A Few More Things

There are a few more things that need to be completed this week for Cafe Evoke to go along with the others I posted yesterday. Here are the others.. 1. Find out about singage regulations. What kind can we have? How big? Lighted? etc.. 2. Recalculate our Capital Budget Report and also try out some new numbers in our financial projections to show the chance of a smaller space... 3. Look in to reserving the name CAFE EVOKE and also the time frams for incorporating and setting up our S-Corp. Those are the two other big things that I am currently working on. I am going to spend today getting the rest of my office set up and working on some numbers. Tomorrow and the rest of the week will be for making the calls to the local governments.

WiFi versus The Community

Do we have to make this a competition? It is true that no matter where you go these days, yes including McDonalds, you find wireless internet and in most cases, free of charge. I found this post over at The Coffee Odyssey that talks about some of the issues that cafes providing WiFi might be incountering... "There's really two issues here. One is the obvious question of whether some number of customers are abusing a free service. The other, and arguably more thorny issue, is whether WiFi promotes solitary, insulating activity in a public space that's better suited to building community." I have found that these wireless hotspots allow the shop to be used by more and more poeple. You can have meetings for business, school, and even business planning when the internet is at your fingertips. Yes, I would love for EVoke to be a place in which the internet is used but also a place "where everybody knows your name.." Here is the post about this from Coffee and Caffeine Blog and also the orginal article by Victrola Coffee.

Things for this Week

We have few things that we must get done this week in order to continue to deal with the space owner, etc. The great thing is, is that I pinched a nerve in my back over the weekend working in the yard. This is my own diagnosis as I have felt this same pain before with the outcome being a pinched nerve. Lots of pain, not much fun. Here is our goals for this week. We need to call the local governent about parking issues and also about regulations on bathrooms. If and when the space gets split, our side will be left without a bathroom. I am very confident that the only need one that will act as the men/women's room. We have to make sure that it is handicap accsssable but we need to find out for suire from the government. We also need to0 find out how much parking we need. There is a very limited amount of parking in the lot in front so we have to work something out. We might need to find another place for people to park if there is not enough. We also need to call the space owner back to let him know we have made some of these calls and that we are still very serious about moving in. We really want to make that impression on him in order to keep the relatioship strong. Going to the bank is also a major thing that I hope to start this week. Our banking advisor has the financials in his hands right now and should have a completed edit for us by Wednesday, I hope. Then, we start making calls to local banks and set up meetings. My goal is to have 2 meetings set up by the end of this week. That is where we are right now. We are waiting for business cards and letterhead to arrive from Nashville and we are also trying to push some stickers and a few t-shirts out so we can begin getting the name out with local groups and organizations. I will keep you updated... ~~be bold

Meeting #1 with Space Owner

Yesterday, we meet with the owner of the space we are hoping to rent for Cafe Evoke. As we have said, this space is in need of some major reconstruction to give it some atmosphere so we have been trying to figure out just what that would all cost and how we could afford a space that was almost 1000 square feet bigger than what we really wanted to have (the space is 2400 and we wanted between 1500-1800) In all honesty, I was a bit nervous going into this meeting not know what he would say when we told him we would not be ready before September to take over the lease and I didnt' want to lead on that we still have not talked with any banks about lending. (although our financials have been sent to our banker on our board of advisors). The owner was very helpful and even said he would love to split the space for us if he can figure out how to do it correctly, giving us 1400 square feet of space and the patio area that we hope to build. THis was great news for us because this will be the perfect size and will be cheaper rent than what we had planned for. Construction costs will also be cut in half based on our projections. (more on some of these numbers as we go forward) Joe, the owner, told us he would probably extend us two free months of rent for construction if he goes with us in the space. There is another business that is interested but we are confident that the space will work for us if it is supposed to. We are going to continue finding other locations until we hear back. Things are looking up for us here in Bozeman, Montana and we are running ahead with our plans. ~~be bold

Be Yourself

Better Local Marketing, again, shares with us some great advice when building our marketing plans. This advice seems simple, but is harder than it appears... "The problem is when we cross the line and go too far, we can get ourselves in trouble, like Steve did. And as we promote our business, the last thing we want is for customers or prospective customers to think of us as people who over promise and under deliver. Plus, for our marketing to be most effective, we need to reach the right people with the right message. If we stray too far and try to be something we’re not, our message will be wrong and our market likely will be too. Sending the wrong message to the wrong market is a cardinal sin in the world of marketing. So, as you plan and implement your marketing, take some time to make sure you're telling the right story. Make sure your message is based on who you are and what your business can do for your customers. Keep it grounded in reality. You’ll have a greater impact and you’ll get better results. And, you’re less likely to get chewed out by an angry police officer! Be sure to make a stop over at Better Local Marketing and get the whole story... ~be bold

It's Your Identity

Stylish and functional--Aside from being one of the very first impressions of your business, signs also serve several functions. They can be decorative—think of “cappuccino” in neon yellow scribbled across a brick wall; informative—a “John’s Coffeehouse and Café” sign lets passersby know that this establishment serves coffee and food; or attention-getting—the pink glow from that neon coffee cup may attract traffic from blocks away. This artical from Specialty Coffee Retailer is all about choosing singage and your identity. We have designed our logos, letter head, website, etc with the exact same colors, styles, fonts, etc. We wanted to create a sense of familiarity so that when people see the greys, greens, and oranges in our logos they will know that it is Cafe Evoke. No matter the function, all signage, says Dawn Pankow, marketing manager for The Howard Company, Brookfield, Wis., should do one thing—match the décor and ambiance of the coffeehouse. “If it’s a dimly lit location,” Pankow offers as an example, “you want to have the menuboard fit in.” Your identity is one of the most important things when trying to set yourself apart in the market. It is worth the extra dollars to do it right. If you are setting out to create your identity, go all out or don't do it at all. Remember, this is who you are! ~~be bold. Check out our identity at Cafe Evoke.com

To The Bank

I have sent the financial statements for Cafe Evoke to our bank advisor in Oklahoma City and once he gets back to me, we will begin shopping banks here in Bozeman. I have gotten to know a guy that works at the bank we do our personal banking at and I am hoping it will lead to the loan we are hopeing to achieve. The next couple of weeks is crucial to the devolopement of Evoke because it will tell us if we can afford to do business. We should have a very good idea of the type of money we can raise through debt financing after we hear back from our bank advisor and we will know what the space owner will do as far as lease holds and other help on his part to create the atmosphere of Cafe Evoke. This is what we are working on at this point. Things are moving--or trudging maybe--in the right direction and I will keep the posts coming. Cable goes in tomorrow which will allow me to get more information out! Until then, keep checking out the links on the right sidebar.... ~~be bold

Quote of the Day

" Amazing what caffeine and no sense of self-preservation can do." ~~unknown

Update...

Things have been crazy around here lately. We have had no phones, house or cell, no cable (which means no internet) and the house smells of new paint and boxes. We are finally getting back on the ball though. I have the office set up finally and have begun to make calls and get things rolling. The meeting with the landlord of the space is going to happen late this week or early next week and I am meeting with a local banker later today to "get to know him." I am having to spend time now, however, looking for work so we can pay our bills. By Thursday, the phones and internet will be set up at our house and the blogging will continue. Thanks for being patient and the updates will come soon! ~~be bold..

Taglines...

This is my first post from here in Bozeman Montana! The weather has been cool and rainy since we arrived but we are soo excited to get back to life! We should have the truck unpacked today and the paint is going up on the walls all at the same time. Things are going to be nice when they are all finished up.. Since we have not set up our internet at the house yet (long story on that type of thing), I'm sitting at one of the coffee shops in town taking a break from buyign paint and running errands. I'm notices on the sign and logo of the place that the tagline folowing their name is.. "a coffeehouse" This is the same thing ours was going to be... "Cafe Evoke: a coffee house" so now I'm trying to figure out if I shoudl change the line or even worry about it. Other than that, we have been tryign to get our office set up so I can get some things done for our meeting on the 24th with the landlord of the space on MSU campus that we have been looking at for months now. This will be a big step in our process and depending on how it goes we will have to do reserve our name with the local government and do that type of planning. Sorry for the lack of posts but by mid next week I hope to be posting daily again.. Thanks again! If you haven't yet, check out Cafe Evoke.com to see the logo and colors we are using for the cafe. ~~be bold

Last Post From TN

This will be my last post from the great state of Tennessee. I have enjoyed my 4 years that I have been here while attending Belmont University but it is time for us to go! My wife, her parents, and our two dogs, head out tomorrow in our Subaru and 15 foot Budget truck with 4-Runner in tow for our 2,000 mile tour to the West. I will be away from the computer I suspect until Friday or Saturday in which postings will go on as usual. Until then, go check around some of my friends on the sidebar. Thanks to everyone who has been reading so far and I hope that you will continue with me as we start our next step in this process... ~~be bold

"Coffee anyone? Frustrated java-drinker creates his own cafe"

I found this article this morning talking about a guy that wanted someone to open a quality coffeeshop in his town. This was his process in getting one... First he contacted Peet's Coffee and Starbucks. But Kimberk said both companies judged the "demographics of the location" as unfavorable. Next, three separate individuals said they would open a cafe, but each ended up changing their mind. The last potential tenant backed out with the cafe space nearly completed. At that point instead of trying to convince a forth person, Kimberk decided to open the cafe himself. This is a man that wanted his coffee and he did everything in his power to get it. He took the risk and is now seeing success in his business. I think this shows that if you believe in something with all you have, it will eventually happen and probably by you! When it is time to take that next risky step, don't count on others to take it for you. ~~be bold

Graduation Day...

Today is graduation day at Belmont University and it felt great to finally be a part of the action! It was a nice event and a packed house! My family and my wife's familly are all in town helping us pack up the house and move on. Not to many more days now and we will be in Bozeman Montana setting off on our marketing and planning of Cafe Evoke on the actual game field. I will be unavailbe to blog begin on Monday but I will update from Bozeman by the end of the week! ~~be bold

Quote of the Day

This is an excerpt from Common Sense, written in 1776 by Thomas Paine that I found over at Michael Simmons site, Young Entrepreneur Journey (for those young in the start up world, this is a great resource) that he found over at Ambitious Aspirations. I like what it has to say.... I do not choose to be a common man, It is my right to be uncommon ... if I can, I seek opportunity ... not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen. Humbled and dulled by having the State look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; To dream and to build. To fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole; I prefer the challenges of life To the guaranteed existence; The thrill of fulfillment To the stale calm of Utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence Nor my dignity for a handout I will never cower before any master Nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect. Proud and unafraid; To think and act for myself, To enjoy the benefit of my creations And to face the world boldly and say: This, with God's help, I have done All this is what it means To be an Entrepreneur. ~~be bold

Website Is Up!

The welcome page is up over at CafeEvoke.com. This is only the coming soon page but the new logos are viewable and it gives us a chance to show that we are moving forward. We have created a branding image that is consistent throughout our company. Check out the site and let us know what you think about the logos, etc. ~~be bold Thanks to Kevin Burr of Ocular Inc for getting the brand image created and Chip Hayner of Submerge Media for the website.

A Pause For Graduation

That time that I never thought would be here has finally arrived. Family is all in town and we have our rehersal today for a 10:00 am graduation tomorrow morning. I'm excited to move on to the next chapter in this life of mine but also to get to Bozeman and begin the networking and buzz work that we have put into place. The weather is great there for talkign coffee (yes, it is finally snowing in Montana) and we are meeting with the space owner on the 24th to talk lease hold. The house looks like a war zone as we begin to pack up our stuffs and get loaded up. Things might be a bit light for the next few days here at A Thought over Coffee but I promise that when we are in Bozeman, we will have alot to talk about as we begin the process of finding money, nailing down the space, and the works.. We have finished a few other key tools in the last week...Teh stationary, business cards, envolopes, and website have all been designed and we are about to send them to press. We also plan to have those stickers made up in the next few days. ~~be bold

Game Plan for Creating "Buzz"

After posting yesterday about creating the perfect storm (taken from Better Local Marketing, I have decided to post about our plans to create this buzz prior to opening. Ken King | King Marketing commented yesterday about serving free coffee to volunteer supervisors. This is great advice for us because it shows that we want to be a part of this community but also that we are willing to serve and give back. This is in line with our plans. We are planning to having friends and community groups (in which we have already made contacts with) to come into the Cafe and help us remold and reconstruct. We are going to have a few Satrudays during the month in which we will serve lunch and coffee to all the workers for the service. Good old sweat equity. This will not only be a way for us to cut costs for labor but also be a chance for people to feel that this is their coffee shop. They help paint, tear down and build up walls, build the patio, and other construction things. We also think this will be a way for us to meet even more people and provide them a place to call home even before the doors are opened. We hope this will help our traffic from day one be up even above what we think it will be. This is a big part of our bootstrapping model that we have put together in which we thing we can save thousands by getting people together to do this work. More on bootstrapping another day.. ~~be bold

Creating that Perfect Storm

I was reading Kevin Stirtz's blog Better Local Marketing and liked what he had to say today about a new local restaurant in his home town. They have seen nothing but a steady flow of traffice since they opened and Kevin offers his take on why; One of the things he talks about is buzz. This is something that we have been doing for Cafe Evoke in Bozeman MT already. This is getting the community excited. They used some ideas that we have written down for us to do including newspaper articles and trial nights in which the food (in our case coffee) is free and it acts as a practice run for employees. He also goes into other reasons that they are making it and it is not because of advertising! They do not advertising. Great post, go take a minute and check it out.. ~~be bold

Quote of the Day

"The ture measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. " ~~Samuel Johnson

Bootstrapping in Real Life

Well, again, we have been talking about the importance of bootstrapping. This is the act of getting the most out of every dollar spent so that you can increase the value of you business. There are many ways to bootstrap and many aspects that can be bootstrapped. Press Releases, Websites, Employee Stretching, Blogging, etc etc etc.. I was watching the Today Show this morning and saw a guy holding up a piece of art that he had made. It looked interesting but it was just a passing moment. Then, while doing the weather, Al went back to him and he got his plug. "Toothepick Art.com, that's Toothpick Art.com" He said into the camera.. He got his short, 10 second plug and it made me go look. This is the exactly what we are trying to accomplish at Cafe Evoke. He short plug made me go look and now, I've linked to his site on this post. See how it all works?? FREE!! As entrepreneurs, we need to have the ability to step out on that limb and get our word out. The more people that know about us, the more people we can impact in our "change the world" business idea. Nice work to you Mr. Toothpick Man... ~~be bold

Who To Hire

Sarah Wilson-Jones over at Superbarista offers a nice list of traits that "makes for a great barista." She says that... "...you have to be a Renaissance Man (or Woman) to be a Great Barista. You have to have so many qualities, be so versatile, it takes an extraordinary person to be a great barista. People think that being a Barista is easy. It's not. It takes skill. It takes more than skill." It looks like we have our work cut out for us in finding these people. As you probably know by now, our people are a major part of our business. We hope to blend these traits, along with those of joy and passion, into the core of Cafe Evoke. Thanks, Sarah, for the list.. You can also check out Phoenix Coffee a FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED coffee roaster out of Cleveland Ohio. ~~be bold

Business Plan Update (final academic update)

Well, the time has come for us to recieve our final drafts of the business plans we have been working on for the past few months. This will be the final academic activity that I participate in here at Belmont. Here are our plans once we get the plans back... 1. Make any revisions to the marketing plan and financials. 2. Send it to our banking advisor for a look over. 3. Talk to the owner of the space to figure out what sort of help he will give us in forms of lease hold agreements, etc. 4. Network. I think that networking is going to be our most important thing we have done so far. This will not only be networking in teh community but also to bankers, laywers, CPAs, etc. We want to meet face to face with these people and begin to figure out what bank and bankers we fit in with best. We also want to get our ideas and visions in the minds and hands of our future customers. We want to create a buzz in the community and begin to serve even before we open the doors of Cafe Evoke. We are heading towards Bozeman, Montana on May 18th and we are very excited. Graduation is the 14th and then, to work we go! ~~be bold

Congrats Are In Order

Some of my friends and classmates attended the International Convention of Delta Epsilon Chi in Anaheim, California this past week. The Entrepreneurial Mind reports that the sixteen students who went took a total of 20 awards home with them. Nice work. This is a testiment to the program that has been constructed here at Belmont University. Nice job guys! ~~be bold

Quote of the Day

"The discovery of coffee has enlarged the realm of illusion and given more promise to hope." Isidore Bourdon

Business Update

Things are movign forward for us with Cafe Evoke. CafeEvoke.com is now ready to be designed. The domain has been purchased and the new logo and front page will be posted in the next week. We are very excited for the new logos as we feel they better represent what we are doing and what we are about. Check the site to see the first glimpse of the new design. We are shooting to have it up by next Wednesday. Business cards and stationary are going to press early next week as well. We will then print stickers off and I will have them availbe through this site if you are interested. That is the news for now... ~~be bold

A Key for Start-Ups

A key to success for any start-up business is selling. This could take the form of personal selling or selling a product or service. The Entrepreneurial Mind posts from California about the process of selling according to Bryan Freeman, co-founder of SnackWorks.. Take a look through the list, these are simple things we can all do to improve our business... ~~be bold

Quote of the Day

Today quote will be the definition of Evoke. I'm can't remember ever going through the meaning of our name so here it is... WEBSTER’S Main Entry: evoke Function: transitive verb Inflected Form(s): evoked; evok·ing 1 : to call forth or up: a: to cite especially with approval or for support : INVOKE b : to bring to mind or recollection 2 : to recreate imaginatively CAMBRIDGE verb [T] to make someone remember something or feel an emotion THE AMERICAN HERITAGE 1. To summon or call forth: 2. to call to mind by naming, citing, or suggesting: 3. to create anew, especially by means of the imagination: Our café was originally going to be named Sturdy Grounds, with a tagline of “…evoke thought…”. We liked the idea of Evoke Thought and changed the name to Café Evoke. We struggle with the ideas big business and corporate group think. We wanted to create a place where people don’t have to follow, a place where people can come think creatively and for themselves, and not make them think. This is why we went with the name Café Evoke. Our hopes are that this will become a place to meet new people, feel free to be themselves, and talk. Our new motto is simple… come.sit.talk

Business Update

Well, here is a run through of where we are currently at in the planning of Evoke... Logo Creation--I think I mentioned not to long ago that we have not been happy with the logo that you see in the top left corner of this blog. We thought we had nailed it down but it is just not feeling right. We have not reconstructed the logo and it should be finalized (for good this time I hope) in the next 5 days. I will keep you posted. Website www.CafeEvoke.com will be set up in the next week. It will only consist of a weclome page with a link to this blog. We will then set up the e-mail address, etc. Chip over at Submerge Media will be constructing that. Location We are meeting with the owner of the space we have been talking about since March next week. We are trying to work the lease hold agreement out and see where we stand for construction and design costs. We hope to make some sort of decision the next several weeks about where to go from here. These are the big areas that we are pushing as of today. We also have our stationary and business cards that we are about to send to press and also stickers showcasing our new logo and design. I will keep you posted on these things and the stickers will be available through this site. ~~be bold

Quote of the Day

"Oh, Fee, you're trying to live a life That's completely free. You're racing with the wind You're flirting with death So have a cup of coffee And catch your breath" ~~Phish

Customer Service Outside the Business

I heard of a resturaunt here in Nashville that pushes their employees to extend their customer service outside of the store. They tell their employees that if they see someone that comes into their store, that they should greet them by name, have a short conversation with them inviting them back in, and really make them feel comfortable. They need to go that extra mile. I was thinking about this and how we at Cafe Evoke could implement something similiar because I think it is a great concept. If you can get into the habit of doing something like this, people will begin to feel like they are the VIP of the coffeeshop (or whatever your business might be). I have decided to add that to my marketing plan as of last night. Along with personally selling and just getting out and meeting people, inviting them in, we are going to really push for our employees to ingage with the customers if they see them at another resturant, at the bar, on a bike ride, whatever it may be. This, we hope, will build our customer loyalty. We might even supply the employees with discount cards they can pass out when they see "regulars" and new friends alike. ~~

Quote of the Day

"Plastic gun. Ingenious. More coffee, please". - The Phantom

Traits in Great Coffee Houses

I discovered a nice 2 part post (Part 2 and Part 1) over at The Coffee Odyssey. These posts tell you what to look for in a coffeehouse and things to watch out for and avoid in coffeehouses. Has a nice overview of tips in ordering, and also atmosphere. He is sheding light to all of us that own or will own coffeehouses. Again, most of it comes down to serving the customers! ~~be bold

"Remember to Have Fun"

I came across Better Local Marketingon my daily stop over at Small Business Trends. Kevin Stirtz says.. "Too often we get so busy and focused managing our businesses that we forget life is supposed to be fun. I'm as guilty of this as anyone. Running a business is serious work so we seem justified by keeping our noses to the grindstones. Unfortunately, when we do that we often forget to enjoy our businesses and our work. Remember, people like doing business with people they like. And, there's no one more likable than someone who is clearly enjoying themselves. Nothing brightens my day more than someone with an easy smile and a ready laugh." This is great advice for small business start-ups. I tend to find myself getting caught up in sounding professionaly and business like instead of having fun and following my passion to serve. Keep fun in mind while you are planning and running your business. It will pay off in the long run I have found.. ~~be bold