If you’ve always dreamed of opening a coffee shop in the UK, you may have been drawn to the business concept for a number of reasons. You may always have wanted to be your own boss, manage your own time, get involved in your community and have the independence that few businesses offer that coffee shops do.
However, starting a coffee business from scratch can be a difficult task. It requires a lot of prior preparation and you’ll be in it alone. To counter these risks and challenges, you can always opt to open a coffee franchise. But why should you do so and what skills do you need to have to be successful? In this article, we explore the answers to these questions and more.
Table of contents:
What does a coffee shop business do?
Before we get started with our discussion of running a coffee shop franchise business, it’s important to take a look at what factors must be taken into account when considering this opportunity.
For starters, you need to be able to manage your own time and work as well as your team of employees.
In addition, it will be your responsibility to look after and maintain your premises according to the franchisor’s requirements. Alternatively, if you plan on running a fleet of vans, these will also need to be managed properly.
Other elements that are involved in running a coffee shop business include:
- Maintaining your business’ equipment
- Dealing with customers on a regular basis
- Managing your inventory and stock, and
- Managing and marketing your business
All this is in addition to the primary function of actually serving customers with warm and delicious coffee and related beverages (and sometimes even food or pastries).
Why consider running a cafe franchise?
For those who still aren’t convinced that starting a coffee business is right for you, the following might convince you: the industry is worth a whopping £4 billion and employs over 87,000 individuals.
Apart from the sheer market size, buying a coffee shop franchise is also perfect because you limit the risks you take if you were to start from scratch.
No other business model offers the opportunity to start a coffee shop business than franchising. This is because of:
- The extensive availability of franchisor training and support
- You’ll be working with a proven business model for success
- You’ll be able to tap into an established customer base
- You will be able to take advantage of a proven brand with great market awareness
- There is corporate marketing support included as well as business support
- You will have lower equipment and supply costs, and
- There is a clear exit strategy that you can rely on if you feel in the end it’s not right for you
But in addition to all this, you will have the chance to pursue a true passion in your professional life, the opportunity to enjoy a dynamic, varied and creative working week and the chance to become an integral part of your local community. These are invaluable and priceless elements that you won’t be able to get anywhere else.
What skills do you need to have?
Running a coffee shop may seem like a fairytale kind of lifestyle. But you need to be committed to your venture and possess both soft and hard skills to make it a success.
It takes hard work and a commitment to the business for a prolonged period of time, and this is why it would be beneficial if you have some prior experience in managing or running a coffee shop.
However, this isn’t always necessary and what will help you more is if you have the combination of the following soft and hard skills:
Soft skills
- Communication
- Time management
- Critical thinking
- Organisational skills
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Strong work ethic
Hard skills
- Accounting and bookkeeping
- Financial skills
- Legal expertise
- Computer skills
- Social media skills
How to open a coffee franchise
If you’re still with us at this point, you’re already on your way to starting your own coffee shop business. But what steps do you need to follow to achieve your business dream and do you know how to open a coffee shop in the UK? If you aren’t sure, we’ve laid down a few short steps that will help you get started.
Step 1: Ask yourself the right questions
In order to know what you are getting into over the next couple of years, you need to know exactly what you are looking for. Are you a person who prefers the more hands-on approach or are you someone who prefers the business management side of things? Where do your strengths lie and what about your weaknesses? How will you exploit your strengths for maximum success and mitigate your weaknesses to achieve the same aims? Asking yourself the right questions will help you narrow down your options.
Step 2: Do your research and due diligence
There are numerous coffee shop franchise opportunities in the UK. But you need to pick the one that speaks to your needs the most. This is where your industry research and due diligence processes will be necessary. You’ll want to find out exactly what you are getting into – both financially and professionally. Find several franchisors who are a good fit with your personal and professional goals.
Step 3: Settle on an opportunity and sign on the dotted line
Once you have identified several franchise opportunities, it’s time to narrow down your options and choose the best fit for yourself and your goals. You also need to find an opportunity that meets your budget as well as your training and support needs. After you have determined who your final choice will be, make sure to get expert legal advice on the documents you will sign such as the Franchise Agreement and Franchise Disclosure Document.
Step 4: It’s time to get started
And the final step is all about getting started. Be prepared that with a franchise partner at your side, you will need to go through training to ensure that you follow the franchise model to a T. It’s also critical to make sure that you have all the support you require in terms of venue set-up, hiring staff and training them as well as how to market your franchise coffee shop according to the franchisor’s guidelines.
Coffee shop opportunities
With these four steps in mind, you are well on your way to making your coffee shop business a reality. But we have one more important detail for you to help you get started along the way. And that is helping you choose the right coffee franchise opportunities for you. This is why we hand-picked some of the top coffee franchise opportunities from our franchise portal and are sharing them with you below:
If you’d like more details about any of these coffee shop franchise opportunities, don’t hesitate to take a look at our franchise portal for more information on each franchisor and what they offer prospective franchisees.
Concluding remarks
And there you have it! Everything you need to know about opening your very own coffee shop franchise business. The industry is highly lucrative and you can make a serious impact in your local community. In addition to this, you can enjoy greater flexibility and work/life balance. Overall, partnering with an experienced coffee brand is the best way to start a coffee shop business and whether you sell coffee from a van or high street premises, success is waiting for you!
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