What do you think about this business?

Question

I am a 21 year old female who recently graduated college with a degree in teaching. There are not many teaching jobs in Pittsburgh, and I am thinking of pursuing a goal I have had for a while. I want to own my own business....although I'm not 100% sure what exactly I want it to be.

Some people may think this is a bad idea because I am only 21, but I have a good amount of money saved up now, awesome credit....so I can fund the costs, I have a drive and excellent work ethic, and also I have a family who will back me 150% and help me get everything settled.

What do you think about this idea?

I was thinking of opening a local soup/salad/sandwich shop that you can go to to get fresh made sandwiches. In addition to eating in, I would also like to deliver to businesses with multiple employees. Everything would be included....drink...soup....salad...sandwich....everything you need for a perfect lunch at a reasonable price.....any thoughts? any suggestions?

Answer 1

I think it's a great idea. In fact, I've been working on the same idea for five years, with a few touches, and I'm too old and tired to do it, but if I were 21 with some money saved up and a supportive family, I'd sure as heck try it.

You remember those kiosks that Photo Mat used to have?

Set yourself up with kiosks along along the *right* side of all the major arteries into town. Set up a central commissary and a website.

Commuters go to the website before 4 AM and place their order, and pay for it with a credit card, then print out a full-page receipt with a big number on it. When they drive into work at 6 AM or earlier, they just drop by the kiosk they've specified, hand the receipt in, and the person in the booth hands them their food. Since they're not taking orders, not handling cash, they should have the box to the customer in no time flat.

Your kiosk employees pick up their completed orders at 5:30 at the commissary, open their kiosks at 6 AM, and are through work by 9 or 10 AM. One or more of them may want to work in the central commissary preparing orders before they leave for their kiosks.

You'd want a relatively short menu of items, maybe 3 or 4 things that were *always* on the menu, and 5 or 6 that changed from day to day. It'd be important to have really good quality; you'd probably want to bake your own artisan bread for the sandwiches, use sauces like tsatziki or pesto instead of just mayo, and a lot of fresh ingredients in order to offer something they can't get at most lunchrooms and aren't willing to make in their own kitchens.

You could get those kiosks pretty cheap, and good locations for them pretty cheap. Wages wouldn't need to be very high. Your central commissary could be in a low-rent area instead of an expensive storefront location.

And you could offer gourmet suppers to people in the afternoon who are too tired to cook, but I think you need to concentrate on the lunch trade initially.

Answer 2

The only comment I'd have is that there are a lot of soup, salad and sandwich places around, so you'll really need to know what you're doing to succeed with all the competition - restaurants are a type of business that doesn't have a high success rate for new ones. Have you developed your business plan yet, and figured out what you'd need to acquire, how many employees you'd need and what that would cost, and what other costs you'd have, so how much money you'd need? do you have a general area of Pittsburgh in mind that's near plenty of businesses (both for walkins and for deliveries) and might not have a lot of completing places around? Then a specific location, and what it would cost to maintain and also initial costs to get up and running - your equipment, tables and chairs, etc etc etc. Hours you'd be open? How you'd publicize and promote your business, and how you'd make your shop stand out from others? Delivery can help, since a lot of the competition doesn't deliver, but that also means hiring people to do it. Are you knowledgeable enough about ordering so you can keep the perishable items you need to serve your customers but not have too much spoil - if you had experience managing or ordering for a similar place while you were in college, that would help. Part of your business plan will be a calculation of how many lunches you'll have to sell to pay all of the expenses and to eventually make a living from the business.

Good luck. And hey, I'm in the Pgh area, so hang onto my ID here, and if you do pull this off, email me and I'll stop by if you're anywhere near my area and buy a lunch.

Answer 3

If you open your store near a heavy business district, you are sure to cash in. I have worked in a city in Michigan that is considered middle-upper-class and is loaded with companies and office buildings, and there is not a single sandwich shop in town that isn't JAMMED at lunch time. Most of them deliver to offices to, much like you are describing.

If you focus most efforts on lunch, M-F, you are sure to make good money for those hours anyway. If you open up near a mall or stadium as well, you are sure to get more customers still. Just know what you are getting in to, and realize that if the venture does fail, it can screw up your financial life for a long time. But if you're going to open a business, sandwich shops are a great idea. Everyone needs to eat!

Answer 4

I agree with the others - sound slike a very good idea. Just keep in mind, working with food comes with a lot of extra responsibilities and regulations.

Go ahead and start your business plan so you can do all ofyour research and I bet by the time you are done with your business plan you will know for sure if it's what you want to do. Also, while doing your business plan you will be able to identify what is "over the top" and conform your business details to maximize profit and minimize risk. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Be a tutor. Gain experience from teaching. Plus, you can make mad money to little of time.

Answer 6

i think it is more than perfect business....young lady......good luck....