Truth be told, being a business owner can be quite overwhelming and daunting especially when you take into account the everyday activities of effectively running the business. According to experts, it is believed that over 60% of small businesses fail within their first 3 years.
This can be due to financial issues or even a lack of knowledge, and all these problems can be solved with adequate research and proper planning.
Starting and running a coffee shop is a lucrative endeavor particularly owing to the amount of coffee consumed in the United States and also globally. If you are one of those owners, or if you intend to be, then it is imperative you always seek ways to improve yourself and your business with more knowledge.
To ensure that you can start your coffee shop business as well as run it efficiently, here are books that will help guide you on every step of your journey.
Best Books for Coffee Shop Owners
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What I Know About Running Coffee Shops by Colin Harmon
This is, without doubt, a must-read for anyone looking to start a coffee shop or who already owns one. What makes this book unique is that its author was writing from personal experience of starting and growing his own Dublin-based 3fe Coffee.
You will benefit from reading and learning about how he started with a coffee cart and turned it into a world-famous establishment. It also comes with practical insights for your own journey, such as pricing, customer relations, staffing, and marketing
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Wake Up and Smell the Profit by John Richardson & Hugh Gilmartin
This book contains the insight and experience of two of the UK’s top coffee business gurus. It’s comprehensive and funny, but authoritative and well-detailed. It features instructions, directions, and top-class ideas that will help you make more money while working less.
It will also provide you with insights on how to ensure that your clients are satisfied and will also return to your coffee shop. Have it in mind that the most essential insight a coffee shop owner can get out of this book is how to make customers love and always speak about their shop.
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Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
Even though this book is quite different from other books noted above, it gives you a comprehensive insight into how to effectively run any business in the hospitality field, coffee shops included.
The book was put together by restaurateur Danny Meyer, well renowned for restaurants like Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern, and Shake Shack. While his directions and expositions are simple, they are overly necessary to guarantee business success.
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Pour Your Heart into It by Howard Schultz
Starbucks in more than one way has proven to be a dominating enterprise in the US coffee industry. In this book, former Starbucks CEO and now chairman emeritus Howard Schultz tells one of the most exciting business stories.
In this book, you will read and learn everything regarding Starbucks’ beginnings as a single store in Seattle, to how it has expanded over the years to become the world’s biggest chain of coffee shops. As a coffee shop owner, note that you will learn how passion can be profitable in the coffee industry.
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The Daily Grind: How to Open & Run a Coffee Shop that Makes Money by Andrew & Claire Bowen
Just as with every other business, coffee shops also fail very soon after opening owing to one or two critical factors. Have it in mind that this book was put together to prevent that from happening to your dream business.
In this book, you will most definitely learn how to select the appropriate location, and recruit the best hands, as well as ideas on what to sell in your shop. Andrew and Claire Bowen, the writers of the magnificent book, were very successful coffee shop owners who were able to open three outlets.
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The Coffee Dictionary by Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood
Note that this book is subtitled “An A-Z of Coffee, from Growing and Roasting to Brewing and Tasting.” It’s one of the best books to read as a Coffee business owner and is quite easy to comprehend even for busy entrepreneurs. Have it in mind that it features more than 200 entries covering terms and techniques, beans and roasts, and equipment and methods, along with colorful illustrations and artwork.
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Coffee Obsession: More Than 100 Tools and Techniques with Inspiration Projects to Make by Anette Moldvaer
Regardless of where you intend to start or operate your coffee business, don’t forget that your location is far from the only one that produces coffee on a mass scale. Coffee has become a part and parcel of cultures all over the globe. There are countless techniques for brewing, numerous equipment, as well as varying types of coffee that you’ve likely never even heard of.
This book will feed you with this information and ensure you are well-versed in everything coffee. It will take you on a fruitful journey around the world of coffee, and explain various styles and techniques from other nations.
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The Founder’s Dilemmas by Noam Wasserman
Although not really a Coffee book, it is a valid option to consider. Note that this book will try to explain the fears of the apprehensive businessman, irrespective of your industry and the size of the business they run. It provides valid replies to beginner’s common questions such as, whether they should go alone or with partners, the amount of funding they should put in, as well as other early decisions that make or break their business.
It is, without doubt, a good source for coffee shop owners as it goes to explain the side of things that compliments good coffee and pastry, and efficient business management
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How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop
Written by Elizabeth Godsmark, note that this book makes things easier, and more understandable for anyone who is looking to start a coffee shop business.
It covers topics such as business forms, contracts, worksheets, and checklists. Have it in mind that all information and insight you need to know from planning, running, and the day-to-day operations are well articulated inside this book. It as well includes sample menus, recipes, inventory, and floor plans.
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The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting and Running a Coffee Bar
This book was put together by three authors (Linda Formichelli, W. Eric Martin, and Susan Gilbert) and can be a lifesaver as you start or run your coffee business. This book is perfect for anyone who has always wanted to build their own but maybe lacks the knowledge to make it work.
Have it in mind that this practical guide explains what it’s like to work behind the counter, put together a business plan, brew your beverage, and price them.
One mistake you can ever make is to assume you know everything about a subject. Have it in mind that even experts need to return to basics most often to sharpen their skills. Note that the books on this list are powerful and insightful for those who want to establish a coffee shop and those who already have a coffee shop.