A Happy Accident- The Backstory Behind a Success Coffee Shop

Sidecar Coffee, located at 2215 College Street, Cedar Falls, IA, is one of, if not my favorite, coffee shops. This place is filled with a great atmosphere, wonderful staff, and quite possibly the best coffee around. Their location on The College Hill near The University of Northern Iowa's campus makes it a hot spot for studying, social groups, bible studies, and business meetings.

I sat down with Andy, one of the three owners, to get the scoop on how Sidecar Coffee came to be. "A happy accident," was Andy's reply when I asked how he and business partners, Brent and Jed, decided to open a coffee shop. Jed had been experimenting with roasting his own coffee in a property owned by Brent, and Andy had been working for Brent in other areas of his business. That is until one day, Andy got a call from Brent asking if he liked drinking coffee. It all started rolling from there and here we are, a few years later with not one, but two Sidecar locations.

In our interview, Andy explained it wasn't easy starting a business from the ground up. They did not move into an existing location like many businesses do, but instead built the space they are in on some empty property between their neighboring businesses. After opening they encountered more struggles, just like all businesses do. Andy, who is in charge of running and managing the stores, told me that between Jed's knowledge of the roasting process, and Brent's business savvy and optimistic attitude, they've worked through the struggles to create a successful coffee business.

I really enjoy the locally roasted, expertly prepared drinks, sandwiches, and baked goods. If you haven't tried Sidecar, I highly suggest it. I often order a honey latte and a #3 breakfast sandwich. Being a student at UNI and having lived near Sidecar for the past couple of years, I'm happy this "happy accident" has developed into a successful business.

The History of Starbucks

If you're thinking of starting a coffee business but don't know where to start, remember that even one of the largest coffee companies in the world had to start somewhere. That somewhere happened to be The Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington and the someone is Starbucks Coffee.

On March 31, 1971, founders Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker opened the first store in Seattle, Washington. At this time, the company only sold roasted whole coffee beans and did not yet brew coffee to sell. 

Expansion
In 1984, Starbucks expanded by purchasing Pete's coffee and tea company. In 1987 Starbucks opened its first stores outside of Seattle in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Chicago, Illinois. By 1989 the Starbucks company had 46 locations across the Northwest and Midwest. 

Starbucks opened its first international store in Tokyo, Japan in 1996 and entered the U.K in 1998. Although coffee is not the only thing Starbucks has had its hand it. In 1999 the company experimented with a couple restaurants in the San Fransisco Bay area. Once people began to figure out they were Starbucks establishments, they were turned into cafes. On November 14, 2012, Starbucks announced their purchase of the Teavana company for $620 million in cash. 

Today Starbucks serves its hand crafted products to their loyal customers at over 24,000 locations in 70 countries. With a mission like Starbucks: to inspire and nurture the human spirit-one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time, you too, could be on your way to owning a successful coffee business. 

The Do's of Logo Design

In a time where everyone has a website to support their brand, service, or company, the demand for a high quality logo has never been higher. Logos are an instant point of recognition to remind customers of the brand and the product or service provided. With more logo designs than ever before, it's important to be different. Consider the following ideas, tips, and guidelines for designing your logo.

Although it is important to make your logo different, you'll want to start by looking at logos in the same industry or from companies of similar size to yours. Look at successful logos and understand what made them successful. Look at companies who constantly change their logo and ask yourself what makes them unsuccessful. 

For example the Starbucks logo. This design has been pretty much the same with little changes in order to stay relevant. But ever wondered who the "Starbucks Lady" is? According to the Starbucks website, the logo dates back to 1971. "In a search for a way to capture the seafaring history of coffee and Seattle’s strong seaport roots, there was a lot of poring over old marine books going on. Suddenly, there she was: a 16th century Norse woodcut of a twin-tailed mermaid, or Siren. There was something about her – a seductive mystery mixed with a nautical theme that was exactly what the founders were looking for. A logo was designed around her, and our long relationship with the Siren began."

Next, it's largely important to follow the basic principles of logo design. 

• Keep it simple
• Make it memorable
  
• It must be enduring
• Make sure it's versatile
• Keep it appropriate

Lastly, it is necessary to understand the brand. When designing a logo, you must keep in mind a specific audience that the logo must reach. When in the researching phase try using a mood board or an idea board to write down ideas, concepts, or thoughts about the company. You also must know what your logo means. Every logo has a history or story behind it that adds meaning to it and is typically centered around the brand's ideologies. 

Whether you plan to design your own or hire someone to design it, remember to keep these tips and guidelines in mind to take your logo design to the next level. 

5 Tips to Start a Successful Coffee Business

About 83 percent of American adults drink coffee and the average consumption is about 3.2 cups of coffee per day. According to Statista in 2013 there were 52,684 coffee shops in the U.S. alone. In 2016 this number has jumped to 55,246 coffee shops in total. After looking at the numbers, there is no doubt coffee is a good business to be in.

Image taken from Bplans. Number of coffee shop establishments in the United States.

5 Tips to Start a Successful Coffee Business

1. Create a Business Plan
A business plan is an essential road map to starting any business. This document explains clearly what your business is, how it will be profitable, your customer base, competitors, plans for growth and more.

Keep it short. If you're not requesting funding from a bank, a detailed business isn't necessary. Stick to a one-page plan-just enough to confirm your business model and map out your market. Check out these Free Cafe and Coffee Shop Sample Business Plans from Bplans for a jump start.

2. Location, Location, Location
A good location is important to the success of your coffee shop but you won't find it over night. Be patient and do some research. Look up what business was in that building before. Was it a coffee shop? Was it successful? Why did it fail? Next, become a spy. Count how many cars or people pass by at different times and different days. See if teens are hanging out near the location. Will there be enough parking for your customers? And lastly, make sure you're getting a reasonable rent or purchase price.

3. Shop Around
To make sure you're getting a good price on equipment and furniture, be sure to shop around for products. During the planning and funding stages, keep a spreadsheet of all the items you need and compare prices there. Use the internet as a tool to find the best prices on everything!

4. Start Marketing Before You Open 
You want people to know about your new business and be excited about your new business. If you begin to advertising the day you open, you are behind. Start marketing a couple months prior to opening with these affordable tactics:

• Pass out free samples at local events
• Drop off free coffee to local businesses with a flyer promoting opening day
• Set up a few social media channels 
• Inform the media about your plans to open

5.  Be Passionate and Hire Passionate People 

Customers want to buy things from happy people. Always present your product with a smile while being passionate about your business. Hire employees who smile and feel the same passion for your products and service and nurture them. Pay them well and encourage them to have just as big of dreams for the business as you do. 

If you've been thinking of combining your entrepreneurial spirit with your love of coffee, you know what they say, "there's no time like the present!"

No Money? No Problem - How to start a coffee shop on little money

Many hopeful coffee shop business entrepreneurs are interested in starting a coffee business with no, to very little, money. The Specialty Coffee Chronicle's post, Starting a Small, Simple, Coffee Shop by Jonathon S. Jarrow, the owner of Harbinger, The Coffee Spot in Fort Collins, CO., discusses the possibility of starting and owning a coffee business for very little money. In his post he explains the steps he took to go from barista to boss.

Jarrow wanted to open his own coffee shop and decided that with little money he would keep his costs low by focusing on one product: excellent black coffee, brewed by the cup. The above images show the minimal equipment required to begin a successful business, that someday could grow into something bigger. 

A month into business, Jarrow realized he needed to master a few new skills: patience, persistence, and listening, but eventually his hard work proved to pay off and he was profitable the first six months of being open. He feels confident in his choice to go from barista to boss and loves that it's kind of a trend across America. 

No money? No problem, just go for it. Start small and stay focussed. 

About Me!

Hello and welcome to my blog! I am a Communication and Digital Marketing student at the University of Northern Iowa with a love for coffee (who doesn't, right?)!

I will be researching and blogging about what it takes to start up a coffee shop with posts covering topics such as, the start of Starbucks to interviews with some of my favorite local shop owners. 

Whether you aspire to someday start up your own shop, currently own one, or just love all things coffee, I hope you enjoy my blog!