In-house side job system lifted! Story about starting a cafe within the company

Hello.

Would you like some coffee?

My name is Goto and I am an in-house barista.
(*Belongs to Web Service Division)

At Beyond, we continue to develop various new internal systems, and we have just created yet another new system.

That the in-house side job system .

*Beyond's welfare benefits and systems to date are summarized in the article below.

Beyond's welfare benefits/internal system [2021 latest version]

I really like coffee, so I took advantage of this system and started an in-house cafe.

In this article, we an overview of Beyond's new system, the "in-house side job system," share our experiences of actually doing an in-house side job

If you are interested in unusual welfare benefits or if you are thinking of ``I want to use my special skills to start some kind of business within the company,''

What is the in-house side job system?

The in-house side job system is an in-house system that allows employees to develop some kind of business within the company for their employees.

By the way, if you are going to develop something within your company, have you ever wondered, "Wouldn't it be better to offer it for free or at a low price without taking profits?"

Nomu Shin Shoten (purchasing ready-made sweets and drinks and selling them internally), which had been in business for a long time before this system was announced, was offering such reasonable prices that they were not trying to make a profit. We sell products

Why doesn't "Nomushin Shoten" go bankrupt even during the coronavirus pandemic?

The title of this article is
``Why doesn't Nomusin Shoten go bankrupt even during the coronavirus pandemic?'' the answer, roughly speaking, is that Mr. Nomusin, also known as Nomura from the development department, is a really nice person .

-What is the reason why you have been able to continue even if sales have not increased?

I guess it's because I want to see everyone's smiles.

In fact, I don't even realize that I'm in the red because I don't count sales.

Once you've finished counting, you're done.

Source: Why doesn't "Nomushin Shoten" go bankrupt even during the coronavirus pandemic?

(It's a really nice store, and I use it almost every time I go to work.)

 

Also, I previously set up a photo studio as welfare benefit

Do you have an in-house photo studio? A story about employees creating welfare benefits

The impetus for the creation of the system: ``It's okay to make a profit, so try doing something within the company.''

In this way, I think that in the past there was a tacit agreement that companies should develop something within the company in the form of welfare benefits without trying to make a profit (or rather, that's what I thought).
In April 2021 , the in-house side job system was lifted with the words of our CEO Haraoka, ``I want everyone to try doing something within the company, even though it's completely okay to make a profit.' '

I had been thinking about offering coffee within the company even if I wasn't making a profit, but when the in-house side job system was lifted, I thought, ``Wait, can I make a profit?!'' and became even more enthusiastic about it. .

Against this background, I am currently selling coffee drinks within my company under the trade name ``Goto Coffee.''

also appeared as Coffee Uncle the novel game company briefing session released in September 2021

We have released "Novel Game Company Information" for 23rd year graduates.

By the way, in addition to Goto Coffee, there is
an in-house bartender an obanzai restaurant that serves drinks In the future, the number of employees who develop side jobs within the company may increase.

What is the reason for making a profit?

The reason behind the lifting of the in-house side job system seems to be that the management team wants to ``create an opportunity for employees to acquire a sense of business.''

It is true that there will be a big difference in the content of the efforts depending on whether the premise is to make a profit or not.

'll probably come up with some smart ideas.

, I previously asked CEO Haraoka, ``If it's okay to make a profit, wouldn't there be people who would try to do something really cheap?''

"If that's the case, no one will buy it after all, so isn't that a good thing? " I see, that's true.

Although it is an in-house side job, it seems to be no different from actual market principles.

I decided to open a cafe within my company. Is it easy to get a side job within the company?

The in-house side job system was lifted with the aim of ``creating an opportunity to acquire business acumen.''

Is it that exaggerated? To be honest, I thought that at first.

With these doubts in mind, I started an in-house cafe around May 2021.

In conclusion, working as an in-house side job was extremely difficult.

It's not so easy to make a profit, and the products don't sell as well as you'd like.

With in-house side businesses, your customers are people who already know who you are, so I think it's relatively easy compared to businesses aimed at general consumers who don't know anything about you, but you can still make a lot of money! It's not easy to get into a situation like this.

From now on, I will introduce some of the difficult points in business

What was difficult about working as an in-house side job?

you will be able to experience the basic flow of business, which involves making and selling products (*For coffee beverage sales)

The main challenges and challenges faced during these efforts are as follows.

①Price setting: What is the appropriate price?

The first difficulty we encountered pricing .

If you're just an ordinary office worker, it's hard to decide the price of a product by yourself.

the price too low, you won't be able to make a profit, and if you set the price too high, no one will buy.

Also, once you have decided on a price, it is easy to lower it from there, but if you want to raise it higher, you need to find ways to convince people to accept the price increase .

This is why the contents (quantity, etc.) of products in the world change instead of keeping the price constant. .

By the way, we are currently selling coffee at the following prices.

What did you think when you saw this price?

A: It's cheap, right? ? thank you!

B: Eh, convenience store coffee is cheaper? is that so….

I would like to proceed with the story like this in a novel game style please allow me to continue talking one-sidedly

The following points were considered as indicators when determining the price

 

• How much profit do you need to make in a day to feel fulfilled?
• What is the cost?
• How much effort does it take to serve a cup? (How many cups can you serve each day in between work?)

 

After considering the above indicators, at first I was vaguely thinking, ``The cost is higher than I expected, so I really want to pay 250 yen, but 200 yen is the limit...''

, I suddenly asked CEO Haraoka, ``I'm offering coffee as a side job at the company, but for 200 yen, would everyone buy it?''

 

I was asked, "Oh, isn't it expensive? No one will buy this?"

Oh, that's it...

 

exciting "dream" turned into a thrilling "war (reality)."

I realized how the prices I had come up with in my own head were not valid in the market.

The details here are related to branding and purchasing, so I will explain them later.

 

As mentioned above, we asked , ``How much would you be willing to pay for it?''

In the end, I think it was a process of finding a compromise between the price I wanted to pay and the price everyone wanted

By the way, some people say that 150 yen for drip coffee is still expensive, but if we were to offer it for 100 yen, we wouldn't be able to make a profit at all, so we have no choice but to offer it at this price. .

 

②Material purchasing: Unable to purchase at wholesale price

Normal cafes purchase large quantities of coffee beans at low wholesale prices based on the premise of mass consumption, but this is not possible at the scale of an in-house side business.

Therefore, the cost will inevitably increase.

In order to keep costs down, we buy cheaper, lower-grade beans, but if we lower the grade of beans, we won't be able to provide the delicious coffee we want.

By the way, low-grade beans here refer to coffee beans sold at mass retailers whose roasting date is unknown

oxidize
within two weeks after roasting , so I only buy about 200 to 400 grams of beans a week. By the way, in powder form, oxidation is said to be completed in 8 hours ...!

For this reason, the coffee we serve in-house is always made from beans that have been roasted within two weeks, and the beans are ground on the spot before being served as drip coffee.

If they were simply pursuing profit I think they could have lowered the grade

In fact, when I once had a sample of coffee made with beans that had been lowered in grade, there were no dramatic impressions that they were ``delicious!'' but there were also no particular opinions that the beans were ``unpalatable.''

For this reason, I had a hard time deciding whether to lower the grade of the beans or not, but I decided not to lower the grade of the beans, thinking that I didn't need to do anything as long as I was just providing a decent amount of coffee.

In addition, regardless of the grade of the beans used, it is difficult to make a high profit by providing coffee as a side job due to resource constraints,
so instead of increasing short-term profits a little, we decided within the company that ``Goto coffee is delicious.'' I thought it would be better if the future that was talked about came about

 

③Branding: How do you make people feel valued?

With my style of carefully making and serving coffee one cup at a time, it is not possible to make a profit by selling at low margins and my best to make my own coffee so that people buy it even if it is a little more expensive than the competition price (convenience store coffee). important that customers feel the value of the product .

my love for coffee so strong that in the past seven years up until today, there hasn't been a day that I haven't had a cup of drip coffee .
(Recently, we have started selling not only drip but also espresso.)

By the way, last month I home whitening , and during that period I had to refrain from eating and drinking foods that stain my teeth, but after just 2 days I couldn't resist anymore and immediately started drinking coffee. It's gone.

I still need to gather information and research to create better flavors

Therefore, I am proud that I am probably better at handling coffee than the average person, but I have no experience as a professional barista, so in the end I am an amateur .

That's why, no matter how good the beans and equipment I use, my coffee is always compared to convenience store coffee.

It's true that convenience store coffee is incredibly delicious considering the price.

No wonder.

As of October 2021, the branding has not yet penetrated well, so I will continue to think of various ways to make people feel the value of my coffee.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce what I have been working on to date.

 

①Coffee trivia information

Many of our company members are not as passionate about coffee as I am.
So, along with announcing the store's opening, they gave a presentation on trivia about coffee (this is not an old man gag) and the characteristics of the taste and aroma of the coffee beans they use.

I'd like everyone to deepen their love for coffee, but I'm careful not to turn into a lazy person who can't stop talking about coffee

 

② Devise the cup provided and take an image photo

When we first opened, we served coffee in paper cups for convenience, but paper cups had
indescribably cheap taste When it comes to food, the tableware you use and the way you present it are very important. Even if the taste is the same, I think that whether or not it tastes good depends on how it looks

Therefore, we have now changed to serving coffee in company glasses and coffee cups that we bring with us.

Also, since I have some experience as a photographer, I occasionally take photos that make coffee look delicious and publish them as image photos.
That's fine, but I haven't taken any serious photos yet, so I think I'll give it a try someday.

 

③Uses unique beans that cannot be found in convenience store coffee

Convenience store coffee has the best value for money and is delicious, but most of the time they use beans that don't have a strong personality that will appeal to
everyone For this reason, Goto Coffee intentionally uses beans that have a fruity aroma in order to differentiate its products .

By the way, the beans we often use are beans made using natural methods from Ethiopia. This is really delicious. The first time I tasted this flavor at an outside cafe, I was shocked and remembered that I drank it almost every week. Ethiopian coffee is also called "mocha", and I think it is the most representative among the beans used for light roasting. Kenya and Costa Rica are also famous. Oh, by the way, some of the coffee beans that are often called "mocha" are produced in Ethiopia, and others are produced in Yemen, called mocha matari. Even though they have the same name, mocha, they come from different regions and have different flavors. Also, naturally-produced coffee smells just like wine, but what does it mean to say it's wine even though it's coffee? I don't think so...

…picture?

Ah, am I talking too much?

Understood. Let's leave it at this point for now.

 

④For repeat customers, change the flavor according to their tastes.

After serving coffee, I try to listen to their feedback as much as possible, so that the next time they order, I can create a flavor that is closer to their taste .
It wasn't until I started serving coffee as part of my company's side job that I realized that tastes really vary from person to person. Coffee that is "strong" to one person may be "weak" to another.

Through initiatives like this, I hope that people will be able to drink even more delicious coffee, and I hope that they will feel like they would order it again.

What I experienced through my in-house side job

Although this is in the category of personal experiences, I would like to introduce three things that I felt were good experiences while taking on the challenge of starting a side job within the company.

①Cost calculation

I had never tried a business that involved costs, so this was my first experience calculating costs.

I'm not very good with numbers and I'm not very good at calculations, but I realized that I could see a lot of things through detailed calculations, and the time I spent doing calculations was surprisingly fun.

When I didn't know how to calculate something, I would ask my mom

Also, it is troublesome to calculate costs every time a product is developed, and I often forget how to calculate them, so I created a spreadsheet that can automatically calculate costs and profit margins according to recipes and raw material costs. .

②Price setting and research

it was an experience for me to be able to see in
real life how to decide the price and how the buyers would react depending on the price Particularly in my internal side jobs, I found that many people told me their impressions that if the food tastes bad, it's bad (it tastes too strong, it's weak, etc.), and if it's expensive, it's expensive.

If you were running a normal store, there would be many cases where people would simply stop coming to your store without asking you anything, so this is a very easy countermeasure.

③Survey of customer needs

Up until now, I had been offering my friends and family coffee that I thought was delicious, in a sense of self- indulgence , but in my side job, I paid money to have them drink coffee.

We needed to provide coffee that everyone thought was delicious, not just coffee that we thought

I think this sense of tension was an interesting point, as the generation of money causes both sellers and buyers to take a more serious view of the product

In order to specifically meet customer needs, we tried to see which beans would get a better response, and we only offered black coffee, which was a little expensive and only available to people who were good at coffee. Instead, we tried to reduce costs, lower prices, and offer cafe au lait and cafe lattes that even people who don't like the bitterness of coffee can enjoy.

By the way, at first we offered coffee made with different beans on a daily basis, but as we looked at people's reactions, we realized that this was a bit of a selfish way of offering coffee, so now we're basically offering coffee with different beans. We only use beans that were popular in the past.

The essence of “delicious products” that I learned through my in-house side job

This may be out of the blue, but what kind of products do you "delicious products" ?

I used to think that ``a delicious product is one that many people find delicious.''

However, this was a mistake .

If you are evaluating the food itself, the above may not be a problem, but if you are evaluating "product" , taste alone is not enough as an evaluation indicator.

"Delicious" as a product refers to something that is highly evaluated overall, including various factors such as taste, experience, and price

In other words, ``products that sell well'' are ``delicious products.''

There is a book that made me realize this.

This is the book written by Yasuhiko Masagaki, the founder of Saizeriya: ``It's not because the food is delicious that it sells; it's the delicious food that sells .

When I read it, I see, that's what it meant! It was a storm of content.

Beyond an in-house library , so if there is something you want to know about, you can study it with carefully selected good books.

I also keep the Tokyo Revengers manga on display.

I had always believed that if I created a product that tasted delicious, many people would eventually buy it, so I had always researched taste

If we are to develop a good product at what price and when should it be available? I realized that I needed to think carefully about such factors.

I think I was able to experience a mistake that would be common to a beginner in business. .

We would like to utilize this learning to provide even better products in the future.

Honestly, can you make money? Revealing the reality of in-house side jobs

Well, I've talked a lot so far, but what you're curious about is

Isn't it the question, "Are you making money after all?"

So I'll answer it. To be honest, I'm not making any money.

I think there are three reasons for this:

1. cost is high
2. Products do not sell in large quantities (about 3 to 4 cups on average)
3. Since it's just a side job, I can't spend much time selling coffee.

That said, I'm very happy to have someone buy something I've made, even if I'm willing to pay for it, and I think the only purpose is to make a profit.

By the way, I use the profits from Goto Coffee to buy snacks from Nomushin Shoten every time, so think I have anything left financially.

 

As it stands now, Goto Coffee is not making enough profit to proudly say that it is a business, but by continuing to innovate, we are able to make everyone happy, and even buy snacks from Nomushin Shoten myself. Instead, I would like to create a shop where I can earn enough profit that I can eat ramen on my way home from work.

We will continue to experiment through trial and error.

Can you learn things that can be used in your work?

I realized that the experience gained through in-house side jobs is very valuable and interesting, but it may be a little difficult to directly apply that experience to work

For example, I usually do web marketing work that improves customer attraction through the web, but because Goto Coffee, which is a side business within the company, is sold only within the company, attracting customers from the website has nothing to do with it. .

However, it seems like it depends on how you do it. In the future, I would like to work in a way that gives me life-like experience in my main job. Also, it might be interesting to have new employees in charge of marketing-related work do side jobs within the company for a limited time as part of their training.

[Summary] I'm glad I did it! Three benefits of in-house side jobs

Working as an in-house side job is not easy, but it can be quite an interesting experience.

Finally, in summary, I'm glad I did this in-house side job! I would like to conclude by listing three advantages that I thought of.

① Learn the basics of business

Since you can start a business doing what you want to do, you can make it your own and gain experience while thinking independently. Also, although you can start with low risk, if it sells, it's all your credit, and if it doesn't sell, it's all your responsibility.

Working in such an environment through trial and error will naturally be the first step in acquiring basic business sense.

②It's overwhelmingly easy to create opportunities to earn money doing what you like

It is generally said that it is difficult to make money doing what you like, but I think that in-house side jobs are perhaps the easiest way to turn your passion into money.
In fact, I never thought the day would come when people would pay me for my coffee.

③Creates opportunities for communication

This was an advantage for me, as I'm not a very talkative person and I'm not the type to actively talk to people. In the 5 minutes or so between when someone orders coffee and when coffee is served, a conversation naturally occurs, and through coffee I get to know more about myself, and conversely I get to know the person who bought it for me. I think it would be nice to know more about it.

 

That's all.

Once the social situation calms down, I would be happy if people outside the company could enjoy it!

Thank you for watching until the end.