Before Carl Ludwig, I had notes, pictures, and a spreadsheet full of guesses. It felt like progress. It wasn't. What moved us forward was one decision: putting a date and a number on paper. Most of you don't need more information. You need the next step, done. So here's your one action for this week (30 minutes, a coffee and a pen): ✅ 1. Write your target opening month. Not "someday." A month and a year. ✅ 2. Write the budget range you can realistically invest. Honest, not hopeful. ✅ 3. Write the ONE thing you'll finish before next Sunday. That's your contract with yourself. Take a closer look in the Classroom if you want the template 👉 A contract with myself Then comment: DONE + your city + your opening month. I read every one and I'll reply to you personally. Already open? Your one action: compare last month's coffee price per kg with what you paid a year ago. If the number surprises you, comment PROFIT. It's not easy, but we'll figure it out. Together. P.S. In January we're doing this properly, for 5 days together. More soon. ☕

👋 Welcome to The Coffee Shop Launchpad Free Course. Please take a second to introduce yourself Welcome. This community is here to help you open your own coffee shop! Here are your next steps 👇 1. Start the free course: The Coffee Shop Launchpad 2. Introduce yourself: name, country, and your coffee shop goal. 3. Answer the poll below 4. Book your free 1-1 call: Link 5. Join the bi.weekly calls 6. Stay active: ask questions, help others, share wins, make friends, have fun! To your success! Juan ✨ No pressure — keep it simple. This community grows when we know who you are and what you’re building. What's your goal for the next 30 days?

Most people start planning a cafe with the espresso machine. I did too. ☕ Then I spent six years running Carl Ludwig Coffee in Vienna and learned that the machine is the easy part. The hard part is knowing, before you sign anything, whether the numbers and the idea actually hold together. That's what a Business Case is for. It puts your concept, your costs and your assumptions on paper, so you can see where the plan is strong and where it's guessing. I've put together a free Business Case for you, and I recorded a full video that explains how it works and how to use it. Here's how to get both: 1. Watch the full video walkthrough here 2. Comment the word "Business Case" below this post 3. Get the free Business Case 👇 Just comment "Business Case" and you're done. P.S. This is for you if you're seriously thinking about opening a cafe, or already working toward it. If you're only curious, you're welcome too, but you'll get the most out of it with a real idea in mind.

I talk to a lot of people who want to open a cafe, and almost none of them have this done. No full business case. No complete list of variable costs. No complete list of fixed costs — the stuff you pay even on the days you're closed. No real number for total investment needed before you open the door. And here's the part that actually worries me: more than 60% of coffee shops fail in year one, and more than 80% don't make it past year five. I used to think that was because people didn't try hard enough. I don't think that anymore. I think it's because people assume it's simple. Pick a nice space, get a good machine, make good coffee, done. It's the opposite of simple. The owners who make it are the ones who sat down early and got honest about the numbers — before the lease, before the buildout, before any of it. You don't need my template for this. Use whatever system works for you. But please, please do not sign anything until you've built these three lists yourself: 1. Every variable cost — what changes with how busy you are 2. Every fixed cost — what you pay whether you're open or not 3. Your full investment number — everything it takes to actually get the doors open If you want the breakdown I use with people going through this, comment "Lists" and I'll send it your way. ☕ P.S. This is for anyone who's serious about opening, even if it's a year or two out. If you're just daydreaming about it, that's fine too — just know these three lists are where the daydream turns into a real plan.