In our community there are many bookstores, coffee shops, wine stores, restaurant-bars, movie theaters and other places to experience a full circle of learning and growth in life. As an entrepreneur with a desire to share my experience, I started a small bookstore in a historic building in West Seattle. It started as a bookstore and turned into a full circle of learning, sharing and growing. It is a natural extension of myself and what I have learned over the years.
“We have a vibrant book store here where we serve coffee, wine, food, and a place to learn, teach, discuss and take part in the many events that occur here during the day and night. The Full Circle Book Co-op also publishes its own materials and is calling the hub for the creative community and its many endeavors.” This bookstore became one of the hottest bookstores on the block with many happy customers and loyal return customers. This successful book store illustrates the power of a full circle of growth.
My entrepreneurial dream began when I decided to start a coffee shop and a bookstore in one of the best neighborhoods in Seattle. I was fascinated with all the historic architecture and rich artistic culture that are here. I had always wanted to be a part of this rich cultural environment, so I knew I would want to open a book store and coffee shop in this area. The complete opposite of the University District of Seattle, where I would have to compete with hundreds of other businesses for any attention.
I knew I could not compete with hundreds of other coffee shops in this neighborhood. I needed a strategic marketing plan. I needed a way to attract customers and build the full service coffee shop I envisioned. I needed an area where I could create the full service I was so excited about.
Well, I did not know it at the time, but the University of Washington students had come to my web site and were impressed with the coffee shop and the book store. They were really interested in coming up with a coop plan for our bookstore. We worked out a deal with the University of Washington that made it possible for us to lease the entire bookstore building and turn it into a book store and coffee shop.
The coop enabled us to build a very successful business. It was a full circle of our start up a business and we are still building upon that success. Our coffee shop is still going strong after ten years, and the book store is doing great. We now have more chickens than hogs in our yard and I continue to think that the circle of our growth will continue to accelerate as we use this strategy to attract more birds to our small enterprise.
