Monday Motivation: Rise and Grind Tips On Expansion

Monday Motivation, Monday Thoughts for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners, Small Businesses

Bold, Daring, Brave, I’m not sure exactly how to refer to a woman entrepreneur who in the middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic buys a popular restaurant, retaining all its employees, opens up a small café next to her already existing popular restaurant and then decides to clone the small café into another one in a highly trafficked new part of town. Which word would you choose? And don’t say “crazy” which is a term this woman, Marty Richardson, used to describe herself yesterday when I stopped in her new place to give her business.

The rain was coming down, as if Noah’s Ark needed it to float, as we found the new café tucked into a new spot in Township 5 in Camillus. Near the medical office buildings made sense for its locale since so many patients have to wait for medical exams or tests and have nowhere to grab a cup of “Marty” or just sit and wait. A perceived need was seen by this serial entrepreneur and the second “Rise and Grind Café” was finished two weeks ago.

A tradition of getting coffee after Catholic mass, I told my husband we had to find Marty’s new café and spend some money there, following my 3-decade dedication to putting my money in the hands of other women owned businesses whenever I can. We walked through the doors into a beautiful small, comfortable café with stuffed chairs, small tables, a table bar near the windows, and a bustling counter. It was clean, quaint, and a perfect place to go on a rainy Sunday morning.

Marty smiled her fabulous smile at me when she saw me since we have become friends through a shared cause. A high school student, who Marty and I both met a couple years ago at a meeting with Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand’s Syracuse staff to talk about passage of a new bill to have wigs covered by insurance, was working the counter given the job by Marty.

Sitting down for a few minutes, Marty shared some tips on opening this second locale:

* When you are opening up a second location of an existing business, it runs smoother because you already have a model to follow.
* When you see a “need” for your product or service, taking the risk seems wise.
* Having a pool of staff to draw from, when you have existing businesses, is helpful when opening a new location.
* Obtaining news coverage on the opening (which led me to go to Rise and Grind on Sunday), is essential to get the word out on an expansion.
* Ensuring good signage to direct customers to your new spot is essential for sales success.

And finally, from my perspective, having young, personable female staffers working your front counter and serving a great tasting product, is a excellent way to have first-time customers come back for more. Check out Rise and Grind at 4119 West Genesee Street, Syracuse, NY or at 240 Township Blvd, Ste. 50, Camillus, NY and be really glad you did.