Project case study: business mentoring for a café on Teesside

In a nutshell

A recently opened café in Stockton-on-Tees was already trading successfully, but was keen to get our feedback and advice on how to improve the instore experience further.

What we did

Most things about the business were already excellent, but we suggested ways of improving customers’ first impressions by softening the somewhat austere interior, including dressing the tables, and using the blank wall space to communicate the business’s values and heritage through words and graphics.

We also recommended displaying the addresses of the café’s social media accounts, so that customers could engage while they were there, and leave reviews.

Connected to that, we realised that the business had not claimed its TripAdvisor listing, with several reviews – both positive and negative – awaiting a response.

We helped the business claim its page, and encouraged it to reply to all the reviews.

What impact we had

As the business owner became active on the platform, we were delighted to see the café’s TripAdvisor ranking improve from 40th to 9th in a matter of weeks.

At the business’s request, we made several return visits over the following months, to check on progress, discuss new ideas, and generally act as a critical friend and business mentor to the café’s owner.

Can we help your shop or cafe?

Sometimes a single visit from our canny business experts is enough to inspire new ideas and make sure your shop or cafe is on the right track – and improved trading means that you can soon recoup your investment in a business mentor.

Drop us a line to find out more about how we can help.