’t give up on a business idea because you’re afraid. Look for a mentor or a business coach or a mastermind group who can help you formulate your message and get you moving down the road toward business success.
You’ve got a great idea! In fact you may be full of great business ideas but have you ever wondered, “Is your business idea viable?” Many of us can brainstorm a bad idea into something that might sound great, but when you’re an entrepreneur you need to nurture business ideas with legs and let those that don’t seem sustainable or viable sit on a shelf.
Don’t toss out ideas that are too vague or too costly or too time-consuming as they may have their day.
Is Your Business Idea Viable?
Here are some ways to determine whether you’re cultivating a viable business idea:
You need more than an idea. Once you have an idea for a business, do you have the ability to drill down and make sure the idea can be a potential money maker? Ideas are plentiful, the steps to bring an idea to fruition may not be.
Let’s face it, you don’t need the next-best-no-one-has-ever-though-of-this-before idea. There may not be any new ideas, but the way in which you execute your idea is what might make it fly.
Is your idea ahead of its time? Is there a market or a niche available for your idea? Can you piggyback on an idea? You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, your unique personality and idea follow through can be what takes your idea from the thinking stage to the operational phase.
No matter how good your idea is, you need to have customers, or the ability to find customers, in order to make it fly. Where is your audience? Do you know your demographic? What will make them switch from the brand they’re using now to come to you?
Don’t force a bad idea. If you’re struggling with an idea. If you have told trusted colleagues about your idea and they’ve taken a step back or have rolled their eyes or made other such negative noises or reactions, it could be justified. You may be trying to force a business idea that simply won’t fly or that is too costly or that the niche is so small and your product is so expensive that you simply can’t make a go of it.
What is your idea process? Do you struggle to take ideas from the thought stage to the implementation phase? We can help!
How can your business stay relevant? You want your business to stay on top, right? Top of mind with current clients. Top of mind with potential new clients. How do you do that when every entrepreneur is working to do the same — stay on top and stay front of mind?
Do you ever worry you’re going to be continually struggling to get to the “top”? What is the summit of success in your mind? If you don’t know when you’ve reached the top you will continue to struggle.
Here are some ways in which we have uncovered which help our team and our clients feel as though their eyes are continually on the prize and that you will also remain true to your business and life purpose.
How Can Your Business Stay Relevant?
Have faith. If you don’t believe in yourself, why will a client believe in you? Your fears and your worries will bleed into your client conversations. You may be the best in your field, but if you’re not projecting confidence you may not “win.” You need to be your own cheerleader.
Be fearless. Those who push the hardest are usually those who win the most. You will fail. It’s a fact of life. How you show that you’re fearless is by getting up and trying again. Challenge yourself and you will win.
Be a decision maker. If you’re not making decisions you are adding to the emotional stress and weight that is on your shoulders. Weigh the pros and cons, if necessary and then move forward. Procrastination is a killer of motivation and fortitude.
Be ethical. If you’re not ethical, your clients will see that and you will be planting the seed of “if he is not ethical with me, is he being unethical to me?” Don’t waver in your ethics.
Be healthy. Yes, you need to work a lot of hours, probably, in order to grow your business. If you’re not taking care of yourself and your health, everything you’re striving for will suffer. Get out of the office. Take a walk. Do some jumping jacks. Sitting for hours at a time is detrimental to your health.
How do you “stay on top?” What are you doing to stay relevant? How are you pushing forward to make it to the top?
