Coffee and cookies - think it would work??

[ChadR]

I had an MBA professor tell us that any profitable market worth being in will have competition. Simple because there are lots of other cupcakes, cookie and coffee shops doesn't mean you should shy away. It simply means you'll need to do your homework before jumping in.

Do lots of market research first. What do people in your community want? What are they missing that other cookie/coffee shops don't offer? Who is your target customer? Get to know as much as you can about the market.

Find a way to make yourself standout or be unique. A clever name, unique cookies and coffee, a different theme, memorable interior, social atmosphere, good music, etc. Of course, your product will need to be delicious so customers enjoy it, but after that look for ways to separate yourself from the competition. Let it showcase your personality and inject originality.

Finally, if you're selling out of a store then location is key. One thing about consumers, is we love convenience especially with coffee. Look for locations in upcoming or popular neighborhoods where you'll get both repeat customers and walk-in traffic. If you're selling out of your house, then the location is set. Otherwise, search for great locations and don't settle on a bad one just to get started faster. Look at Walgreens...they're a great example of being extremely picky with only taking corner locations and it's worked out pretty well for them.

Good luck!

[Harold Mansfield]

The solution to success in a heavily competitive space is simple to understand. Be better than them. Have a better product, better presentation, better customer service, better community relationships, better value. Just be better. If you can't afford to open and be better then you are wasting your time. No one is going to go to the 4th best coffee place in an area.

People who have made successes of old ideas or heavily competitive spaces did so by being better. Solving problems that competitors we're. Improving on whatever it was. Don't just jump in because other people are doing it, and it looks easy. Jump in because you can do better than what's out there.

[pekinwebguy]

There are a lot of saturated markets. The key thing is to find a way to stand out.
It could be anything from how you treat your customers, half-price Mondays, sell a unique cookie, offer wifi, etc.

Look at existing ones, and figure out ways you'd do one better or at least different.

[John Blake]

The gastronomy field seems saturated to me as a whole But still, people manage to start their own business from the scratch and still succeed. In my opinion there are two means to achieve success: you either offer something really unique (which may be difficult, but not impossible!) or the quality of your service must be the highest. Do something that will make your business stand out. Get to know your competitors and possible customers, and find out what can make your place different from others out there and what your your customers are missing.