Good stuff in this thread! I thought I wanted to go this route someday, but given the considerations provided here, I think that someday is still a ways down the road, if ever!

This thread is an eye opener for me. I always want to have my own coffeeshop and this is a very useful information for me to move forward. Thank you so much.

Almico wrote:Step1 - Write a business plan...

can't stress this enough, another very useful tool is a business model canvas. Co-Starters makes a great one you can download for free. It really helps you view your business in the mindset of what problem are you answering from the perspective of your customer rather than you're own vacuum.