Introduction
The goals discussed in the website article, titled “3 Simple Goals you must set for your Business to Succeed”, align well with the short-term and long-term goals of the proposed drive-through café. The author of the article acknowledges that any start-up business should have a clearly defined mission, which should be deeply meaningful to the owner and compelling to employees (Cohan para. 2-4). In the proposed business, the guiding philosophy (mission) is to only offer the best products and services, with the view to ascertaining to customers that the drive-through café is an outstanding outlet for fresh espresso coffee and deserts in Washington DC.
Website Paper on Goals
Another very important requirement in setting up a business, according to the author, is developing an explicit long-term goal of what the business owner wants his or her business to look like in a premeditated future. Indeed, the author argues that a long-term goal for a start-up business should not only deeply satisfy the ambitions and expectations of the owner, investors, and employees, but also put in place mechanisms through which the business can make sustainable profits so that investors can get a sizeable return on capital (Cohan para. 5-7).
In the proposed drive-through café, the long-term plans include (1) augmenting sales by 40% and 20% in the second and third year respectively, and (2) spreading out to three shops by the third year of operation. These long-term goals are at the core of the owner, investors, and employees as the competitiveness and sustainability of the business are firmly grounded on enhancing sales revenues and geographical expansion to serve more customers and markets. Additionally, sustenance of sales revenues and market expansion will put the business at a vantage point to compete with others and also ensure that investors can get a sizeable return on their invested capital.
The author of the article proceeds by acknowledging that another critically important requirement for an individual intending to start a new venture is to delineate the short-term goals and align them with the long-term goal. Developing short-term goals, according to the author, entails creating a series of real options that outlines the firm’s agenda as well as patterns of growth and learning (Cohan para. 8-10). From the reading, it is evident that a short-term goal may not always succeed, hence business owners should use the unsuccessful experiences to learn as they plan on the next move. Additionally, because a short-term goal may fail to succeed, business owners must be cautious not to invest too many resources in them as failure would ultimately mean the collapse of the business.
The short-term goals of the proposed drive-through café align well with what has been suggested in the website article. For example, the café will adopt a quick-service structure, whereby customers can order fresh espresso coffee from the comfort of their cars and be served there. This implies that costs related to construction, furniture, and equipment will be kept at a minimum. Moreover, the proposed café plans to maintain a tradition of producing quality desserts to customers using a blend of innovative ideas with old-fashioned concepts rather than engaging in costly advertisements, hence attracting and retaining customers through inexpensive means of positive-word-of-mouth and quality experiences.
Conclusion
Overall, the website article demonstrates that the most important goals for an individual to consider when opening a new venture include having a clearly defined mission and developing well-articulated short-term and long-term goals.
Works Cited
Cohan, Peter. “3 Simple Goals you must set for your Business to Succeed.” Time 2012. Web.