The Alternative to Starbucks
It's become a love/hate relationship, we all experience when going into our local Starbucks. We love the coffee, but undoubtedly, hate the prices. We love the atmosphere, but can't help but to hate the crowds of people. We love sitting down and relaxing with a nice cup of joe, but hate how there is never anywhere to sit because the guy with his laptop needs two chairs and a third of the table to get his work done. This is what Starbucks has become. A place to drink tasty, gourmet coffee and deal with lots of people, who, most likely will be trying to take up a majority of the space, to do work that should be done in an office.
To those of us who long for what Starbucks originally used to attract its customers and grow in to the world's most popular coffee house, well, those days are coming back. As the economy continues to struggle, Starbucks has continued to see a drop in revenue after years of booming expansion and success. Alongside the growth in popularity of instant coffee machines, Starbucks has also seen their locations become the home offices for many mobile workers in a growing age of telecommucations and seamless, internet-based, data transfers. We have all seen it. Men and women will go into their local Starbucks, find a comfortable spot next to an outlet, grab a large cup of the most inexpensive coffee, and camp out for hours to get work done and meet with people throughout the day. One might think,
"what a great concept for Starbucks! A productive yet casual coffee house environment, what an easy way to attract business"
Initially, this thought process may have been on point. Heck, it was probably even shared by the geniuses that run such a successful company. Yet, let's look into it a little deeper. Does a company like Starbucks really want its atmosphere clogged up by freeloading computer users? Clearly, they have been losing potential business with this allowance. Especially with loyalty programs allowing for inexpensive refills, there is only loss in allowing people to buy a $2 cup of coffee and stay for six hours at a time. To counter the loss, in an effort to keep the workplace atmosphere alive, Starbucks began introducing new products and services to appeal to the "freeloading" workers, only buying one cup of coffee per day. Prepackaged sandwiches and salads were quickly added and quickly showing losses as they perished without purchase. Starbucks even began to sell its own version of instant coffee, Via, a broken promise from a business model that swore to never stoop to the instant coffee level, to keep pace with a dynamic, home-based, instant coffee competition.
Starbucks changing its ways, kicking out the day worker, selling instant coffee, it's really just reactionary to a growing trend in the way professionals work in today's business environment. Starbucks was viewed as a great place to work, meet clients, and keep energy levels up during an otherwise, tired work day. With fewer and fewer people needing the permanence and expenses of their own office space, the desire for alternative workspaces has entered the forefront of methods by which business centers and office buildings attract new and keep old clients. As previously stated, we are in the age of the mobile worker. Professionals, who simply need a respectable place to sit down, get on the internet, occasionally meet a client, and of course, enjoy a cup of coffee or two. It's fairly simply at its core, when you think about it. People, in the last 3 years have justifiably concerned with the state of their businesses and future prospects within a tumultuous economic and job market. Take a look at commercial lease statistics across the U.S. Nationwide, revenue was down almost 3% from 2009 to 2010 and further losses are projected for 2011. We all see it happening and we all feel the effects, but it cannot be understated how flexibility and adaptability has become key to keeping people afloat in an uncertain economy.
Offices, locations, and the methods in which professionals conduct their business can play a major role in the growth and sustainability of that business. With Starbucks out of the picture, professionals must turn to alternative office options as viable homes for their work day. Virtual offices and shared office spaces like coworking clubs can provide the Starbucks outcasts with the services and environment needed to transition away from their coffee house ways, while upgrading the appearance of their business. These virtual offices and coworking spaces will come complete with all of the services that a business center should be expected to provide, yet with a more modular and flexible structure, not to mention, coffee and a receptionist. So as we watch Starbucks adjust its ways to meet a changing economy head on, the affected professional dealing with the loss of their caffeine and couch laden office must adjust as well. The beauty of that adjustment, however, is unlike Starbucks, where change comes with a negative impact towards its once loyal customers, professional have workspace alternatives that will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the way they do business. Still not sure? Stop in to your local virtual office or coworking club business center, let them show you around and explain how leaving Starbucks was the best decision you never had to make.
To those of us who long for what Starbucks originally used to attract its customers and grow in to the world's most popular coffee house, well, those days are coming back. As the economy continues to struggle, Starbucks has continued to see a drop in revenue after years of booming expansion and success. Alongside the growth in popularity of instant coffee machines, Starbucks has also seen their locations become the home offices for many mobile workers in a growing age of telecommucations and seamless, internet-based, data transfers. We have all seen it. Men and women will go into their local Starbucks, find a comfortable spot next to an outlet, grab a large cup of the most inexpensive coffee, and camp out for hours to get work done and meet with people throughout the day. One might think,
"what a great concept for Starbucks! A productive yet casual coffee house environment, what an easy way to attract business"
Initially, this thought process may have been on point. Heck, it was probably even shared by the geniuses that run such a successful company. Yet, let's look into it a little deeper. Does a company like Starbucks really want its atmosphere clogged up by freeloading computer users? Clearly, they have been losing potential business with this allowance. Especially with loyalty programs allowing for inexpensive refills, there is only loss in allowing people to buy a $2 cup of coffee and stay for six hours at a time. To counter the loss, in an effort to keep the workplace atmosphere alive, Starbucks began introducing new products and services to appeal to the "freeloading" workers, only buying one cup of coffee per day. Prepackaged sandwiches and salads were quickly added and quickly showing losses as they perished without purchase. Starbucks even began to sell its own version of instant coffee, Via, a broken promise from a business model that swore to never stoop to the instant coffee level, to keep pace with a dynamic, home-based, instant coffee competition.
Starbucks changing its ways, kicking out the day worker, selling instant coffee, it's really just reactionary to a growing trend in the way professionals work in today's business environment. Starbucks was viewed as a great place to work, meet clients, and keep energy levels up during an otherwise, tired work day. With fewer and fewer people needing the permanence and expenses of their own office space, the desire for alternative workspaces has entered the forefront of methods by which business centers and office buildings attract new and keep old clients. As previously stated, we are in the age of the mobile worker. Professionals, who simply need a respectable place to sit down, get on the internet, occasionally meet a client, and of course, enjoy a cup of coffee or two. It's fairly simply at its core, when you think about it. People, in the last 3 years have justifiably concerned with the state of their businesses and future prospects within a tumultuous economic and job market. Take a look at commercial lease statistics across the U.S. Nationwide, revenue was down almost 3% from 2009 to 2010 and further losses are projected for 2011. We all see it happening and we all feel the effects, but it cannot be understated how flexibility and adaptability has become key to keeping people afloat in an uncertain economy.
Offices, locations, and the methods in which professionals conduct their business can play a major role in the growth and sustainability of that business. With Starbucks out of the picture, professionals must turn to alternative office options as viable homes for their work day. Virtual offices and shared office spaces like coworking clubs can provide the Starbucks outcasts with the services and environment needed to transition away from their coffee house ways, while upgrading the appearance of their business. These virtual offices and coworking spaces will come complete with all of the services that a business center should be expected to provide, yet with a more modular and flexible structure, not to mention, coffee and a receptionist. So as we watch Starbucks adjust its ways to meet a changing economy head on, the affected professional dealing with the loss of their caffeine and couch laden office must adjust as well. The beauty of that adjustment, however, is unlike Starbucks, where change comes with a negative impact towards its once loyal customers, professional have workspace alternatives that will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the way they do business. Still not sure? Stop in to your local virtual office or coworking club business center, let them show you around and explain how leaving Starbucks was the best decision you never had to make.
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