Starbucks style: what should you look out for?

During your stay in Los Angeles, you once again realized how influential Starbucks is in the world of coffee. In Germany, Starbucks may be a popular coffee chain, but here it is in second place, as most coffee lovers are drawn to “Coffee Fellows”. What can you learn from the coffee chain to scale your own brick-and-mortar business?

When it comes to running a successful café, you can learn a lot from experts. In this article, I will share the 3 most important tips from Stefan Tewes, the founder of “Coffee Fellows”, an up-and-coming café in Germany.

The café chain has now scaled to 230 locations in Germany!

In addition to that, I will add 2 bonus tips that can help you run your own cafe and make it successful.

1st tip: Location, location, location

The importance of the right location for a café cannot be overemphasized. Stefan Tewes emphasizes that the choice of location was crucial to the success of his café. A central city location on a busy corner is an ideal starting point. This ensures good accessibility for commuters, passers-by and the local population. If your café is highly visible and easily accessible, you have already taken the first step towards success.

2nd tip: Southwest orientation

Another factor Tewes considers crucial is the orientation of your café. A south-westerly orientation can help to capture the best hours of sunshine of the day. This creates a pleasant atmosphere for your guests and can also help to reduce energy costs. A cozy ambience combined with sunlight can boost customer loyalty and make your café a popular meeting place.

3rd tip: Tourists in the vicinity

The presence of tourists can have a significant impact on the success of your café. Tourists staying near your location, for example through hotels, are often looking for cozy places to drink coffee and relax. This provides an ideal opportunity to generate additional sales and attract an international clientele.

Podcast episode with Stefan Tewes

2 bonus tips for your successful café

4th tip: Outdoor terrace for summer season

If your café has an outdoor terrace, this can be a big draw for guests in the warmer months. Make sure the terrace is well designed and comfortable, with plenty of seating and sun protection for sunny days. This creates a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere that customers will enjoy.

5th tip: Immediate accessibility

The accessibility of your café is an important aspect. Make sure your café is easily accessible, especially for people with reduced mobility. A barrier-free entrance design and elevators, if the café is located in a multi-storey building, are crucial to appeal to a wide range of customers.

You should remember that

Running a successful café requires dedication, planning and the implementation of proven strategies. The tips we’ve discussed in this article can make all the difference:

1. The right location: Think carefully about where you want to open your café. A central location on a busy corner can be the key to success.
2. South-west orientation: use the sunlight to create a welcoming atmosphere for your guests and reduce energy costs.
3. Tourists nearby: If you are close to tourist attractions, you can benefit from an international audience.

In addition to these tips, we have two bonus tips for you:

4. Outdoor terrace in the summer season: A well-designed outdoor terrace can be a magnet for guests in the warmer months.
5. Immediate accessibility: Make sure your café is easily accessible for everyone to appeal to a wide range of customers.

Remember that the road to success is not always easy, but with passion, determination and the right knowledge, you too can run a thriving café. Be creative, adapt to the needs of your target group and never give up. Your dream of owning your own café can become a reality, and we hope these tips will help you on your way to success!

Notartermin: Vorbereitung & Planung

Wie eben schon gelernt, erstellt der Notar zunächst einen Vertragsentwurf. Dieser wird geprüft, danach wird der Notartermin vereinbart. Beim Notartermin liest der Notar den Vertragsentwurf noch einmal laut vor und erläutert dabei alle wichtigen juristischen Begriffe und Formulierungen. Dies ist die letzte Möglichkeit offene Fragen zu klären.

Wichtige Dokumente mitbringen

Für den Notartermin müssen Sie einige wenige Unterlagen mitnehmen. Dazu gehört der Personalausweis oder, falls nicht vorhanden, der Reisepass, damit Sie sich auch identifizieren können. Außerdem brauchen Sie Ihre Steuer-Identifikationsnummer. Sie können Steuer-ID und Ausweispapier auch noch 24 Stunden nach dem Termin nachreichen. Die Hauptsache ist, der Notar hat für die weiteren Schritte der Abwicklung alles wichtige vor sich liegen.

Das muss der Verkäufer mitbringen:

• Gültiges Ausweisdokument
• Steuer-Identifikationsnummer
• Ggf. Unterlagen zur Grundschuld

Gibt es noch Schulden auf das Haus oder auf die Wohnung? Dann bringen Sie bitte alle wichtigen Dokumente bezüglich Kredit, Darlehen & Co. mit. Auch diese braucht der Notar, damit er Ihre Bank kontaktieren kann.

Notarielle Vertretung mit & ohne Vollmacht

Sind Sie Teil einer Erbengemeinschaft? Oder ist es Ihnen aus privaten, familiären oder beruflichen Gründen nicht möglich, bei der Beurkundung vor Ort zu sein? Dann können Sie sich vertreten lassen. Hierfür müssen Sie sich vorab eine notarielle Vollmacht ausstellen lassen. Natürlich können Sie auch jemanden ohne Vollmacht hinschicken. Dann ist die Unterschrift und die Unterzeichnung des Kaufvertrags noch nicht rechtskräftig. Das geschieht erst, wenn Sie die Vollmacht nachreichen.

Zusammengefasst:

• Bei Vollmacht: Vertrag ist sofort rechtskräftig
• Ohne Vollmacht: Erst bei Nachreichung rechtskräftig

Verkauf offiziell besiegeln: Ablauf

Sie wissen nun welche Dokumente Sie brauchen, der Kaufvertrag ist fertig und der Tag der Beurkundung ist gekommen. Nun sind Sie nur noch wenige Schritte davon entfernt den Verkauf Ihrer Immobilie offiziell zu besiegeln! Was Sie nun beim Notar erwartet, dazu nun mehr.

Vor der Beurkundung: Begrüßung & Fragen

Wenn Sie beim Notar ankommen, werden Sie begrüßt und das Besprechungszimmer geführt. Die Identität von Ihnen und vom Käufer werden anhand der Ausweisdokumente verifiziert, wichtige Unterlagen eingesammelt und der Vertrag wird nochmal von beiden Parteien gesichtet. Dies ist nun auch die letzte Möglichkeit Fragen zu klären und persönliche Anliegen anzusprechen.

Zusammengefasst:

• Begrüßung
• Sichtung des Kaufvertrags
• Besprechung von Änderungen
• Beantwortung von Fragen

Während der Beurkundung: Vorlesen des Kaufvertrags

Damit der Verkauf vollständig abgewickelt werden kann, liest der Notar dann in Anwesenheit beider Parteien den Kaufvertrag vor. Letzte Notizen können hier dann noch hinzugefügt werden.

Diese Punkte werden während der Beurkundung erwähnt:

• Beschreibung der Immobilie inkl. Ausstattung
• Individuelle Vereinbarungen
• Kaufpreis
• Fälligkeit der Überweisung
• Nebenkostenstichtagsabrechnung
• Ggf. Instandhaltungsrücklagen nach WEG
• Sachmängelhaftung
• Straßenbeitragskosten
• …

Sind beide Parteien, Käufer und Verkäufer, mit dem Vertrag einverstanden, leitet der Notar daraufhin alle notwendigen, weiteren Schritte ein.

Dauer des Notartermins & der Beurkundung

Die Dauer eines solchen Notartermins lässt sich nicht exakt bemessen, je nach Vertragsentwurf und dessen Komplexität, für Eigentumswohnungen, Häuser, Villas, bis hin zu ganzen Quartieren. Sind die wichtigsten Fragen bereits vorab geklärt, können Sie hier mit ca. einer Stunde rechnen. Bei ungeklärten Angelegenheiten sollten Sie etwas mehr Zeit einkalkulieren.

Sie bekommen auf jeden Fall guten Kaffee!

Weiter zu Schritt 15: Grundbucheintrag und Zahlungsabwicklung

Ist der Verkauf nun offiziell beurkundet, muss nur noch der Eintrag im Grundbuch geändert werden und der Kaufpreis auf Ihrem Konto eingehen. Genauere Details zur Abwicklung hier:

• Grundbucheintrag und Zahlungsabwicklung

Zurück zu Schritt 13: Kaufvertrag bei Notar aufsetzen

Die Kaufverhandlungen waren erfolgreich und ein Käufer wurde gefunden. Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Jetzt geht es nur noch darum den Kaufvertrag aufzusetzen und die Abwicklung kann beginnen. Anzahl der Schlüssel, Übergabe, Ausstattung & Co. – erfahren Sie hier, welche Punkte unbedingt im Kaufvertrag stehen müssen.

• Kaufvertrag bei Notar aufsetzen

Advantages and disadvantages: From rental conditions to rental commitment

The location depends on two decisive factors. On the one hand the rental conditions, around the rental price but also around the rental commitment, on the other hand the proximity to important traffic routes, suppliers or customers. The choice of location takes up a relatively small part of the business plan. But it’s essential to your business.

1. Where do you offer your offer?
2. Why did you choose this location?
3. What disadvantages does the location have?
4. How can you compensate these disadvantages?
5. How will the location develop in the future?

Expensive or many square meters?

Here are a few tips for your choice of location. Especially at the beginning, as an entrepreneur you don’t really know where to start. But there are great alternatives to the lonely single office, especially for young entrepreneurs. Have you ever heard of coworking? Coworking is a meeting place for many founders of new businesses. The big advantage is that you can benefit from the know-how of others. They help each other. While you may have special knowledge of InDesign, someone else is familiar with WordPress. Yet another has a hunch about search engine optimization and another about Facebook and Instagram Marketing. Mutually you can help each other, give inspiration and support. You learn a lot from your own experience.

Great city or quiet country?

Once you have opened your location, it is difficult to change it again. Especially if you want to go to another city. Therefore, you should think about where your location should be beforehand. Hotspots such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne naturally offer you excellent opportunities for growth if your peers don’t have to be too big at the beginning. If you can do without this luxury, then it is worth opening a location in the rural region. Because here the prices are extremely more favorable but also frequently steer of the individual municipalities. In addition, the danger of skilled personnel migrating is lower due to sparsely populated competition.

Enlargement over the years?

The third point you need to keep in mind is growth. If you have already set yourself up in your first office for such a long time that a later move will be complicated, then you will have extreme space problems from the 6 or 7 employees, with only 50 or 60 square meters, at the latest. Two offices? It’s no use. Accordingly, the first office must be furnished in such a way that nothing stands in the way of future expansion. The expansion of the company must therefore be taken into account in advance and factors such as the rental period and the furnishing planned accordingly. Accordingly, you should not make any major alterations to your first office. The fewest startups stay here after the start phase. Usually you will change your premises two or three times until you have found the perfect location with ideal space conditions.

Long-term binding?

Always keep in mind that tenancy agreements involve a long-term commitment, as well as the obligation to pay the rent punctually every month. Calculated over a whole year, a large amount quickly adds up. However, it is not only the costs that are important, but also the obligation to pay, because unlike private rents, there is hardly any protection against eviction. If you do not pay the rent, you will receive a reminder within 14 days, a reminder 7 days later and with a bit of bad luck another 7 days later a request for eviction. Of course, this is the worst case, but it is possible, e.g. if you are not a long-term tenant and just new. Especially in the case of start-ups and young companies, landlords naturally don’t take any pleasure in dealing with rent arrears. If you then have to weigh at the end of the month whether you pay wages or rent, you have exactly 30 days left.

You have to consider all this when choosing a location. As already mentioned, this topic hardly plays a role in the business plan. But for yourself, it’s extremely important.

Location choice: 5 facts

Here once again summarized, all tips for your location choice:

1. Search hotspots
   A&O → where does your business make sense
2. For starters: Coworking
   Other founders
   exchange of experience
   Input of unknown species
3. Top location or outskirts
4. Own office space → Rental ends and growth
5. Effect → Furnishings and ambience

Coworking – Savings Tip

Coworking – the perfect start for founders. If you want to start your own business, Coworking Spaces offers excellent opportunities to train yourself and qualify for new challenges. With a lot of know-how from people in the environment and through lectures. Especially entrepreneurial and media skills (social advertising to search engine optimization) can be found here at every corner. On the one hand, interesting conversations develop at the coffee machine, at the foosball table or on the large balcony. Every week there are also interesting workshops such as “Online evaluation portals – the sales turbo for sales”.

• Large office areas and meeting rooms instead of small individual offices
• Mediapark view with lake and green areas, in the middle of the city
• Community of young entrepreneurs
• Perfect also to combine professional and private interests
• All-round service: cleaning lady, janitor, etc.
• Media Services: Laser printer, beamer, etc.
• Friendly personnel

The personal and entrepreneurial, personal development is enormous due to the positive environment. I came as a designer, media manager, just moved to Cologne and was looking for my first projects. In coworking I quickly found a connection, first small projects and many interesting conversations. This year we did many entrepreneurial but also crazy things – like 30 online shops in one month, with 30.000 articles. Besides, just out of an idea. Why not!

From the all-round service, i.e. cleaning woman, laser printer, coffee machine and meeting rooms to the atmosphere. For me the way into a coworking space was probably the best decision. By the sharing principle a desk costs between 200 – 400 euro, depending upon offerer. With the extra services, however, this pays off very well. Likewise, you save time because you never have to worry about repairs, cleaning or other time wasters such as insurance, heating or even electricity. With a good environment, good ideas and good entrepreneurship. Coworking, the place-to-be for young entrepreneurs.

Coworking Office – Recommendations

Source: Lukinski Coworking List.

Berlin

• Agora Collective
  Kopfstrasse 48, 12053 Berlin
• Ahoy!
  Windscheidstrasse 18, 10627 Berlin
• Launch/CO
  Rudolfstrasse 14, 10245 Berlin
• Space station
  Stendalerstrasse, 10559 Berlin
• Aunt Renate
  Waldemarstrasse 37a, 10999 Berlin

Hamburg

• Betahaus
  Eifflerstrasse 43, 22769 Hamburg
• Lilienhof
  Lilienstraße 11, 20095 Hamburg
• Places
  Schopenstehl 15, 20095 hamburg
• Werkheim
  Planckstrasse 13, 22765 Hamburg, Germany
  and at Schützenstraße 9, 22761 Hamburg

Munich

• Allynet
  Bayerstraße 85, 80335 Munich
• Combinat 56
  Adams-Lehmann-Str. 56, 80797 Munich
• Idea Kitchen
  Hansastraße 181, 81373 Munich
• Nutrion
  Rosa-Bavarese-Strasse 3, 80639 Munich
• The Founders Hub
  Schopenhauerstrasse 71, 80807 Munich
• Plant1
  Grafinger Str. 6 81671 Munich

Guideline: Setting up your own business & business plan

You want to start your own business as a real estate agent or with another business idea? We support you with tips on your business plan and concept. Whether self-employed full-time or part-time self-employed: If you want to set up your own company, you have to think about a lot, in advance and in the operative business. From the right idea to health insurance – what needs to be considered if you want to become self-employed?

There is no training or further education for entrepreneurs. Managing director is you or not. Your own ambition is always important, because this is the only way to improve, every day.

The topics at a glance: