Most students who come through our doors have a vision—of roasting beans, curating menus, and managing baristas for the popular brick-and-mortar coffee shop they launched, starting in our classroom. Maybe they’ll even run multiple locations! And while this is a worthwhile (and achievable!) dream, an investment in a coffee business can sometimes feel out of reach.
That’s why many aspiring coffee shop owners are finding new avenues to building their businesses. Some are turning to coffee trucks,
Jumping into a brick-and-mortar coffee shop business can feel like diving headfirst into a swimming pool. Even though that leap can come with incredible reward and satisfaction, it also takes an investment of time and money. That leads to some aspiring coffee business owners to ask: Can you ease into a coffee business on the side, instead?
When our Texas Coffee School team gets an influx of folks asking the same question,
Have you ever heard of the 4 P’s of marketing? Popularized in the 1950s by a Harvard professor, the 4 P’s outline the most important parts of a business’s marketing strategy: product, price, place, and promotion. And they can help define how to think about your 2025 coffee shop marketing plan.
In your case as a coffee shop owner, the physical product is coffee. It should be great tasting and approachable specialty coffee that delights customers with every cup.
Chandler Lipe, Texas Coffee School Coffeepreneur® and owner of The Den, is making waves in Denver. We wrote about the launch of her family-friendly coffee shop and gathering space one year ago. Heading into her second year of business, we reached out to learn about her impressive progress, growth, and streamlined operations.
The Den social lounge & coffee shop has scaled quickly and created three strong revenue streams: a coffee shop, family lounge,
Texas Coffee School graduate and Coffeepreneur®, Tiffani Kocsis, owner of East Dallas Middle Ground, is no stranger to the coffee shop world. She says she grew up studying, spending time with friends and finding a second home at coffee shops. So it’s no surprise that after 20 years in education, writing a book, and raising a family, Tiffani set out to create her own vision of what a coffee shop would be.
We asked her a few questions about starting a successful coffee business in East Dallas and for her best tips for aspiring coffee shop owners.