Brewfix's top tips for launching and running a small business
Coffee is known for its smoothness, but the same can’t be said for the industry. After spending 20 years working with some of the world’s leading coffee brands, Wendy Kruger, along with her colleagues Bernice Cawood and Randel Hector, suddenly found themselves jobless. The savvy specialists had two options; either they could wait and hope that someone would hire them, or they could risk it all and start their own business. A few months later, they founded Brewfix, a coffee solutions company based in Cape Town, South Africa. In the beginning, they endured countless challenges, from working in Wendy’s garage to scouring Italy for coffee machine parts. While most companies wouldn’t have survived, Brewfix flourished. Have a look at their tips to find out their secret. Brewfix’s top 5 tips for running a successful coffee supply company:
- Understand your clients’ needs and advise accordingly: Knowing what your clients need is critical to developing your customer service and growing a loyal customer base. If you can continually serve their needs, you’ll have a customer for life.
- Treat all people with respect: As the saying goes, it’s a small world. If you deal with difficult customers, rise above and treat them with respect and in return, their attitude may change. You never know who they may refer to your business, or not refer...
- No one should be treated like a number: Building a positive relationship with your customers will make a huge difference in whether they become a once-off buyer or a customer for life.
- Always treat your clients in a personal manner: As with the above, try to get to know your customers personally. As you build on this relationship, so you will find that more and more people will be referred to your business.
- Be confident in who you are and your product, so no one's opinion, rejection or behaviour can rock you: Set yourself apart from your competitors by showcasing your strengths. Being confident in your approach to everything in your business, whether dealing with suppliers or customers, will elevate you above the rest.
Although Brewfix works with renowned brands such as Saeco and Gaggia, the coffee experts chalk their success up to dogged determination and integrity. “Owning a business is not for the faint-hearted,” Wendy admits. “It takes hard work and dedication from your entire team.”
By making their clients and employees feel valued and like they are part of the family, Wendy, Bernice, and Randel have built a company that will continue to thrive, no matter what obstacles stand in their way. To learn more about Brewfix and their services, visit the company website or check out our in-depth feature story of their business journey.
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