Cuppy’s Coffee: Pitfalls to Avoid in Business-Part 2

Continuing with our series on pitfalls that may hurt your business, the following topics deal with procedural issues that you may or may not be doing. The success of your business has many different faces and paths. You will need to navigate the terrain carefully in order to survive in today’s competitive market.

Marketing? What’s That?    

You’re open! You’ve told everyone in town about your new business and to come by to sample your wares. They came  in but you forget or didn’t take advantage of the moment to market your business. Marketing is the planning, implementation and tracking of procedures and ideas to help increase store sales and awareness of your business to your target market. Forgetting to market at every opportunity, you may begin to see  a eventual decline in customers coming to your location.  You may have decided that there are other factors to consider before taking the time to market your store such as; worrying about the espresso machine, the employees, the store, and lists goes on and on. These may be just a few excuses you’ve come up with. You find yourself spending more time in the store to cut costs or save money. As the owner it is your responsibility to market your store and get the customer in the door. You will have to spend the time and resources to make the cash register drawer ring. There are countless cost effective ways to get the message out to the public that your business is there.  Consult with your Franchise Systems Manager to find ways you can continue to market and increase sales. 

Change All, Quick Fall    

As teenagers we may have resented the fact that our parents knew what was best for us. They’d tell us one thing and we do the complete opposite, because we knew what was best. Unfortunately, we learned to live life the hard way. ‘If I’d only listened to my parents’ became our mantra. The same holds true for most successful franchise businesses today. Your sales are down and you’re looking for the quick fix to get things going. Corporate has advised you to do this, but you just know that won’t work for whatever reason. Sound familiar? You may have changed the drink recipes, you may have switched to a local roaster hoping to catch more of their audience, or maybe you’ve even changed the way you operate completely. Nothing seems to work and you’re looking for someone to blame.     

Sometimes it’s hard to look in the mirror to find the answer. When the wheel was invented it was a monumental invention that help transform the world. The wheel has been improved, revised and revamped but yet it’s still round. And it’s that roundness that makes the wheel work so wonderfully. The point is that a proven system that works today will work tomorrow. Changing the ways things work or the system will only cause you to go round and round with yourself looking for an answer that will never come. Getting back to the basics may be the answer you seek. Regroup, refocus and move forward. 

Negative Thinking     

Numerous books, tapes and video have been published on the effects of negative thinking and how to counter it. Believe it or not but the way you talk to yourself has a monumental effect on the success and/or failure of your business.             

Your enthusiasm suffers with a negative outlook, your body language suggests you don’t care, the tone of your voice drops and lists goes on. Try this; in the mirror tell yourself you’re the greatest of all times. Mohammed Ali did and he convinced the world. Sing a silly song to get your spirits up. Dance to the music on the radio. Look up! It’s hard to be down when looking at the sky. You’ll notice an immediate change in the way you talk, walk and interact with other people around you. Your customers will be happy, your employees will be happy and that bottom line will also start to look up!    

Pitfalls are all around us. How we decide to react to them, will determine the success and/or failure of our businesses and personal interactions. Remember that success is a journey