Coffee Connections started as a catering company with a mobile coffee cart in 2014. We opened our first brick and mortar shop in the heart of downtown Old Hilliard on September 10, 2016. Sometimes our passions can turn into our career. That is exactly the case for Coffee Connections. We had a strong passion for coffee and for people, and combining the two was the obvious next step. We focus not only on always delivering you a quality cup of coffee, but also on building relationships with each and every one of our customers.

We want to be able to establish a viable growth plan for our coffee shop, roasting and catering company. This includes alternative income streams, an outlook for roasting in the Columbus area and growth throughout the US, grant income source opportunity, green coffee source alternative and international relationships, and education opportunity for staff throughout the growth plan.

Students should focus on developing a growth plan with the following features:

• Annual objectives and key metrics
• Achievable target timelines
• Potential sales projections and specific sales opportunities
• An analysis of competitors and the industry’s landscape with a focus on COVID-19 economy and challenges
• Increasing revenue or market share for coffee, event rentals, catering, roasting and other products/services
• Improving B2B customer acquisition/retention and improving in-store customer relationships
• Identifying new market segments and opportunities

The final project deliverable should provide guidance on how to achieve specific growth goals for the immediate 12 months throughout COVID-19 challenges as well as the next five years. These goals should be practical and achievable by Coffee Connections current staff as a small business.

Example deliverables include, but are not limited to:

• Presentation of project process undertaken
• Potential contact list for B2B sales opportunities
• Potential green coffee sources/roasting plan
• Potential education/certification opportunities for staff to increase credibility
• A short (~8min) pitch video
• Short research paper or report with interactive elements (~5-8 pages with supporting materials)
• User journeys/experience maps
• Design mockups