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The Little Red Roaster

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The Little Red Roaster
A Case Study
By
Jay Boushell

Small family operations, like the Little Red Roaster make up the largest part of our country’s business base. The problem is that too many of them fail, not because of the lack of expertise or motivation, but because of poor business decisions. The LRR is a perfect example of a small operation taken over by a very capable and knowledgeable person, Kendra Gordon-Green. She is one of those hard working employees that have been given the opportunity to become an owner-operator of a small business operation. At this point Kendra has not made the transition from employee to owner. Sadly this very situation is the reason most small businesses like the LRR never make. With two locations …show more content…

Canadians drink coffee every day and with 67% of the adult population coffee drinkers, the demand is there if a business can capitalize on it. Growth of the Little Red Roaster will rely on how several issue are addressed .There is no doubt Kendra knows the business she now owns, but is still playing the role of an employee rather than an owner. If she wants the LRR to grow she will have to learn to delegate. A manager for each location should be a goal for Kendra, which would allow her to work on business strategies rather than physically doing the work herself. Kendra will likely have to start this process by looking to have a manager for one of the LRR’s location and her running the other with a goal of having a manager for both locations. Another issue needing to be addressed is the notion that here main customers are female and a certain age group. I assume this has occurred simply because of her personal contact with her customers, and with women, as social as they are, I can see how this could happen. I would suggest that Kendra not to be satisfied with the status quoi. She should start by trying to reach the men in that same demographic, they drink coffee as well. Gaining that male customer base will surely make a positive impact for her business. With London being the headquarters or major productions centers for many companies including, 3M Canada, EllisDon, Kellog

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