I have a book recommendation: ‘What I know about running coffee shops’ by Colin Harmon.

Required reading for the future coffee shop owner. But, read it with a generalist view and it is one of the best business books out there. In it are the most concise and practical explanations of Scale, Customer Value Propositions, Strategy and Planning.

Here is one page from the book; a list about ‘the basics’:

It reminded me of the phrase ‘retail is detail’.

How many things on that list are about making a good cup of coffee? None. Yet, all of these elements contribute to the perceived quality of the coffee served, and certainly to the quality of the establishment. It’s never just about the product.

Generalising again, the idea behind ‘retail is detail’ applies to anything related to customer service. Every small detail matters. Every little interaction compounds in the customer’s mind to form the whole experience.

Compounding works here just as it does with interest. Too many average or negative interactions will overwhelm even the best product. Similarly, a bad product will be forgiven (at least once) if the rest of the customer interaction is excellent.

In fact, the brands and establishments I am most loyal to are the ones where I’ve had issues with a product – but, the returns or exchange process has been so helpful and smooth that the correction of the issue actually cemented my loyalty to that company.

The basics matter.