Coffee Business Success in a Turbulent Economy offers precise business benchmarks and proven advice necessary to thrive in these difficult days. Arvidson details a practical 120-day plan born from experience and supported with carefully calculated key performance indicators that set successful businesses apart. A frank discussion of the importance of self-motivation and emphasis on the fundamentals of cost control convey the urgency of execution. Following his detailed "Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan" and the Survival Checklist will easily add $1000 to the bottom line for the average owner in the first month - a 10x return on investment that makes this handbook a must.

Dan Bolton
Editor-in-Chief
Specialty Coffee Retailer Magazine
http://www.specialty-coffee.com/

It has been said that in life everything is subject to change. Although that premise may be successfully challenged, some things do not change: in business if you don’t make more money than you spend you will fail. Less than 10 years ago there weren’t enough locations to house new retail ventures. Today there are open spaces with hungry landlords fighting to get a solid tenant. Ten years ago companies didn’t blink at large expense accounts. Today the average manager has to justify every expense. Ten years ago the average person had an "everything’s gonna work out" attitude and today they’re not so sure, pinching pennies as never before. Not a bad thing, but not what we were used to. The world as we knew it, has shifted.

Mr. Arvidson has been a fixture in the coffee world for years. As a consultant, teacher and speaker he has earned the respect of those who have heard him speak or hired him to help. I have known Ed for about as many years as I have been in business, and have many times had a conversation with him or asked him questions about things related to our common vocation. Ed’s corporate experience gives him a more dollars-and-cents mindset than my entrepreneurial mindset and is a valuable asset to me, or anyone in the coffee business.

Although I consult and train in the coffee industry, as does Ed, I still operate a high volume espresso bar, which is my main source of income. Our store is in Michigan, known lately by all as the "One-State Recession." Our business climate has been affected by the downturn in the economy as much or more than any other location. Our store has been affected as well.

When Ed asked me to read Coffee Business Success in a Turbulent Economy, I readily agreed, knowing I would benefit from it as much as anyone. Coffee Business Success is a guidebook to help coffee businesses survive and thrive and I’ll take all the help I can get. I read the manual over a two-week period with highlighter and ink pen in hand. I decided I would highlight items of importance to me, dog-ear pages so I could later create my own action checklist, and make notes as ideas bubbled up for my own business. After reading the manual I have at least a couple dozen pages dog-eared and a list of action items for myself and my manager; and this from a 15+ year coffee shop operator, consultant and trainer.

Thanks Ed, for letting me proof the manual. I and my business will benefit from your experience and your advice, as will anyone willing to make necessary changes to their business. Although not everything applies to everyone, there is so much experience, so many solid cost-cutting, revenue increasing, operation improving ideas, that I am confident saying, "Any coffee house owner or manager will benefit from reading your manual, following the appropriate ideas, designing a game plan for their store and following through with implementation." My heart, and the reason I consult, has always been to see others succeed. This book is Ed’s heart, experience and knowledge put to paper.

Jack Groot
President
JP’s Coffee & Espresso Bar
Midwest Barista School