How to Start a Christian Coffeehouse
You may want to start a Christian coffeehouse as a way to enhance your religious contribution to your community or to provide a gathering place for people to talk about Christianity and share their religious experiences. Whatever your reason, starting a Christian coffee house requires the same amount of research, planning and dedication as any other retail coffee shop. Investing time and efforts, you can grow your Christian coffee business steadily and acquire spiritual and financial fulfillment.
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Instructions
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Visit other Christian coffeehouses in your area to get an idea of what starting and operating a Christian coffeehouse are all about. Observe how they operate and serve their customers. Review their menus. Write down all your opinions and ideas. Make a list of Want and Won't for your coffeehouse from this research.
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Decide your coffeehouse style and menu for customers. You may want to go for a casual, hospitable and lively atmosphere. You may want to serve tea, snacks and soft drinks besides coffee. Many Christian coffeehouses feature entertainment, such as nonviolent music and nonphysical games. You can also choose to offer live or taped music entertainment, Christian literature, inspirational stories of day-to-day Christians and one-to-one counseling.
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Research costs associated with starting a Christian coffeehouse business. Typical expenses would include retail space, furniture (such as tables, chairs, shelves, cash registers and counters) and equipment for serving coffee and snacks (depending on your choice of offerings) as well as stock (books, music CDs), wages, licenses and permits. Include expenses for music entertainment and events if you are planning to offer such activities.
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Prepare a business plan. Describe in detail the startup costs and financing and location options you are considering for your business. Explain how you are going to get equipment, furniture and other supplies for the business and how you are going to run the business (number of employees and hours of operation, for example). Give details about your marketing strategies. Give a time frame for each task so that you get it accomplished on schedule.
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Choose how to finance your business. You can approach a bank or a private lender. Consider the option of obtaining grants from a Christian organization. A good place to start looking for Christian organization grants would be your local churches. Start with funding organizations, such as Nehemiah Corp. or The Maclellan Family Foundations, and check if you meet their grant requirements. Have a solid business plan in place to impress the lenders.
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Search for a retail space. Take into account factors such as the location, how busy or remote the location and the building are, and building accessibility. You can either purchase or rent the site. If you plan to purchase, note that it would increase your startup costs, but you can enjoy the benefits as an owner. Leasing decreases your startup expenses, but you may have to get the consent of the building's owner for making decisions such as remodeling the building or installing necessary equipment.
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Register for necessary licenses and permits. You would have to register your business with your secretary of state and obtain a tax identification number from the Internal Revenue Service and your state revenue department. You would also have to apply to the IRS for an employer identification number for tax withholding purposes. Get to know your local, federal or state laws so you can comply with all rules for opening a coffeehouse.
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Promote your coffeehouse actively before the inaugural date. Advertise in the local newspaper. Send out press releases and brochures to the local Christian organizations. Distribute fliers to community members. Send email invitations to friends and relatives. Hang a banner announcing the opening date.
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References
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- Photo Credit restaurant image by Dmitry Nikolaev from Fotolia.com
