Settling in, Working Towards Profitability
Good Afternoon! It’s Wednesday, it’s hump day, mid week for most and day two of six for me! I’m drinking water, listening to a house music compilation ep called “Stratford Ct. | Delector”. I’m taking a break to write, it’s been a pretty steady day until now but I’m always slow around noon-1pm. I used to write blogs on Saturday, but since those are now my busiest days of the week I haven’t had time. So I’m going to answer the question I’ve been getting most this month. Today!
How’s it been? Have you been busy?
Well it’s been pretty good i’d say, all things considered. We were pretty busy in the first week or two, then slowed down for a couple weeks, and now we’re somewhat steady as people settle in to their schedule and add us in! My interpretation of that busy period, was that a lot of people were checking us out for the first time. A lot of those people left large tips that seriously helped out and made up a large portion of our income. The following couple weeks were others checking us out who drove by, and some people from the neighborhood peeking in. We had a few of our first regulars with laptops stop in to work for a couple hours here and there, them buying multiple drinks also helped out a lot.
We had to pay 1 of 2 big construction bills right after the throwdown/fundraiser, and that hurt. I spent more than I should have all at once, but it was what I needed to do. Plus! Following that, the last couple weeks were slow, but I was scraping by! I’m finding it difficult to buy enough back stock. It’s crucial that when you buy, you buy in bulk. This is to get a better margin and not waste time shopping so frequently. (Time has been crazy valuable as one person.) When you’re making just enough and then you need to buy a ton of anything it can be hard! I’m getting familiar with where to buy things locally in a pinch, and how to save money at home. Hopefully I can better handle stock going forward.
Another small thing i’m balancing financially is weekend help, even when it’s slow i’ve always had morning rushes on weekends. To make sure everyone has a good experience i’ve had help during those few hours. First it was from my partner Dakota, who with some coffee experience was able to help me take orders quickly. Dakota already had a full time job so that quickly became unsustainable. More recently i’ve had Ty who’s got a great personality for talking with people up front, but is taking some time to learn about coffee behind the bar. I hope that like with Ty, I can continue to fit people in who can afford to work the hours I have with such a positive outlook.
I’m trying not to get impatient.
I have one more big construction bill hanging over my head, all my credit is maxed, all my bills are about as big as they get, i’m working every day of the week. The thing is, this is the worst of it, probably. Once I’ve paid off that big bill and some of my debt, it will be easier. Once I have steady help, it will be easier. I just have to be there putting in the work to achieve my goals. Remembering to sleep and eat alright. The community and the neighborhood have been really positive about the shop, and I’m confident that with time we’ll be very busy.
I’m really fortunate that right away i’m making enough money to pay my own bills, many shops start completely dead. I’m fortunate that the bottom of this ladder is as high up as it is. It’s easy to look down from here and get depressed, but it’s not that low, and as the face of the shop I have to maintain my posture. I chose this to be a positive and uplifting coffee shop, so that’s what i’ll represent. This might have been easier if we were a typical drab and dark place haha. I could just look sad all the time and no one would notice. But that’s the point! I’m here to knock it out of the park with high spirits! I’ve got great people around me! I’m meeting great people every day!
That’s how i’m feeling today, thanks for reading everyone. Have a great rest of your week, - Elias
