1.
Re: Dessert Bar Sep 30, 2009 10:42 PM
CraveSweets2:
I love your spirit and desire to bring something new to your area.
The first two steps that I recommend entrepreneurs take is to determine their USP (unique selling proposition - what makes you unique that customers will come buy from you) followed by a developing a business plan to support it.
It sounds like you have started to define your USP, but I have a feeling that you may change it (how you market it, but the concept will remain very similar) as you perform research for your business plan. I'll explain more in a minute.
Here's a link to a free page on my site to give you the necessary components of a business plan along with ideas for each section:
http://thesologuide.com/planning/
The reason why I think you may change your USP from a dessert bar to more of an after-hours coffee house with live music and dessert is that unless your market research indicates that the locals want a dessert bar, they may not get the concept right away.
I owned and operated a fine dining restaurant for a number of years, just recently selling it, so I have experience in the industry.
Most people get the coffee house concept, but the dessert bar concept may take some more marketing and selling. You want your target audience to grasp the concept quickly. As a dessert bar, you will have restaurants as indirect competitors, so make sure that you research the dessert selections at the restaurants in your area.
After you develop a business plan, you can contact me to review it to make sure that you have your bases covered and that your financial projections are reasonable.
Hope this helps as a start.
All the Best,
Doug Dolan
The Solopreneur's Guide
http://thesologuide.com/
