Lisa Marshall tells Unicorn Club how to navigate the daunting world of starting a coffee shop

Lisa and her husband Keith have started five businesses in total. Lisa is steadily building a lifestyle she loves. She shares her latest venture with us her coffee shop, Rockhop espresso in the stunning Coolum Beach.

Starting a cafe can be overwhelming in terms of the licenses, registrations and compliance. Many people give up during the process because it’s overwhelming. Lisa found that her relationship skills business mentors were essential tools, as were the local councils and accountants that helped to plan and set up their business structure and protect their other assets.

The cafe was a brand-new industry for Lisa and she spent a lot of time doing research and with her mentor planning the business. In this chat we cover licenses, pest inspections, foot path dining, music licenses, food handling, leases, fitouts, air conditioning, dogs and soooo much more!

How did you know where to start? ‘We spent time with a friend who already had a successful café, the local council was a great resource for what was required.’ Lisa made a loooong list of requirements and slowly worked her way through it all.

Staying on track timing wise is important and communication with and between all the stakeholders was a key success factor. The steps are intricate, and they follow on each other and are interdependent.
Lisa’s cornerstone for every business she’s founded is built around community. She also relies heavily on data to plan future growth and budgets.

Lisa’s message to you: ‘Have courage, find a mentor, do your research and lean on your professionals like accountants.’

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