ShopLaunch

For independent coffee shops

The operating system for opening and growing a coffee shop.

Answer a few questions about your concept, location, and timeline. Get a personalized roadmap from first idea to grand opening, with the permits, documents, and steps for where you are, in one place you can save and return to.

Start your roadmapSee the journey

Start here

First things first

Coffee crawls, branding, and recipe tests are the fun part. Before that, set up the basics that protect everything you build. It is not glamorous, and it is the easiest part to regret skipping. Do these with intention and you will not have to redo them later.

  • Choose a business structure, with a strong nudge away from a sole proprietorship
  • Track every startup cost from your first purchase
  • Secure your name, domain, and social handles
  • Check for trademark conflicts before you print anything
See the first steps

The journey

4 phases, 17 milestones, from first idea to open doors. Your roadmap moves through them in order. Select any step to see what it involves.

  1. 1. Plan5 steps
  2. 2. Fund and space4 steps
  3. 3. Build4 steps
  4. 4. Open and grow4 steps

Plan

Shape the concept and prove the numbers before you spend.

  1. 1First Things FirstSet up the legal and money basics before the fun begins.
  2. 2DreamGet clear on the concept and why it will work.
  3. 3ResearchValidate demand and study the local competition.
  4. 4Business PlanTurn the concept into numbers and a plan.
  5. 5Sales ForecastProject your monthly sales, costs, and the net profit left over.

Fund and space

Line up the money and lock in where you will serve.

  1. 6FundingConfirm how you will pay for the launch.
  2. 7LocationLock in where you will serve customers.
  3. 8LeaseSecure the space you will operate from.
  4. 9Build OutPrepare the space or rig for service.

Build

Outfit the shop, set the menu, get legal, and staff up.

  1. 10EquipmentChoose the machines and tools you need.
  2. 11Menu DesignShape a starting menu that fits your concept and equipment.
  3. 12PermitsGet licensed to operate legally in your county.
  4. 13HiringBring on the people who will run service.

Open and grow

Open the doors and turn first visits into regulars.

  1. 14MarketingBuild awareness before you open.
  2. 15Soft OpeningTest the full experience with a small crowd.
  3. 16Grand OpeningOpen to the public with intent.
  4. 17GrowthTurn first customers into regulars and expand.

Personalized roadmap

Your plan adapts to your concept, budget, and pace, whether you want a step by step guided journey or to jump around and pick what matters now.

Personalize

Permits, sorted

Enter your ZIP and see the agencies, documents, and rules for your county, sourced from official .gov records.

Check my area

Save your progress

Check off steps and pick up where you left off, on desktop or mobile.

See the journey

Check permits in your area

Enter your ZIP to see your county health department and what it takes to sell coffee where you are. No account needed to look.

Ready to open your coffee shop?

Get your personalized roadmap in a few minutes. Save it, check off steps, and come back any time.

Start your roadmapCheck my permits