The 7 Steps to Coffee Shop Success

By Founder and President Greg Ubert

Based on the Book that’s Started over 400 Successful Coffee Shops

Do you want to learn how to open a coffee shop? Or, take your existing coffee shop to the next level?

With our proven 7 Steps to Coffee Shop Success program, running a profitable independent coffee shop is easier than you think. To get started, follow the steps in the book that started it all!

Backed by over 30 years of coffee industry experience, 7 Steps to Success: a Common-sense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee offers insider insight into everything you need to open and run a thriving coffee shop, including formulas for accurately estimating coffee shop startup costs.

The Proven Program For Coffee Shop Success

The 7 Steps will help you unlock the secrets to becoming a successful coffee shop owner – even if you have little or no coffee knowledge! Over 300 business owners in 30 states have followed this road map to open coffee shops that create a comfortable living! Coffee pros with decades of experience will guide you along a proven roadmap as you launch, operate, and expand your independent coffee shop.

When you buy the book, you also get:

• Content, including exclusive audio, accessible immediately after purchase
• Coffee shop business plan template
• One-hour, no-obligation virtual one-on-one session with 7 Steps team leader Scott Fullerton
• Samples of our award-winning coffee and tea
• Complete catalog of our coffees and coffee shop supplies
• Free shipping

You will learn proven strategies for running a profitable coffee shop, including how to:

• Choose the right location (Hint: it’s probably not where you think).
• Set up your space for labor-efficient service.
• Get the right coffee shop products and equipment.
• Grassroots marketing to beat the coffee giants at their own game.
• Train employees for maximum productivity.
• Create a welcoming culture.
• Present a clean, attractive store.

The Four Phases of Coffee Shop Ownership

Our experienced coffee shop consultants will guide you through four phases of ownership including tools to help you succeed. Even if you have zero coffee shop experience, this proven process can help you create a thriving coffee business. At every step – from dreaming about your coffee shop to opening day, your first anniversary, and beyond – we’re here to ensure that your journey leads to success in both business and life.

PHASE 1: Decide Whether Coffee Shop Ownership Is Right for You

During this exploratory phase, you’ll learn about the coffee shop industry and what it takes to run a successful coffee business. Our consultants will help you:

• Write a coffee shop business plan using our proprietary template.
• Calculate startup costs, operating expenses, and projected cash flow with our interactive proforma tool.
• Evaluate potential locations using proven criteria.
• Determine the capital investment needed to open your dream coffee shop.
• Create your mission, vision, values, and goals statements.
• Develop a brand that reflects your vision and appeals to target customers.
• Identify a product mix that delivers quality, consistency and profitability.

By the end of Phase I, you will decide if you’re ready to become a coffee shop owner. If the answer is yes, our consultants will guide you through the design/build phase.

PHASE 2: Coffee Shop Design and Build

Now that you have your location, business plan and other essentials, the fun begins! We’ll help you craft a unique coffee shop that attracts new customers and keeps them coming back. Our 7 Steps team will help you decide what to build, what equipment to buy, and where to put everything so that you can prepare drinks as efficiently as humanly possible. Our design and build services include:

• Designing your coffee bar using our proven workflow efficiency model.
• Analyzing traffic flow and configuring your drive-thru, if applicable
• Advice and analysis on the type, quality, and quantity of all expresso machines, brewing equipment, and blenders so that you choose the best equipment for your coffee shop.
• Supervising equipment installation and providing guidance on custom programming, troubleshooting and preventive maintenance.
• Providing lists for obtaining back-of-house equipment, small wares and supplies.
• Creating a plan for locating utilities and storage.
• Sourcing of your beginning inventory, including custom-branded hot coffee sleeves.

By the end of Phase 2, your physical location will be stocked and ready for you to learn how to open and run your coffee shop.

PHASE 3: Preparing to Open Your Coffee Shop

Over the following weeks, our consultants will answer all your questions about day-to-day coffee shop operations. You’ll learn how to:

• Hire and train your baristas and other associates.
• Use strategic labor management to schedule coverage.
• Format your menu, including pricing structure and layout.
• Use grassroots marketing strategies to get people in the door and keep them coming back.
• Manage your facilities, including building security and health code compliance.
• Manage general business operations like payroll, accounting and human resources.

Phase 3 concludes with four to five days of hands-on, in-depth training for you and your staff at your coffee shop. A 7 Steps trainer will travel to your store to help you:

• Master barista techniques, implement our workflow efficiency model, and use our recipe formula system for making quality coffee drinks consistently and profitably.
• Program your point-of-sale, order display screens, and drive-thru technology.
• Make delicious coffee, tea, and espresso-based drinks using our proprietary recipe book of drinks loved by coffee drinkers across the U.S.
• Open and close your shop efficiently.
• Learn principles of providing an exceptional customer experience.
• Understand how to organize, manage, and order your inventory.
• Discover preventative maintenance procedures to maximize your investment.

Your trainer will share daily operational checklists, a comprehensive training manual, and helpful shortcuts to ensure consistency. On the final day, your trainer will stay on-site to supervise the soft opening of your coffee shop! After your soft opening, you’ll schedule a Grand Opening event to introduce your coffee shop to your community. Your 7 Steps Growth Rep will work with you to create an event marketing plan and develop promotional materials including banners, business cards, coupons, menu flyers, and more. As your Grand Opening approaches, our Operations Specialist will join you for three days of onsite support to ensure a successful event. You’ll also receive a post-event assessment to help you keep improving.

PHASE 4: Growing Your Coffee Shop’s Business

We’re here for you! As you embark on your coffee business journey, you’ll find our team by your side, offering our honest guidance and plenty of moral support. After your shop opens, your 7 Steps team will keep working with you to grow your business. We’re passionate about helping you reach your goals while maintaining a healthy work-life balance as a business owner. Our ongoing consulting and support services include:

• Helping you build your own Coffee Shop Playbook.
• Competitive pricing strategy and cost-of-goods-sold control to ensure profitability.
• Continuing staff development.
• Marketing strategies and social media planning.
• Continuing training programs – onsite at your coffee shop and at the Crimson Cup Innovation Lab, our SCA-certified premier training campus.
• Product and recipe innovation.
• Monthly promotional materials.

We’ve been through this with hundreds of other coffee shop owners. We understand the opportunities and challenges you’ll encounter so let’s do this together!

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Can Use the 7 Steps?

Whatever your stage on the coffee shop ownership journey, the 7 Steps to Success are for you! Start today if you are:

• An entrepreneur dreaming about your first coffee shop.
• A barista looking to become a business owner.
• An experienced café owner seeking to streamline operations and grow your business.

Why Choose the 7 Steps Over a Coffee School or Coffee Franchise?

With over 30 years of experience in the specialty coffee industry, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea is a one-stop shop for independent coffee shop success.

• Our coffee buyers travel the globe – by plane, boat, bus, jeep, foot, and even mule – to discover exceptional coffee and cultivate long-lasting relationships with the hard-working farmers who grow it.
• We roast our own coffee, which consistently wins national awards for quality and sustainability. If you buy the book, we’ll send you some free samples!
• Our 7 Steps to Success consulting team has been there and done that in the coffee industry, helping over 300 entrepreneurs across the country open and grow their independent coffee shops.
• Follow the path of hundreds of successful 7 Steps customers. Some have grown their businesses for 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years. Others now own multiple shops. And they’re still working with our team.
• We operate a growing chain of Crimson Cup Coffee Shops which act as test laboratories for new coffees, drinks, brew methods, marketing promotions, and more. So, unlike most coffee consultants, we back our advice with hands-on experience!
• We provide a complete line of quality coffee shop products – including award-winning coffee, tea, sauces, smoothie ingredients, and syrups – to create awesome drinks that your customers will love.
• You’ll get our proven playbook for independent coffee shop success – including a coffee shop business plan, competitive pricing strategies, advice on choosing coffee shop equipment, drink recipes, marketing plans, and more.
• Our hands-on training comes to you! Your 7 Steps trainer will travel to your coffee shop the week before your soft opening, teaching you and your team using best practices in drink preparation and café management. Then, your trainer stays with you to support your team on opening day.
• Our success depends on your success. For decades, we have grown our company by helping entrepreneurs like you grow their coffee businesses.
• You’re not locked into long-term contracts, franchise fees, or royalties. Instead, we keep earning your trust and business through attentive service, month after month and year after year.

Ready to Get Started?

Begin the 7 Steps process by investing in 7 Steps to Success: a Common-sense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee. Inside the book, you’ll find the proven 7 step process explained in detail plus you’ll get important supporting materials including a proven template for creating a solid coffee shop business plan.

Because we’re so passionate about helping coffee shop owners achieve their dreams, the book comes with a risk-free guarantee. Read it and take your first step toward owning a profitable coffee shop. If you decide it’s not for you, return the book for a full refund. The samples of our award-winning coffee and tea are yours to keep and enjoy.

Buy the Book