Happy New year to you all, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
Looking back over 2017, I have come to the conclusion that my lessons in business since 2010 have very much come to light and paid off this year and I would be confident in making the bold proud statement that ‘I am a successful business women.’ Thank you to all those who have supported me and helped me achieve this. I have become a bit tougher, realizing I need more than just passion to push things forward. I am excited to use some useful strategy ideas for another successful year T/A Danielle’s Coffee LTD in 2018.
I have two investments planned in for the start of the new year, the first is a new Ditting industrial grinder, which will be a much-needed upgrade from my Dip grinder, which is now only going to be used for the small retail bags, so I am happy to think there will be no more jamming or clogging! This is one of the behind the scene dilemmas that has me pulling my hair out. So without you knowing it, it will result in a smoother transition.
My second investment is a trip touring and getting hands-on at coffee farms in Costa Rica, farms include Tarrazu, Turrialba & Orosi. As well as keeping on top of the day to day running of my business, I am so conscious that I need to keep up with my coffee knowledge and skills, visiting the farms is only something I have done on day trips when on holiday, so a dream of mine has been to see first hand the growing, farming & processing of the coffee at source, I think its only right for me to have this experience as your coffee supplier, I always talk about it in my training, but I only know from books I have read and courses I have been on. When I come back I will be able to tell it from actual experience.
Another change and excuse me if this one is a bit boring and again another behind the scenes one, but I am changing my accounting system, so you may notice some changes on the look of your invoices or the layout of your statements? I imagine that should be the only changes you see, with the help of my accountant doing the transfer.
It goes without saying for a business like mine, that my website is my shop front, I have been updating my social media when I can, and as its coming to the new year, fresh start and all that, I have been even more aware that I really need to give my website a bit of a spruce up and communicate how my business has developed to what it is now.
Being a one-man band things take time so having said that, it may be a wise move to bring in some more help? Especially if I am going to bring any more customers on board, I do not want to spread myself too thin. You may have seen my dad, Colin, doing some delivering recently, that’s been a godsend and he will be working with me at least one day a week going forward, helping out in the warehouse & delivering.
I have customers that feel like family to me and I know it’s said not to get too emotional/personal in business but I love the relationships I have with my long-standing customers and how we work together. I do like to be part of the team and be involved in the barista’s ongoing training, and not really one to just send a box of coffee and not care what happens to it.
So to all the customers coming with me into 2018 thank you so very much! Let’s work together and make this the best coffee year yet !!
