Tag: Fat Brain Coffee
May
26
Living Their Dream
Forest Graves was laid off unexpectedly from his job, and didn’t know what to do. Together with his wife they decided to do what they had always wanted to do: start a coffee business. As coffee lovers, they were always on the search for the perfect cup of coffee – to no avail. They bought a roaster and now they have a very successful coffee business.
When I checked out his webpage, JumpingGoat.com, I noticed that one of his blog categories (on the right) was ‘Coffee Shop Business’. He writes his blog in a very transparent, down-to-earth way and I think anyone considering opening a shop like this could glean a great deal of wisdom from someone that has done so well.
Watch the video if you haven’t already. He gives some good advice and three good tips in this interview:
- Just begin
- Embrace technology
- Start with a Facebook page
Start a Coffee Business and Learn Entrepreneurship: For 8-14 year olds:
A curriculum written for older elementary students that are interested in selling quality coffee while learning how to run a business is FatBrainCoffee.com. It’s an excellent program that takes you step by step through everything you need to run your own coffee business. I think they have added tea, also.
So…have you thought of what business you would start if given the opportunity?
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Apr
22
Business Ideas For Kids
The theory is great – teach your kids the basics of business, along with integrity in the marketplace, Christian principles and make some money in the process by starting a home business. You solve the time issue by making it a part of their school. Great. So what business should they start?
Stereotype jobs for teens like lawn care and babysitting are time-honored options. However, I frequently receive emails from rural families that don’t live very close to enough potential clients to make a business profitable. It’s difficult when transportation is required to effectively run the ‘home’ business and drivers and vehicles are in short supply.
One of the factors we **use in our curriculum** to decide on the best home business for your personal situation is what you have to work with. Be it money, equipment, transportation, skills, or time, you have to decide what will work for your family. Here are a few ideas to consider:
Fat Brain Coffee
Fat Brain Coffee is a business and a curriculum in one. For $68 you receive a 3-ring notebook with the basics of what you need to know to run your coffee & tea business. You also receive a supply of (Starbuck’s quality) coffee that you can put your own label on or use Fat Brain’s label. It’s designed for ages 8 and up. Scripts of exactly what to say are even included, and all the forms you will need. This is one of the simplest ‘business in a box’ setups that I’ve seen. I does require an element of transportation, but marketing can be done at homeschool and church events, or by email.
Find out more at: Fat Brain Coffee
Grow Something
On a farm or in a rural area with a little extra land, there are a number of things that kids could grow. Fresh herbs, bedding plants, worms, chicks, you name it. Farmer’s Markets are always a great place to sell such items, and you don’t have to limit yourself to only one. Find all the farmer’s markets in your area at http://www.localharvest.org/. You can also see how entrepreneurial growers have turned their home-grown products into different items like jams, birdhouses and more. Listing your item on the Local Harvest website is always an option, too!
Bake Something
Once again, we’re in that gray area of needing transportation, but if you set one day a week as your baking day and make it the day before a weekly outing you normally take, you can make it work. If your homeschool group or church group meets once a week you can deliver the fresh baked goods that day. Be sure to attach a price list/order form and your phone number on each delivery. Offer a free item to your customer if they refer a friend to you and they purchase something.
Blogging
This isn’t always a fast way to earn money, but some have done very well with blogging. Those that don’t see how you can make an income from blogging haven’t heard of Google Adsense. Google Adsense are those little ads that are found on websites and blogs. When you get distracted and click on one that looks interesting, the owner of the account makes some money. Now, you do have to be 18 to start an Adsense account, so parents of minors are required to obtain the account. You will also want to be sure that their friends understand that they can’t click their friend into riches because Google is quick to expel abusers (even if the owner isn’t aware) and there is no coming back.
Depending on the subject you choose to blog about, there are other ways to make money also. That’s another ebook. Blogging can be an extremely educational project, giving practice in writing, grammar, graphic design, marketing and more. One of the few ways anyone can start a business with $0 and end up a millionaire, it’s easy to learn, but complicated to master. So, why not start today? Free blogs can be set up immediately at WordPress.com, Blogger.com and HomeschoolBlogger.com.
Of course, there are dozens of other ways a kid can earn money and learn the way of an entrepreneur. What are some ways you (or your kids) have earned money?
**Our curriculum is Entrepreneurship 101 also known as The 9 Week Homeschool Entrepreneur. See details at http://homeschool-entrepreneur.com/entrepreneur_course.html
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Jul
25
Anyone Tried Fat Brain’s Biz Course For Kids?
I came across Fat Brain Coffee’s website a few weeks ago and found something you will definitely be interested in if you have an 8-12 year old! It’s a course you can do with your child that teaches them sales and marketing techniques, accounting skills, day-to-day business operations, and public relations by starting a coffee business.
So I ordered the course and a box of coffee for Benjamin, since he is always wanting to do some kind of business. (Gee, I wonder where he gets THAT from?) Arriving within a week, Ben was ready to do the first lesson immediately. Now why doesn’t he get that excited about his writing assignments? Anyway, it had seven easy to follow lessons with everything we needed to start a sustainable coffee business. It comes neatly arranged in a black, 3 ring binder, and a CD containing the forms and graphics for a label or other advertising. The lessons require little or no preparation to teach them, and offer a great beginning business basics curriculum. We’ll keep you posted on how Ben does as we go along.
Of course, we had to try the coffee, too, and their unique selling proposition is FRESHNESS and QUALITY. All coffee is ground to order, and is targeted to arrive at your home within 1 week of roasting. It’s reasonably priced, and you are free to set your own retail price. It’s comparable to Starbuck’s coffee. We even did a blind taste test (my husband’s idea) and it won hands down!
One of the best parts of this course is the emphasis on giving back. The lessons encourage giving a portion of your profits to a charity of your choice, and rightly budgeting the rest of your profits in a healthy manner. In every lesson, there is emphasis on character in the marketplace, which is one of Homeschool-Entrepreneur‘s core reasons for making entrepreneurism a part of your homeschool. Making right decisions, good stewardship of your money, and ethics in all your business dealings are all principles you can’t teach early enough.
Nicole Hunt and her daughters have made quite a splash in the short time they have been in business. They have been featured in several local newspapers, and have even made it to the big screen! You can see the news clip that Tampa Bay’s CBS News did on their business just last week. Nicole has a flair for the PR side of business and that is reflected in her success and in the course! The stir they have created is a sign that people like the idea of teaching kids how to run a business.
If you would like more information on how to buy the course or Fat Brain Coffee, you can go to FatBrainCoffee.com, and take a look at the news clip about them too. Nicole is a delightful woman, and even makes herself available by phone. Of course, if this gets as big as I think it will, that might change soon! They charge $20 for the course, and a offer a discount if you buy the course and your first round of coffee together. Let me know if you try it, and what experience you have, we’d love to hear!
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