OPENING UP AN EATERY WHERE DO I PUT IT?

The Last Stand Coffee Co. seating optional. So you wanna be your own business person eh? Okay, and an eatery of some kind suits your fancy? Hmmm. You got what it takes you say, you got fucking thick skin do ya, and ya have the intestinal fortitude to handle business of any kind, you're able to negotiate your way out of trekking in Iran with an American flag draped around your neck? Alright then.


So first things first, what kind of eatery or dining experience are you going to offer, and where the hell are you going to put the darn thing? What's your finances really like? What kind of profits are you expecting? Well that all depends my friends on that old adage of Location, Location, and Location. Drill that word inside your head before you dump all that hard earned or well...not so hard earned money on your first dig. I know this one dude who said that when he was in college a long time ago, his female friend was getting a degree in law, but she already had a couple years studying business and finance, needless to say the lass was probably mind friendly on how to go about starting a business for in those classes they teach you about start ups, and how to go about raising capital, negotiations, profit margins and all that. Well at this one school he talked about, on the campus, there were no coffee shops or even a bloody kiosk. Imagine, going to school, bloody tired in the early morning and not having a latte or mocha to drink? Long story short, this woman decided to ask who was in charge of leases to businesses on the campus because there were lots of spaces on the land there that she thought that she could open a small coffee kiosk. She spoke to the people in charge of the campus, got a space negotiated for for cheap. She went out and bought an old kiosk, had a friend polish it up with her logo on it. Bought some coffee machines, and all the fresh beans she loved to use, and cups to go, and guess what? She was a hit. 


1. She saw a need
2. She knew how to raise money
3. She negotiated
4. She got a used cart
5. She used the coffee beans that she enjoyed drinking
6. She learned how to make it professionally from all her times in coffee houses
7. She knew that because there were no competitors and the need for coffee was very high, almost any location where students parked their asses on campus was going to be successful, or a Yay location.


She became very successful selling coffee in a small location which was on campus, but for what it was, her cost was very low, and her profits very very good. You see this success story? There was a need, and she had no competitors, she was the first on the scene selling coffee on campus, she monopolized adding more kiosks and hiring employees, this you could say is Capitalism 101.


So my friends, where do you want to put yours? Let's say you want to sell only chili because you claim to be the best chili chef this side of the Great Wall of China. Okay then, where do you think the people are in your town that want or will want your chili? If you say the Northern part of town is where all the chili lovers are at because their incomes aren't that big, and most everyday people live in the Northern part of town, then it would be idiotic for you to even consider putting your chili counter in say, the South Eastern part of town where all the caviar eating stuffy people live...then again you never know, maybe those stuffy folks love a great bowl of poor man's chili, more marketing research from your people is a must, rule number one in Capitalism, never count out anything, do your market research. But let's call it a Yay, that all of your future wealth will derive from those blue collar Northern area people, your job is to go up there and search for a good location to stick your eatery.


This will take some time, possibly months or even a year or more it all depends on how badly you want something. The more sweat equity you put in, the faster your business will be up and running. Remember you are new to this game, you'll need time, and you will make mistakes along the way. Hire an attorney to oversee any contracts, if you have a buddy that's been or is a restaurant owner, buy him a round of golf and ask him to go with you on a scouting trip, to look at buildings and talk to real estate people. In the Bible in the book of Proverbs it begins with Wisdom. If you lack wisdom, find it, it comes in the form of people, good people are hard to find, so remember this word also, it is called Networking. As you get involved in business, network, network and network, this will help you bring in business, or associates that can help you realize greater profits. But be weary of people that want to rip you off.


Always protect yourselves, all recipes, or ideas for your business should be locked in a safe, even that stained piece of paper with Grandpa Joe's recipe for that braised beef chili from 1934, make copies of it, and seal it up, lock it up. When you talk to anyone about your business, I mean anyone, even if you are talking to a 12 year old skateboarder, before you talk about your business plans, have them sign a Non Disclosure form. This is a form that says that whoever you are talking to will not talk about your idea to anyone. Let's say that this 12 year old skater doesn't sign that form, and a year down the road, you still haven't gotten your chili counter up for whatever reason, but hey there's that 12 year old selling chili, and he's got your Grandpa Joe's chili selling like hot cakes, he ends up as chef of the year in your town, and the Food Network does a story on him, he finds investors and there he is in the near future at age 15 a multi-millionaire, donating money to the needy, and one of them needy peeps is...you! You get the pic? Yay or Nay? I hope it's Yay, and drill that in your head, besides Location, Location and Location. Remember these words in bold PROTECT YOUR FUCKING ASS!


Ron.