Anyone got a coffee shop as a plan b?

[TestMangler]

Dont you just employ a teenager minimum wager, ermm I mean Barista to do the actual work. Then just pop in now and then to supervise?

Yeah, good luck with that take someone who you openly mock as being a minimum wager and leave them in charge of YOUR business. I think you may have just the business model you deserve there

[BolshieBastard]

A retail outlet? Need serious working capital for the first 6 - 9 months.

Don't forget to get serious amount of Public Liability insurance to.

Oh, and expect lots of half eaten pizza, burgers, puke and worse things to be posted through your letterbox as midnight deliveries!

[MarillionFan]

High street retail is extremely tough.

The combination of rent, rates, insurance is a fixed cost that cannot be negotiated. Then the variable costs of staffing, coupled with your product costs.

It is actually very easy to model and
Luckily for me, in the three shops I've had the model and the actual business where pretty accurate so there were no surprises. The main issue as TM says, is the amount of time involved. If you leave it to staff you'll fail so you need to be involved. Coupled with the fact as contractors we aim way above minimum wage it's not worth the loss of time IMO

[escapeUK]

Yeah, good luck with that take someone who you openly mock as being a minimum wager and leave them in charge of YOUR business. I think you may have just the business model you deserve there

Yes, cus it never works for Starbucks or McDonalds or in fact anywhere thats big and making lots of money already doing this. Id probably employ one on a quid an hour more and give them a nice title.

So many geeks live in their own little bubble, look around you. See whats going on, it might give you some ideas of how to get on in life.

High street retail is extremely tough.

The combination of rent, rates, insurance is a fixed cost that cannot be negotiated. Then the variable costs of staffing, coupled with your product costs.

Though I do think this is right, which is why we see more and more of the high street closing for business. Though so far coffee shops are seeming quite hardy.

[TestMangler]

Yes, cus it never works for Starbucks or McDonalds or in fact anywhere thats big and making lots of money already doing this. Id probably employ one on a quid an hour more and give them a nice title.

So many geeks live in their own little bubble, look around you. See whats going on, it might give you some ideas of how to get on in life.

Is that what you're doing then ? You seem to forget that I've actually done it, rather than spouting opinions about it.

Starbucks and McDonalds don't employ a numpty on min wage and just 'leave them to it' as you're suggesting. Most McDonalds are franchises and you'll have some poor sod who's invested his life in starting it up. Just because they're not visible to you doesn't mean they're not there. Other than that, opening a cafe or a coffee shop doesn't give you the massive infrastructure to absorb losses and theft. Think about it.

[AtW]

Saw plenty of coffee shops doing well in Amsterdam