Wednesday, March 28, 2007
More Follow-ups..
I spent several hours going through my contact database trying to be sure that we do not miss out on any opportunity to bring the passion of coffee and espresso to any weddings. I put together 34 follow up letters that will be going out today and about 20 emails.
For those that I emailed, I will be sending follow up letters in the next two weeks and then a media kit a few weeks later.
Most of this depends on what type of event they are having and when it is. If the event is less than 2 months away, I am sending media kits ASAP as many people have their plans in place about a month before when it comes to caterers. I do not want to miss out if they are at all interested.
The last time I did follow-ups went pretty well but we did not get any bookings out of it. I hope this time is better.
I will keep you updated.
...be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/28/2007 05:36:00 AM
Monday, March 26, 2007
Cafe Evoke Catering | Weekly Update
This week will hopefully prove to be productive for us. While we are not crazy busy with events, we do have one on Thursday that should prove to be very fun and unique. We will be working with our friends at Custom Dining Experience on this one and I'm sure it will be a huge success.
I am also going to try and get a jump on our new vision plan for Cafe Evoke Catering. I am going to begin by going through our advertising channels and making a grid with the following headings..
Channel
Cost
Leads to date
Action Plan
The idea here is to see what we have been spending and where and try to maximize each channel to it's full potential. We will then use this information to find out where we need to go as our next marketing move.
That is my plan for this week. I'm sure it will change - it always does.
Have a great week and keep checking back for more updates on coffee, community, and business.
...be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/26/2007 07:37:00 AM
Friday, March 23, 2007
The Coffee and Tea Festival
 Here is this week's edition of the Coffee and Tea Festival. This is a blog carnival all about coffee, tea, and their respective industries. You can find posts reviewing coffee shops and tea houses, coffee and espresso equipment, coffee and tea blends, and news from origins. We had 6 submissions this week so let's begin..
In our first post, savingadvice presents 10 Ways To Save Money At Starbucks posted at Personal Finance Advice, saying, "If you you're going to buy it, here are ways to save money." Now, I like the one that says "bring your own cup". I keep trying to tell people that same thing no matter what shop they are going to. Not only are you helping the environment, you are also going to save as much as a quarter! That might add up if coffee really is a $1,000 a year habit!
As you probably know, I am all about using coffee and tea from companies that give back to the community. Here is a post with information on another company that does just that. Mamakelly presents Coffee with a heart and making a difference in the world posted at A Blog of Two Witches.
In our next post, we get a nice history of the world - at least more fun to read maybe than those books you read in school. Gillian Polack presents Food History » Blog Archive » A History of the World in Six Glasses posted at Gillian Polack.
Ok, so I love coffee and espresso and I love great food. I think I may have found a blog I will continue to read each day. Here is a post about how coffee can be used in great food. Sognatrice presents bleeding espresso...: what's cooking wednesday: chocolate lovers' cake posted at bleeding espresso..., saying, "This is a moist, delicious chocolate cake made with hot, steaming coffee."
If you are just getting started with Tea, maybe this post will help. KB presents Tea Glorious Tea posted at Kitchen Bargains, saying, "the benefits of tea and some good products to get you started"
Here is one about a new Tea House in Atlanta and how the owners exit strategy is something most would never dream of. Aspeth presents Urban Tea Party posted at TwelveYearsOfBeingAnnoyedByChloeSevignyDotCom, saying, "An incredible story of one Atlanta area tea shop."
Well, that will do it for this weeks edition. Thanks to everyone who submitted and please keep the posts coming. The more we get, the more we can all get to know each other and these great industries. If you find anything that should be included, please pass them along! As always, you can submit your posts with this fantastic little form or click on the ad on the left side-bar of this blog.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
..be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/23/2007 06:00:00 AM
Thursday, March 22, 2007
A New Vision for Cafe Evoke Catering
We are about to embark on a journey to create a new vision for Cafe Evoke Catering. When we started this company last April in Bozeman, Montana, we somewhat created it in the shadow of our hopeful startup - Cafe Evoke, a coffee house. I think it was a good start for us but could we really focus on the catering business when all of our planning, identity, and visions were for a totally different business? April 1st will begin a month of serious planning and evaluation. I plan to create what will ultimately be a new business plan for Cafe Evoke Catering.
We have already created new logo's for this company (the one you see on the right side of this blog) which is a start but we need more. We need to really think about and answer the following questions..
1. Where are we headed?
2. What type of growth can we expect?
3. What types of marketing do we need to explore?
4. What market is best for us?
5. What are our goals and benchmarks?
6. How will Cafe Evoke Catering help us reach personal goals in life?
7. What is our true target market?
8. What is our exit strategy?
9. What legacy do we want to leave behind?
10. How to we give back to the communities that have given to us?
Over the course of the next month and a half, I will be taking each of these questions (and probably more) and really dissecting them to find real answers. I will be posting on each of them as I go through this new vision process and I hope it helps some of you understand what we are going through.
I believe in Coffee Catering and the future the segment has in the grand idea of specialty coffee. I believe that Cafe Evoke Catering can set the bar for all coffee catering companies in the country. I believe that Cafe Evoke Catering is in the top 5% of all coffee catering companies that have been started so far based on knowledge, desire, service, preparation, and design.
What we need now is a plan on how to get from where we are now to the top of our game. We need to create a way to get business and get our information out to the people who will use our service. This will not be an easy task but one that will make or break our company.
Cafe Evoke is not just another coffee company. We want to fuel people's ability to create and interact. We want to serve people the best specialty coffee, prepared to the highest standards. This plan will allow us to get to our goals.
I found my favorite definition of "EVOKE" a few months ago and I hope to use it in my planning process:"...to produce or suggest through artistry and imagination a vivid impression of reality"
On April 1st, we begin on really creating a new vision for Cafe Evoke Catering. As always, I will be as open and honest as I can. I love your feedback and comments as I go through projects like this so anything you have will be welcomed.
...be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/22/2007 05:59:00 AM
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
We are behind..
I hate being behind. I have been looking at the "books" and see that we are falling short of our goal for Q1. I think there are several things that are working against us but I feel that we should be further along. What does this mean? We need to push.
I have been sending out packets, making follow up calls, and trying to stir up business but we are in a slump of sorts. The people I called a few days ago who I thought would turn over did not seem interested during my second call. It is somewhat of a blow to keep calling people and keep hearing about how cool of an idea coffee catering is but not be able to gain any business from it.
We are having a big meeting in May that we will help us map out the future of Cafe Evoke Catering. I have to make myself keep working on this. I need to create a plan and keep plugging away at it.
Our summer is a fairly decent start but we are very slow until June.
...be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/20/2007 06:15:00 AM
Friday, March 16, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Coffee and Tea Festival
Here is this week's late edition of the Coffee and Tea Festival. This is a blog carnival all about coffee, tea, and their respective industries. You can find posts reviewing coffee shops and tea houses, coffee and espresso equipment, coffee and tea blends, and new from origins. Be looking for the festival to post each Friday or Saturday from now on. Let's get going...
Arizona Coffee has a great multi part series about starting your specialty coffee retail business. Part 1 of the series is about finding good spots for coffee shops. Keep in mind that a great location for one retail business may be an awful one for another. Your location must fit your cafe. This is a great start to a series that I am looking forward to reading about.
Espresso Passione mentions a very cool barista kit , one which I have never seen before. It is an etching set and tamp with several different bases - size and shape are different on every machine. This kit comes from Espresso Service West. Can I get this in the US anywhere?
What does it all mean? Espresso Lab has a post linking to a great directory of coffee terms. If you were wondering, this glossary will inform you.
Have you ever wanted to know how those monks in China live so long? Well, this last post is for you. Raymond David Salas presents Goji Berries - The Longevity Fruit posted at ZenChill.com Power Tools Blog.
Well, that will do it for this weeks edition. Thanks to everyone who submitted and please keep the posts coming. The more we get, the more we can all get to know each other and these great industries. If you find anything that should be included, please pass them along! As always, you can submit your posts with this fantastic little form or click on the ad on the left side-bar of this blog.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
..be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/15/2007 05:56:00 PM
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Maybe I should have...
...gotten a laptop. I am finding myself working (or needing to work) at my other job more and more and it is making it hard for me to keep my "normal" Cafe Evoke Catering schedule. What is this schedule? I work on catering from about 6:30am until 7:15am when I head to my other office. I take "lunch" and head home to work from about 11:30am until 12:30pm then it is back to the office. I then work for an hour or more after I get home.
Confusing, yup. So, I was thinking yesterday (as I realized I would be the only person in my "department" today in charge of sales, customer service, and my normal marketing campaigns) that I should have gotten a laptop instead of a desktop. Why? It would be very nice to be able to have access to QuickBooks and all of my email from somewhere downtown where my other office is so that I do not have to make the run back to my house (which is now further away) so many times each day. It would cut down on gas and allow me to work from anywhere.
At this point, I have no plans to get in to a laptop. I do have my personal laptop without QuickBooks which may be the answer for the time being.
Here is what is on my list at the present time:
1. Marketing Report (what channels? expense? how many booked events? leads?)
2. More Sales Calls (follow up from last time)
3. Business Plan Stuff (I will talk about this later this week)
We are not where we need to be yet so the marketing report and sales calls are vital. We have to stir up business and this is the way to do it.
...be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/13/2007 05:19:00 AM
Monday, March 12, 2007
Progress
In my last post, I talked about the season of selling that I was about to begin. Maybe "journey of selling" is more like it. I have heard that many small business fail because they are willing to get out there and sell. This never made since to me. How can you watch your business go down but not put yourself on the line and do everything you can to sell it?
Well, I can tell you that making cold calls, following up with sales leads, asking for referrals, and directly asking for business is not easy. Here is how my day went.
I called 20 people from my list:
7 Messages
5 Wrong Numbers
4 Firm "No's"
4 Very Interested
I think the funny thing is that the very interested group was at the end of my day. I left many messages and got a few No's before I was able to even talk to anyone that was interested or happy that I called. I think there are a few reasons for this.
1. You build up your Resistance - it gets easier to hear the no after you have heard it before.
2. Your sales pitch changes as you get No's - I think it gets better as you go because you are hearing people respond to it. I was feeling pretty good about mine by the time I got to the bottom of the list.
3. You begin to not take no.
Now, when I say you begin to not take no for an answer, I mean you bring up different options for them like helping them plan the rest of their wedding, providing Italian Soda Bars instead of coffee, or doing a coffee bar for their set up team the day of their wedding.
I tried to listen to why they did not want Cafe Evoke and tried to quickly come up with an option that would work for them. I think that is what it is all about. We need to be flexible and fit in to our customer's plans, not the other way around.
While we have not booked any events yet from these calls, I was happy with how it went and it should lead to more booked events.
...be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/12/2007 06:10:00 AM
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Cafe Evoke Catering :: An Update
Today will be a busy day. A day that will test my ability to sell. My goal is to go through our sales leads, pick out at least 20 people (actual goal will be set as soon as I have a chance to look through our sales leads, and begin calling them and asking for their business.
Here is how I plan to handle each call:
1. Introduce myself and tell them where they saw us
2. Tell them thanks for their interest in our company
3. Ask if they are still interested and that we still have their date opened
4. If no, say thanks and to keep us in mind for future events (I will give examples)
5. If yes, ask if I can give them an estimate and send them a media kit
6. Book the event
I know this road map is probably clearer and straighter than what I can really expect but at least I have a plan.
The idea here is to take a look at what dates we still have open for the rest of the year (I'm working on weekend dates today), and fill them. We want final answers from these customers. If it is no, at least we know that we can check them off the list. Maybe we will get them for a future event.
I also have a meeting today with a hopeful client. I hope to come away from that with a signed contract. The more of these types of events we get, the more chances we have at getting some word of mouth marketing. Each event we do is more valuable than just that paycheck, it is marketing for us. As many caterers tell me, most of their business comes from repeat customers and word of mouth.
We can't have repeat customers without first time customers so these meetings are a big deal to me.
I will keep you updated on my goals for today.
...be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/08/2007 06:37:00 AM
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
The Coffee and Tea Festival
Well hello again and welcome to the latest installment of the Coffee and Tea Festival. How are you? Things have been busy with us and Cafe Evoke Catering which - yes again - is my excuse for this festival not being posted on time. Here we go...
Michelle Sweeney presents Tonic Gifts: Tonic in a Teapot! posted at Tonic Gifts. Michelle gives us a nice history of tea in all shapes and forms and then talks a bit about a new offering that they have. Not a bad read although I would normally not include a post about selling a product - because of the history portion, I decided it was ok.
Everyone has heard by now, I'm sure, about "the memo" that came out on the 23rd of February. StarbucksGossip printed the memo when it was leaked to them that caused many comments and blog posts about it. Brand Autopsy has been posting quite a few posts about it and trying to get to the bottom of what it all means. My opinion? I probably won't get into it but I do think that the things he says are interesting. I would love to see the group get back to its roots - my thing is that will it leave behind its faithful? They built their brand and did a great thing for American coffee. We will just have to keep an eye on it and see what happens.
Another big situation that Starbucks has been in the middle of is the Ethiopia conflict. I posted about it a few days ago. If you have been hearing about it but do not really understand, head over to one of the three links on that post to get a full view. Each of those places has more on it now than they did when I posted that.
Well, that will do it for this weeks edition. Thanks to everyone who submitted and please keep the posts coming. The more we get, the more we can all get to know each other and these great industries. If you find anything that should be included, please pass them along! As always, you can submit your posts with this fantastic little form or click on the ad on the left side-bar of this blog.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
..be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/06/2007 06:28:00 PM
Sunday, March 04, 2007
A Picture Diary..
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/04/2007 07:04:00 PM
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Story Mill Center | Bozeman, Montana
 Way back when I was presenting Cafe Evoke, the coffee house, to a community group here in Bozeman, Montana we first heard about the Story Mill Center. We were pretty focused on the Bozeman Mill District at the time so I did not give it much though other than another development in the area of town that we hoped to open Cafe Evoke, the coffee house. I know that many people are going to fight this center just like the Mill District but it sounds, so far, like this center is going to be a great thing for Bozeman. From their website:Many of us have awakened to the fact that we must do more and use less to prosper as individuals, communities and nations. We also recognize that there are places worth preserving, places rich in history, natural resources and local character. Welcome to Story Mill. As a community with a conscience, we aim to live lightly upon the land today, and to preserve it for future generations.
We all seek our neighborhood ideal – a place to live, work, learn, play and celebrate our lives. Story Mill is such a place. Here, we are preserving one of Bozeman’s great historical icons, and fulfilling its original promise with traditional neighborhood design and innovative, self-sustaining environmental and energy-saving technologies. The revitalized Story Mill will emerge as a vibrant mixed-use community with diverse people living together among trails, parks, public art, shopping and restaurants. Most important of all, residents will find themselves living in a kind of place that really matters to them and future generations. We like this way of thinking! This center has a team put together to make it happen correctly. I am probably most interested in the member of the team that is a past president of the World Green Building Council. This is a group that strives to transform the property industry towards sustainability.
This group is also going for a LEED certification. LEED is:LEED The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy savings, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Our new library is also LEEDS approved.
Could this be the future home for Cafe Evoke? We are going to set up a meeting with the two head people of this project to discuss their plans in more detail. We want to know all about their plans for residential space, commercial units, wet lands use, and open space. We want to really feel the passion this group has for helping this area grow in the right ways.
There is no firm date or time yet for this meeting. My wife is going to try and set it up for the near future so and I will be keeping you updated. We want this thing to open (Cafe Evoke that is) and we think that the Story Mill Center may end up being the perfect place for us to call home.
More to come on this in the coming days.
...be bold
The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts |
...a thought by Cafe Evoke Coffee Catering at 3/01/2007 05:17:00 PM
