Starting a coffee shop is the dream of many people who are eager to control their own financial destiny.

And because most of enjoy visiting coffee shops, and because many of us make coffee at home, starting your own coffee shop may seem deceptively simple.

However, starting a coffee shop and then surviving in the competitive coffee shop landscape is a tough business and it requires a lot of preparation.

Here lies one of the biggest advantages of having a coffee shop franchise, as opposed to starting your own coffee shop from scratch. With the franchise operation, most or all of the planning is usually done for you, from choosing a site location, to the products you will offer, to store design, and advertising.

If you are considering starting a coffee shop on your own, and running it as an independent owner/operator, with a partner, such as your husband or your wife, you will need an effective business plan to be effective.

There is an excellent article on creating a business plan for starting your own coffee shop at a dedicated website for coffee retailing. The article is quite thorough and interviews coffee retailing industry experts.

You can see the article at:  http://www.specialty-coffee.com