Cafe idea in Norway

[carrot]

I am 27 year old female, recently married and had to move to a different country as I have an international family. Although I have good education and experience in high positions, not knowing local language fluently holds me in the trap of no work. Been like this for about 4 months now, so started looking for ideas of my own business. I live in the small town about 30km from the capital city. I love Oslo, it has thousands of cafes and restaurants. But place we live in has very little what to do. There is one pub/bar where everyone goes, as the alternative is to get to Oslo. There is also a huge shopping centre. I personally feel that I am so tired of this shopping centre, that I just avoid it. There are some cafes around the city centre, but nothing where it would be more than just eating and drinking if you know what I mean.

I have a strong background in business, both from my personal life (both parents have their own businesses) and from my studies. I know it requires a lot of hard work. I was thinking that to start a café could be a good option. Of course I have my doubts: 1) if there is no such place, maybe it isn't in demand? 2) café seems like a business where I don't need very much specialised knowledge, but am I right? I know you must know what you do, but what I mean is that its not pharmacy or electronic inventions...

Maybe there are some Norwegian business people in the forum who could advice about the cultural habits? I know its expensive to eat out in here, a lot of our friends stay in home. But then again, we often talk how nice it would be to have where to go, but Oslo is too far for just coffee and at the end too expensive, as you need a train ticket... Thanks for any thoughts!

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum carot. Sorry no one has responded yet.

I've never been to Norway so I won't be able to give you specific advice about cultural habits. It sounds like you would have enough business experience to run a cafe. Sure there would be some things you'd need to learn specifically about running a cafe, but I would imagine you'll be able to figure it out as you go. Any business is going to have an element of figure it out as you go anyway.

It's possible not seeing another cafe means there isn't a lot of demand, but since you say there are some in the city center I would think demand exists in general. It's possible no one has tried.

Why not ask people in the shopping center if there have been cafes there before and how they did. Since it's a small town you might just talk to people and mention you're thinking of opening a cafe and seeing how they react. What they say and how they say it when you mention the idea might be all you need to know if the idea can work.

Is there a location where you're thinking of opening? If so do you know the costs involved in renting the space? You might want to start by looking into how much money it would take to get a cafe going. You'll need the space and also equipment for making coffee and whatever else you serve. Once you know how much everything costs you'll be better able to assess the risks involved and decide if it's worth taking a chance.

[gregcooper420]

I would suggest against opening up a business, until you have a feel and understanding about that particular location. Especially for a cafe, you need to understand the customs and the potential market at the location. I would suggest going out as much as possible, visiting the cafe's. Take notes on the customer habits, do they visit the cafe for the food or the convenience in location. You will need to do some significant on the ground market research, but it will be worth it.

[lilyhollies]

It sounds very sweet However, equipment will cost alot, especally those coffee machines can go in the $1000's...moreover, since you mention you want to set it up in a small town, you will have to think about potential growth of your business and customer size.

[sharky]

I think that if you advertise it well, you have a strong chance of success. Think what people would be most willing to visit you cafe and try to address them in your promotion process.