I have been talking to a lot of business owners lately, predominately in the specialty coffee field.  I have been interviewing as well as studying the habits of the most successful players so that I can learn from the absolute best.

I have found one thing repeatedly in all my exploits.

The best coffee shops know that customers will wait for a product that they enjoy.

This is a pretty true aspect of human nature, we only rush to serve someone something if we are concerned that they might turn around and leave if we don’t have it done quickly enough.  A smart business owner knows that as long as he doesn’t make customers wait for an egregiously long period of time on unnecessary additions, they will be surprisingly understanding.

For instance:  If a customer wants a latte and they know that your business makes them better than anywhere else, she will choose to wait in a line at your coffee shop just to get that latte.  You didn’t ask her to wait in that line.

She willingly waits because she wants a latte from you.

There are so many things you have to think about when you are starting up a coffee shop business – it becomes easy to forget that it is a coffee shop first, and a business second.  If customers can tell that it is a business first, and a coffee shop second then they won’t come back.

And then you don’t have a business, do you?

Have Faith in Your Product

More than anything else, just be sure you have a product that is good and that customers want.  Trust that if you do, your business will do fine.  Customers will find you and they will want what you have to offer.

If you have a quality product, even if you are only starting a small coffee shop, you have nothing else to worry about.