DREAM

My 2024 business plan changed dramatically, but I still think it was a good plan. The model moved; the reason for Filgap did not, and the planning still matters.

A useful opening timeline is more than a list of dates. I work backward from real deadlines, map what depends on what, and leave buffer where one delay can move everything behind it.

Before I worry about sales, I need a product worth selling. For Filgap, risk starts with quality and keeping enough room to learn when an assumption is wrong.

Profit and cash answer different questions. I look at what the business earns, what the cash already needs to cover, and what should stay in the bank for the next stage.

Before I trust a sales forecast, I want to know what assumptions are creating it. For Filgap, that means looking from the top, building from the bottom, and replacing guesses with what actually happens.

I do not start with a budget and fill in a shopping list. I start with the product, trace what the business really requires, price the setup as completely as I can, and only then put a cap around the total.

A coffee business can stay small without depending entirely on memory. I am thinking about the few records, handoffs and feedback loops that need to connect before the room itself.

I do not want to choose a headcount first. I want to understand the work, what can happen at different times, what must happen at the same time, and when another person actually solves a real operating problem.

Before opening, I want more than a list of supplier names. I need to understand how price, inventory, lead time, green coffee, packaging and supplier relationships will actually work for a small roastery.

I have opened coffee stores before, but never in Canada. Before signing a future Filgap lease, I want to understand what the property, menu, roaster and building will actually need to be approved.