Last month I got a question so good that I decided to write a whole newsletter about it.

The question was:

“A landlord is offering a space for a long term lease - would she lease it to me as a pop-up, for just six months or so?”

It is such a good question that I couldn’t pack a full answer into the end of our Q&A. Here’s what I said in the webinar: Don’t worry about what a landlord will or won’t let you do. Instead, stay true to YOUR business plan and make a plan that works for YOU.

But, let’s assume you’ve done just that and concluded that it does work for your business plan to pursue a short term deal. Would a landlord even be willing to entertain it?

The short answer is maybe. Deal...

ICYMI:  “LOI” stands for Letter of Intent, and it refers to the short document that you and your landlord will trade back and forth to nail down the most important business terms of a potential lease -- the fundamental elements of your relationship together.

We’ve heard it so many times from first-time retailers. “Oh, I already got an LOI on that space, so this is how much the rent costs.” NO, SIR! This is not Crate&Barrel where standard shams cost $39 and a glittered foam apple costs $72. 

When you start searching for the right space, you’re not in a Crate&Barrel at all. You’re in a loud, crowded Turkish bazaar. You browse stalls until you find something that catches your eye, and then th...

If you've ever called the number on a "For Lease" sign, we're guessing the conversation you had was pretty confusing.

Maybe it went a little something like this...

You: "Hi, I was calling to get some information on the store I saw on Main Street that's empty, next to the flower shop?"

Mystery broker (let's call him "Kevin"): "OK?"

You: "Um, yeah, well, is it available?"

Kevin: "Yeah."

You: "Uhh, OK, how much is the rent?"

Kevin: "It's $40 a foot."

You: "Oh, OK...how much is it per month?"

Kevin: "Well, it's $40 a foot plus triple nets and it's about 2,000 square feet. Can you send me your business plan?"

You: "Wait - I'm not even sure if I'm interested, I don't understand how much ...

One of us at Pedal is in full wedding-planning mode, and the other is mid-way through year eight of marriage. We LOVE using the marriage metaphor for leasing, because this sh!t is SERIOUS, and it's not always pretty.

Here's how we see the leasing process through this exceedingly relevant lens:

Writing your business plan is an exercise in self-exploration. It's your time to travel through Europe with all your belongings on your back, drinking cheap wine, and going to that sketchy club with Franz-with-the-hair from Bruges. When you come back home, you'll return to your life, but you'll know yourself (and probably some other people) a whole lot better.

Okay, so this "self-exploration" isn'...

Maybe you’ve been managing coffee shops for years, made a billion cortados, can schedule your staff in your sleep, and now you’re ready to strike out on your own. Or maybe you’re done with corporate life, and your great resignation and passion for nitro cold brews has ignited your dreams of owning your own coffee shop. Wherever you’re starting, you need to know how to open a coffee shop like a pro, even if it’s your first time.

Here are five simple rules to opening a coffee shop without making rookie mistakes.

Rule #1: Have a business plan with financial projections.

If you’re more comfortable dialing in gorgeous washed process Ethiopian coffees than creating financial models, that’s okay...