I have what I think is a great idea for a new business but
before I make any final decision for myself I would like to
bounce it off some of you and find out what you think.

I have asked a few of my closest friends for their opinions
about it but I would really value the opinions of people that
don't know me because friends are more likely to say "Hey
that sounds great" just to keep from hurting a persons
feelings and I would really prefer honesty over friendship.

As a budding musician (bass player) I find it very difficult
to arrange time with other people to play, practice, learn,
and perfect my art. I came up with the idea of a coffee shop
where musicians could come in and meet for coffee and snacks
and share their music and ideas with other people. There would
be a small stage area where people could practice or
"jam" together or they could just do it solo or
along with a tape that they bring in to play along with.
Weekend evenings could be used for local musicians to show off
and talk with others and share experiences and advice and
maybe even set up some lessons for others.

The idea isn't perfected yet as you can tell but I think you
get the general idea of what I want and I even have a name for
the place. I would call it "A CUP FULL OF BLUES".

Any feedback of any kind would be very very welcome here.

Sounds like a fun place.

Can I recommend serving fair trade certified organic coffee.


Tina Brooks, VP Marketing
Brooks Pepperfire Foods, Inc.
Makers of Peppermaster Hot Sauces
http://www.peppermaster.com

Eat more peppers!

I think it's a great idea.. Have you seen FRIENDS series? Your idea is same with their concept kinda.. there's a small coffee shop where people can just relax and talk about interests.. Good luck! I support you all the way!

I think it's a great idea. We have one or two coffee shops in my area that musicians go to perform, but I'd never thought about a place to hang out and practice. Seems like there would be a market for it.

~Laura
elle Z designs
www.ellezdesigns.com

I like your idea too. Sounds like it's time to start working on a written business plan to see just how viable this will be. A business of this type can be very costly to start up. But if you have decent credentials, credit and collateral you could apply for an SBA backed commercial loan.

It's one thing to have a great idea, and quite another to actually see it through to an actual startup. I love the idea! Go for it!

Sylvia
http://businessplanmentor.com
Business plan and start up resources

I know it would increase capital a little, but would it be possible to create a small recording studio inside of the place? That way, instead of just practicing, musicians could record. Producers and sound people would have a place to come too. Also, it could be a stepping up point for CD and MP3 sales.

What about identifying artists who would be willing to teach classes. Maybe in return for free coffee or something. Successful artists by themselves attract groups of people. Then, the people that come for the classes would buy coffee too and would be more likely to become return customers because of the great experience that they had.

Have you ever been to a coffee house with a karaoke machine? I haven't. Would you go to one?

And since you have all of this sound equipment, maybe some budding producer would be willing to teach a few classes for connections to a few Albums to produce.

Good Luck.

Joe
Achieve Display
http://www.achievedisplay.com
Retail Store Fixtures
Food Service Equipment

Way to go Joe!

Great revenue stream ideas, particularly because you've got income from both the artists and the sippers. I wouldn't have thought of that. You've got everything playing into everything else, with benefits to the owner, musicians, and the coffee customers (sippers)...win-win-win all around

With the CD and MP3 sales, you've got a reason for artists to participate, even if they don't want to practice. I imagine many impulse buys because a sipper heard something they liked over the intercom.

If the recording booth had a window, sippers could witness the recording process. Entertainment value paid for by the recording artist.

And classes, wow. Classes give the artists exposure, value to the students, and like you said, of course they'll want to eat/drink before, during, and after class. Even an unknown artist would draw students, and maybe draw fans from that group.

Whew. I'm all fired up and this isn't even my business or my ideas LoL

Thanks for the boost!

Crystal
Digital Curator
http://bigbrightbulb.com
Advice, ideas, answers, and inspiration for the smallest businesses with the smallest budgets

Wow you guys are great for the motivation...not only did you give me even more ideas for increasing business for everyone around but you really gave me a surge of electricity to reach for the next step which I would assume would be doing some kind of business plan. Not exactly sure how to go about that but as I have come to find out with this site...if I need it, it's probably here somewhere.

Thanks for all that great ideas and kind words...keep them coming and keep me fired up.

A business plan is a great idea, and here's a format/system that gives high impact for small effort.

If you're going to borrow money, you'll need a full-scale business plan eventually. But for getting the most out of this high energy moment, try putting together a One Page Business Plan. Here are some free templates: http://www.onepagebusinessplan.com/sample_plans.html

In my opinion, those are for review while you wait for the book to arrive. I will never regret buying the book because the exercises have shown me a number of blindspots in my business planning, and got my gears churning on stuff I hadn't thought all the way through.

Hope this helps!
Crystal


Crystal
Digital Curator
http://bigbrightbulb.com
Advice, ideas, answers, and inspiration for the smallest businesses with the smallest budgets

Thanks for that info...downloaded the template so at least now I have something to go by for a quick reference guide and to keep the thoughts flowing in a logical order.