BiggSips LLC

BiggSips LLC is not a typical type of coffee shop with a specific location.  It is going to be a gourmet mobile food trailer.   My mission is trying to bring gourmet coffee, teas, smoothies and baked goods to the people of the Chicagoland Area that may not have access to an affordable coffeeshop in their neighborhood.  BiggSips is working with local roasters that give 100% of their proceeds to children and adults with disabilities. I will also be providing hot cocoa bombs from the company, Krispies.

The BiggSips Coffee truck offers quality products at a more affordable price than Starbucks or Dunkin Doughnuts.  We do not have to secure a location in one spot which will in turn make profits higher than a normal coffee shop. The only rent there may be is if I park at a local commissary.

The founder, Carla Biggs, has spent months and months researching different coffees, teas and smoothies.  For the menu, I have recipes that capture different coffees around the world.  From South America, to Africa, to Europe.  We would have the advantage in the Chicagoland area because there is no one like us.  As I grow I hope to give back more and more to the community.  There will be a special coffee on the weekly menu.

I am projecting gross sales of $300,000 in year 1 and increasing it by at least 3% every year thereafter. I expect to be serving 15-20 customers per hour with an average price of $3.45 per customer.  I will draw only minimal salaries starting in the 3rd month, so I can reinvest our profits into growing the business.  Supplies and staff will be our biggest expense, following marketing maintenance and fuel.  When I start booking for events, catering, concerts etc., our earning potential will jump way up.  For now, I am focused on making the gourmet coffee truck a success.

I have already have the license for the LLC.  We are keeping salaries low and plan on working 6 days a week from 6am to 3pm.  We will work later if needed.  I have a quote from the trailer company for the expenses if needed.  The trailer is $18,985.  We are working with a company called Canteen for our supplies of the coffee machine and the cups, lids, syrups and coffee.  Also, we will be purchasing from the roaster called, Aspire Coffeeworks.  They are a company that gives 100% of their profits to people with disabilities.  That is what BiggSips is about, we will be very active in the community and giving back.  The trailer is the last piece of the puzzle.

High-quality, gourmet coffee are in heavy demand all over the Chicagoland Area.  Every day thousands of office workers, construction workers, and sports parents are looking for a convenient way to buy coffee.  People are looking for a more affordable option for gourmet coffee.  There are no other mobile coffee trucks in the Chicagoland area.  I plan on having a special coffee every week which will keep people coming to try something different that other locations have not thought of yet.

  What started as a little joke between friends, got me thinking about the community of Westchester and what the people wanted.  I didn't have any experience in the coffee business before August of 2020, but has spent months on researching and perfecting her craft.

I will be open Monday through Saturday.  I plan on being at a location by 6am, depending on what is bookings are for that day and working until at least 3pm.  I will be parked as well in a location of the person's choosing, and what is permitted by the specific city/county.

I expect our strongest market segments to be professionals in downtown offices, construction workers, sports locations, events (such as weddings and concerts)

According to our research there are 9.5 million in the Chicago metropolis area.  It is the 3rd most populous location in the United States.  Chicago has the second largest amount of Starbucks locations in the United States.  That is very telling on how many people that live in Chicago and surrounding areas drink coffee.  We estimate from 50-150 people reached per day at the beginning and hopefully we will grow into doing events where there are thousands of people.

In the geographic area, there are two major competitors.  Those competitors are Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.  There are a couple things that they provide that a mobile truck cannot.  One of those downfalls is customer retention.  With a mobile food truck, it's difficult to keep the same customers, but you can get new customers every day.  The second issue is the weather.  There are not a lot of people willing to stand outside and wait for a coffee when it's cold outside.  I will be able to also set up inside if I need to.

My new mobile truck offers a unique combination of advantages that is unmatched by our competitors.  Compared to the fast-casual options, we differentiate ourselves by offering great coffee at an affordable price.  I will have better tasting coffee, teas and smoothies. I will also be serving fresh baked goods from the company called Krispies.  Who doesn't want a hot cocoa bomb in the winter when it's cold?!  The drinks will much more exciting than .  For example, we will be offering weekly coffees, which will become permanent if the the customers feel it's needed on the menu.

All though I am a long way from opening, we already have a solid following on the BiggSips Facebook page.  Once set up with a trailer we will work on getting the website up so people can book us and see what the next weekly special will be.

We plan on doing everything by social media and word of mouth.

We based our product pricing on a close study of our competitors.  All our products are between $1.75 and $6.  $0.25 extra for syrups or special creamers.  I will gather feedback from the customers and sales to see if the prices are too high or low and then will adjust.

My coffee truck will be equipped with a tablet running the Square Register point-of-sale app.  We will accept payments by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Google Pay/Apple Pay.  We will also accept cash payments. We will also have a tip jar on the counter, but there will be no pressure for customers to leave a tip.

Once I get the trailer we will be parking the trailer in a local commissary where I wouldn't have to worry about the trailer getting stolen and losing everything.  I hope to expand to an actual location in Westchester, IL, but for now a coffee truck is the way to go.

There are a couple of items that will be using technology in the trailer.  That's the tablet for the POS and the Coffee machine which will dispensing coffee quickly.  With the POS customers will be able to sign up for our email newsletter for special offers.  Behind the scenes I will be using QuickBooks Online for our bookkeeping and payroll.  We will also send newsletters out Via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to connect with our customers.

So the trailer will be coming from a company called The Fud Trailer.  Price for a new custom made trailer is approximately $19,000.  I have a quote with everything included.  The size is a 10x8x7, which is perfect for a new business.

The coffee truck business can be a difficult type of business to figure out at the beginning. Luckily we have advisors to help us out.  Three of my advisors are

*Otis Randall:  CEO of Data Agile
*Eric Tolley:  CEO of Pegasus Windows
*Shawn Kemp: Sales Operations Manager of Best Western International

I expect to serve an average of 100 customers per day for the fist year and then increase that by 3% in year 2.  I am working with a supplier to provide a coffee machine, grinder and blender.  Not much is needed when it comes to a mobile coffee truck.  There will not be many dishes except for cleaning the coffee pot, blender, and then daily cleaning of the truck.