Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
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CAFÉ FINANCE How to successfully bring on a consultant BY CHRIS LEGLER TRAIN STAFF OPERATIONS MARK FINANCES MARKET & ADVERTISE W ill hiring a consultant be the brilliant move that gets my business going in a better direction? This is a question I hear from business owners frequently, regardless of how long they've been in the industry. New owners may be trying to figure out how to run the business they just acquired or started, while seasoned proprietors may be trying to make their businesses more efficient, increase sales, or gain more knowledge about coffee and other products. YOU MIGHT NOT REALLY NEED ONE Consultants come in all shapes and sizes. There are those who will train you and your staff at becoming better baristas, others who will help you market and advertise more effectively, and still others who will help you from a financial or operational perspec- tive. Some consultants work independently, while others are part of firms that offer many different types of services. Here's the first question you should ask yourself: What will a consultant do that my staff and I cannot? Sometimes it makes a 28 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com If you think an outside mind can help, shop around. Hiring a consultant can be a very personal experience for a small business owner. Take a look at a variety of consultants and consulting companies—and make sure you get a good sense of the areas of expertise of each one—to determine the right match for your company. lot of sense to bring on a consultant to do a short-term project instead of hiring a full-time employee you can't afford or handing even more responsibilities to an overworked staff. And there are areas of running a coffee business where you and your staff might simply lack expertise. " " continued on page 30