This document is provided by the Women's Entrepreneurship Initiative. It's part of a chapter from their curriculum that walks you through the process of calculating the start-up costs for any kind of small business.
This guide from SCORE, an organization dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and small business owners, walks you through the steps of starting a new foodservice business. Be sure to download the full guide for all the steps, and browse the other resources in SCORE's library for additional help.
Questions to ask yourself about the information in the link above:
Is Starbucks' menu the same in all countries? What about in every region of the U.S. or North America? Do you need to account for different menu items in different locations? How would you find out what menu items are offered where?
How up to date is the information in that link? Large corporations like Starbucks introduce and discontinue menu items regularly, especially seasonal items. What if a Starbucks location near your startup is test-marketing a new item that's not listed on the menu?
What menu information might Starbucks keep confidential -- and not publish on the web? Why?
Questions to ask yourself about the information in the link above:
How are you defining a region or a geographic area? Does your definition match the definition used by the store locator tool?
What counts as a "store" in the locator? Is the coffee machine in the Cushwa-Leighton Library represented on the map? What about the Starbucks counter at the Inn at Saint Mary's?
What do you count as a "store" for the purpose of your business analysis? How can you find information on other locations that aren't depicted on Starbucks' official locator?
Using innovative marketing & technology for a competitive advantage
Search for articles from trade magazines about how companies -- especially coffee shop companies -- use marketing and technology to gain a competitive advantage. Tip: search for specific companies who compete with Starbucks, like Caribou Coffee, Seattle's Best, or Au Bon Pain.
This database will have information on marketing trends, so try searching for the names of Starbucks' competitors to see what they are doing to market themselves as alternatives to Starbucks.
