|
Wake up and smell the profit: 52 (+1) Guaranteed Ways to Make More Money in Your Coffee Business | 
 enlarge | Authors: John Richardson, Hugh Gilmartin
Publisher: Indiego
Category: Book
This item is no longer available
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 244305
Media: Paperback
Pages: 127
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.8 x 0.5
ISBN: 0954906691
EAN: 9780954906696
ASIN: 0954906691
Publication Date: June 1, 2007
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
Highly effective ideas March 12, 2008
Mr. P. S. Bayston (South East England)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm not quite sure what the previous reviewers problem with this book is. Although obviously you can't be all things to all people one of the great aspects to this book is that it HAS lots of anecdotes in it. Most of the "52 ways" are accompanied with an anecdote that explains how they have either used the tip in their own businesses or with other peoples. For me that was the big benefit. In other words it's not just theory. It's lots of great ideas and concrete examples of how they actually work in real life.
I was given the book by my coffee supplier who challenged me to take just one or two concepts and apply them to my business. Needless to say, since we don't value anything that we don't pay for, it sat around unopened until he asked me what I had applied. Somewhat sheepishly I replied that I hadn't even read it yet! I then read it in one evening and have now changed several aspects of my business and plan to apply many more. I created a couple of star products and got all my team on board to explain to customers why we are so proud of them. Sales of these items have dramatically increased. I totally changed the customer flow within my business and had a enlightening meeting with my staff where I did the "muffin test" and discovered that most of them thought I was keeping approximately 500 out of every 1000 that goes in the till!
Highly recommended.
This book is my little "friend". February 8, 2008
James Clark (Edinburgh)
26 out of 26 found this review helpful
A little story (and stories sell as you'll find out from Hugh and Johnnie)
I decided, like so many wage-slave dreamers, to finally take the big step and set up my own coffee bar about two years ago. I bought all the slightly tedious books that were out there about setting up coffee shops and worked my way through them. I also pored through the various bits of "set up a business" guff from the banks and then read a few "Go on, you can do it..." motivational books.
Armed with a remortgage, a nervous wife, our savings and a healthy slice of naiveté I opened my coffee bar. None of the books that I read or indeed none of the advice I received was wrong - it just wasn't enough. It just didn't fully prepare me for how bloody hard it is to make money out there and how far from being the idyllic lifestyle and dream it actually is.
I lost a clean fortune in the first two years (well a fortune to me anyway) and gradually realised that this is pretty much exactly what everyone does. I then chanced upon this book by the Ireland's "Coffee Boys" after seeing them speak at a conference. It may not be filled with lots of plans or tedious checklists but these guys really, really know their stuff.
Suddenly it felt like it was all "okay". It felt like here were people who really knew what they were talking about. They had either personally owned or advised dozens of businesses. They hadn't just written a book based on one personal example or because they'd been to business school. They'd made all the mistakes and come out the other side battered and bruised but capable of knowing exactly what it takes to make money in this type of business - even if you have a Starbucks or a Costa opening up right beside you. And they wrote in a refreshingly honest and entertaining way.
So armed with my new "friend" I have set about restructuring my little business in a number of crucial ways. I have finally understood that it is "about the money" and not about ego as they keep emphasising. I have finally understood the importance of stars on the menu, telling stories, keeping my eyes on the costs (every pound isn't equal don't forget) and indeed how to avoid "sour faced hags" and the "Grannie rule".
I walk the shop every day like a customer and have my staff do the same. I now have spotless toilets and have totally changed my customer flow. It's all common sense really but you sometimes need a book like this to keep the common sense at the forefront of your mind and keep some perspective from the madness and claustrophobia of running a coffee bar.
So what's wrong with it? Well I wish it was longer and I wish they had maybe shown a couple of physical examples in the direct marketing section. I also wish they'd give a little more information on recruiting and retaining staff. That continues to be a huge issue for me. But I'm nitpicking really.
So if you currently own or are vaguely thinking of opening a coffee bar or any type of coffee shop you really should buy this. It could save you a lot of money. I only wish it had been out when I was first opening my shop.
Coffe Bar King and Golf Star? October 15, 2007
Grass Is Always Greener (Hollywood, California)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I found John Richardson through his scratch2scratch blog. He accomplished something I, and many many
other golfers only dream of, to shoot a perfect round of golf. I have been reading his golf blog for some
time now and have been deeply affected by his insights and advice regarding not only golf, but life in
general. I read his coffee shop book, because living in Hollywood, California, I am also a driven coffeeholic! This is the land of the quadruple (and larger) espresso and we take coffee consumption VERY
seriously.
I read this book hoping to learn more about one of my favorite subjects (coffee) with no intention of
actually starting a coffee shop. What I found was a wealth of information about the coffee shop business
and SO much more! I am an entrepreneur and record producer and have had some pretty reasonable
success on MTV and in films and television. In the age of digital downloads and changing technology
there is one thing that is more important than most everything else - HAPPY CUSTOMERS! John
Richardson has (yet again) made it very clear that the basics to most ANY business is customer
satisfaction, and the tools and attitdue he puts forth in in Wake Up and Smell The Profit are the
fundametntal building blocks of ANY successful business. Not only is it a good read, but it could be
considered a handbook for any entrepreneur that needs a refresher course or a wake up call.
Thanks again to my favorite golf writer for more valuable information on business, life and of
course coffee! Make mine a quadruple!
Coffee....and the rest. October 12, 2007
Michael Donald
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
If you have a business, any business, and you're not rich, and you don't know why, or if you have ever thought, "I'm really good at what I do, why am I not more successful"..... this book was written for you. I come at this from a slightly odd angle. I have nothing to do with the cafe business. I'm a photographer. I was looking for marketing books when I came across this gem. What this book spells out is that the ability to make the best coffee in the world and the ability to run a successful coffee business are two distinct things. I have concentrated for years on taking better photographs and assumed the business would run itself....afterall I am a photographer. Not so. What this book lays out in the simplest forms is that so many of think the normal "rules" don't apply to us as we're busy doing what we do best. It is the wake up call. This book is more relevant to me than a lot of books written specifically for photographers. A lot of it may seem painfully obvious, but it works. I wish it had been written years ago.
Good read October 9, 2007
Derek Stringer
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Great, easy to understand, advice from people who really understand the business. Some of their "true stories" had me laughing out loud since they so clearly mirror the mistakes I have made too. There is some really invaluable advice for people starting out but also dozens of great tips for wizened veterans like myself who think we know it all but seem to have forgotten a lot of it!
|
|
|
www.pcprotech.co.uk | |
