Why Veterans Tend to Make Successful Coffee Shop Owners
At Texas Coffee School, we have the honor of meeting all kinds of aspiring coffee shop owners. Many of our students attend our classes when they’re making a career transition. We’ve worked with former doctors, teachers, lawyers, and all types of professionals. But there’s one group of people we’ve watched become successful coffee shop owners time after time: United States military veterans.
It’s easy to confirm that veterans make great entrepreneurs.
Nelson Lewis founded Coffee on the Red in Bossier City, Louisiana with his brother Andrew. The Lewis brothers are both equine veterinarians, and the coffee shop isn’t their first business together. In fact, they still run a veterinary business full time as they’ve managed to build, open, and run Coffee on the Red.
Nelson’s love for coffee developed in veterinary school, where coffee fueled a lot of late nights studying.
The year 2020 has brought about change to just about every industry. Restaurant and coffee shop businesses have found innovative ways to keep their doors open. Massive layoffs have shifted the job market. People have had to re-evaluate the ways they spend their time.
As coffee educators, we work with students who are opening or already own coffee shops all around the world. Through our students (and because we’re constantly researching and updating our curriculum to be the best in the business),
Coffee shop owner Tadd Overstreet didn’t always spend the work day making coffee and spinning vinyl (records.) A few years ago, he was ready to trade computer screens and conference calls for work he was passionate about.
“I decided to do something for me for a change. Instead of chasing money, I thought about the things that were really important to me: sourcing great products,
Many of our 3-Day Coffee Business Master Class students are excited to start designing the aesthetic of their coffee shops. Before choosing furniture and wall colors, though, it’s important to layout your coffee shop floor plan. Your floor plan is going to dictate many components of your customer experience–from how they line up, to where they sit, to how long they sit, to what food and drinks you are able to serve, and more.
Here are seven things to think about when designing a coffee shop floor plan.