You need to be able to work with people and you need to love doing it. You need to be confident and willing to follow your own set of rules. You don’t have a boss telling you want to do. You need to do it all and it can be lonely if you sulk easily. You need to be able to work a computer. You also need support from your family. And if you are organised then you’ll do well. Another issue; you need to be strong when it gets to money because you are providing as service you must ask for money and be willing to walk away if you don’t get the money upfront.

# You get the rights to distribute the trademarked Coffee News publication in your distribution or opportunity area.
# You get Coral Draw software to publish and change your Coffee News publication.
# You don’t need to write any content for your publication because we do the research for you, we write the stories for every week’s publication, we email you the content. All you need to do is focus on your clients, printing and distribution of your publication.
# You get a website worth R5000 and training on how to use it.

You get an automated newsletter publication tool with your website where you subscribe your clients or they can subscribes. You will publish free tips to them using this website. You get training to use these tools.
# You get support and training when you start and when you run your business.
# You get access to a social network and online forum where we help each other.
# Because you are part of a global enterprise you learn from other Coffee News owners via a world wide news letter.
# You get training on why Coffee News is effective and training on marketing and advertising.

When we started we advertised widely and we had more people who bought Coffee News that were not the right people. We then changed the asking price from R5000 to R15 000 per area. Then we went to R25 000 because people thought it was to easy. Coffee News is not easy. Therefore we decided not to advertise Coffee News at all and learn from the Coffee News owners out there. We had to see what makes good owners. Today we have one owner who runs his Coffee News for four years, another Coffee News is also running for four years (the first owner sold to the current owner approximately two years ago). The third Coffee News runs for more than 2 years. Now that we have a stable base we decided to go out selectively through word of mouth to get the ideal candidates for Coffee News.

Let me give you an example of a possible week.

# You get up in the morning and you smile as the sun comes up because you are not working for a boss.
# You get your week planner out to see what’s on.
# You update your list of phone numbers of business people in your area.
# You phone business people and tell them what you do and ask for an appointment.
# If you don’t get an appointment you ask if they want to receive your free marketing tips? You get their email address.
# You subscribe them to your online newsletter.
# If you got an appointment you schedule it and update you contact database.
# You noted that it’s publication day of the week. You download the new edition add and change the advertisements, you save a copy on a memory stick and take it to the printer.
# It’s collection and distribution morning: You collect the papers and take them to the restaurants. You take note of the number not taken and you replace old with new.
#
# You have a friendly chat to the restaurant owner and ask if he doesn’t want to sponsor a prized.
# It’s invoice and collection day. You wear your tuff boots and you go and fetch your money before you your next print run.
# It’s network day: You go out with a handful of business cards some old Coffee News newspapers and you attend one of the many business network meetings.
# You tell the network about your business and ask them for business cards and if you can come and see them. You also ask them if they want to receive your free marketing tips newsletter.
# You go home with all your ammo and make note to meet with these owners. When you meet you sell them Coffee News advertising and you ask them for referrals.
# You go through your list if contacts, check if they advertise, see if they are happy, and ask them for referrals.
# You go and spend some of your money and you plan for the next day.

I though you were going to ask me this. As you may have heard from the interview with the Global Coffee News president here, Coffee News owners after time tend to have three areas in which they operate. Secondly you need to have a look at what you invest. In total you invest R35 000 plus VAT. Let’s compare that to say a Cash Converters that may cost you as mush as R1 million. With a Cash Converters you may make a R100 000 per month and you’ll be lucky if you get a pay back in one year.

With Coffee News, depending on your ability and your area, you may make a total of R16 000 per month when you are established. Therefore within two and a bit months you can have what you paid back in your pocket. But let’s say you are a little slow and you only make R10 000 per month then it will take you 3.5 months to get a pay back on what you invested.

Let’s look at when you are running three Coffee News areas at full steam: The scenario may give you R48 000 per month and the low option may give you R30 000 per month.

One word of warning: We have been there! Never try and run a second or third Coffee News if you have not been in the business for a year or longer.

What you make depends on your ability to network with your community. The product/concept has been proven. The only variable is you. And we don't have control over that.