Tea in the Library (2 page)

Perhaps my stars moved into a particularly interesting alignment. Perhaps it was a mid-life crisis of some kind. But the next few years turned out to include some very challenging real and metaphorical mountains to climb.

Anyone contemplating starting a small business will inevitably become aware of the sad statistics that nine out of ten of them fail. They will also probably be convinced in their heart that their small business will be the one that survives. Possibly, like me, they will believe firmly that knowledge is a powerful thing, that running a small business can't possibly be rocket science, and that all you have to do is develop a good plan, and then put it into execution. They will not be afraid of hard work, they will be incredibly energized by their vision of what they want to create, and they will have a huge passion for their idea.

Yep, that was me. In fact it still describes me, except the bit about believing my small business will be the one that survives. A little bit of reality has set in, that's for sure, but the roller-coaster ride of starting a small business from scratch has been so incredibly rewarding in so many ways that I'd do it all again tomorrow. Of course, I'd have to win the lottery first.

My Great Idea rested firmly on several Articles of Faith: 

• that books are wonderfully valuable repositories of information, entertainment and cultural enlightenment that can bind people and communities together
  
• that my community needed a place where people could meet informally, listen to topical discussions, participate in those discussions, air their views and meet like-minded people (villages and local town halls being in short supply these days)
  
• that everyone is fed up with the rotten service epitomized by recorded voices, phone menus and bank queues, and would love personal service where someone takes the time to talk to you
  
• that bookshops can provide all of the above 
  
• that the world can always use another bookshop 
  
• that the coziest bookshops have somewhere to sit while browsing
  
• that the seating may as well be comfortable 
  
• that people relax, spend time, and chat more comfortably if there is catering
  
• that a glass of bubbly with all the above would be excellent 
  
• that “baby boomers” would enjoy all of this, and they are numerous, well-heeled, beginning to retire and have time on their hands.
  

To put the Articles of Faith into practice I envisioned a “fifty-fifty” bookshop café where each side of the business was equally important. An interesting and eclectic selection of books would line the shelves and be displayed on stands among the café tables. Customers would literally sit among the books to sip tea, enjoy a cappuccino or tuck into a light lunch. A liquor license was a tan-talizing idea. Bubbly with high tea? Yum. The café tables would have white linen tablecloths and napkins, and the chairs would be comfy for long sessions of reading, chatting and discussing the meaning of life. In addition, dotted about the premises would be upholstered arm chairs, buttoned chesterfield sofas, and little occasional tables to perch one's tea cup. On a really dreamy day, I envisioned a fireplace, classics on the mantle, and a glass of port before the fire.

A basic tenet of this set-up would be that customers would be free to pick up books and browse through them while eating and drinking. We would have no horrid signs saying “Books Must be Purchased Before Being Read In The Café”. Almost everyone to whom I explained this radical feature warned that many books would clearly be lost to coffee splashes or crumbs between the leaves. I replied that I would “monitor it”, but this inclusive, relaxed and inviting approach was essential to the ambience I imagined. As it turned out, we never lost a book to this kind of damage. We did, however, provide a lot of free reading.

The shop (never “store”) would be decorated in accordance with the vision, with carpeting, upholstery, warm traditional colours — no stainless steel and shiny laminate. Lamps would light the corners and the bookcases would be warm wood.

To kick start the vision, a name was needed. Catchy, memorable, evocative but not too directly descriptive, euphonious, not like anyone else's name, distinctive.

Tea In The Library
.

The roller-coaster was off down the first steep slope.

What's in a name?

The shop was imagined, but how does the idea become translated to reality? Clearly some deep investigation was required.

I began in the most obvious place — a good bookshop. I purchased and perused many volumes of advice and information about starting and running a small business, in particular a retail business. The number of titles available on this subject suggested that it was an activity that was happening every day on a great scale. I read books on how to write a business plan, handling small business finances, tax, legal structures, regulations, retail leases, becoming an employer and motivating staff, marketing and promotion, analyzing your demographic and appealing to it, customer service, and every other imaginable permutation of a small business.

I was particularly encouraged by an enticingly slim volume published by the Federal Government in 1992, called simply
Managing
the small business series – No.45: Bookshops
. The whole procedure was explained in less than 20 pages, encouraging this novice to believe that it mightn't be that complicated after all.

In the introduction, the booklet described me precisely: 

Some keen readers often think (maybe when their present job is getting them down): ‘Wouldn't it be great to own my own bookshop?' They imagine themselves sitting comfortably in the front of the store reading
their favourite authors in between serving customers.

When it was adopting an encouraging tone, the booklet enthused: 

Selling books can be a pleasant occupation – it is clean work and by and
large the customers are pleasant.

But it also sounded some notes of caution: 

However, it is competitive and profits are hard to come by. A well-stocked bookshop in a good location takes up a great deal of expensive floor space and requires a fair amount of working capital invested in stock. Pilfering is a major problem which can eat into profit margins.

This book — along with many of the others — carried the warning that the enterprise would almost certainly fail. This warning was about as effective as those warnings of death and deformity that are plastered on cigarette packets and never seem to deter the dedicated smoker. You see someone take out a packet with large black print saying SMOKING KILLS, extract a cigarette, and commence to smoke. That was me with the “most small businesses fail” warning. I was addicted to my idea. I went ahead anyway.

So why do so many rush in where more prudent angels would fear to tread? Why did I? Here, I could tell you that I have always been a determined character who never quit and pushed on until a job was done. I could give you a ringing endorsement of brave entrepreneurs who think positive and see a larger vision and pursue their passion at all costs. But I think that the truth is that I am just a regular kid from a small town, no more or less determined than the next person, who had an inflated idea of what she could do. But I did
love
the idea of a bookshop café, I imagined it in glorious technicolor, and it was truly my passion.

Now, when it comes to a small business, I suspect that passion is a vital ingredient for success. However, a hard-headed attitude to the ingredients of profitability is also essential. Unfortunately, the former sometimes obscures the latter. A truly one-eyed devotee of an idea will not be swayed from it by mundane considerations such as profit margins, marketplace conditions, the difficulty of finding good staff, supply issues, filling out the BAS form … these things will surely take care of themselves when the objective is so important, right?

The reason that passion for the project and commitment to the vision is so important is that there are many difficulties to be got through, and obstacles to be surmounted, and no one would last the distance if they did not really believe in their heart that the objective was worthwhile. There is also the element of “mentally” gearing up for the task — it is important to believe in what you are doing, to remain focused on the objective, and to have the mental fortitude to keep the big picture in mind when the little picture becomes chaotic. If you have all those elements, you are not going to allow any doubts, no matter how many warnings you are given about small business failure statistics. The two states of mind are mutually exclusive. And this is a good thing, because without passionate people, nothing new would ever be tried and no exciting new ventures would get off the ground.
Vive l'entreprenuers!

The American Booksellers' Association published a rather more substantial volume on
How To Run A Bookshop
some years ago, and although it has been out of print for a while, and obviously applies to the American market, I heard Australian booksellers refer to it as “The Bible”, the indispensable reference that was never off the bedside table. I logged on to amazon.com, and within a few weeks they had scoured the country and mailed me an only slightly battered copy of this precious resource. This book gets down to the nitty gritty — dealing with a landlord, how to lay out the shop, how to select your books, the in-and-outs of second hand books, and other fascinating detail. I positioned it on
my
bedside table, and dipped into it frequently, trying to distil from its pages the magic answers to bringing to life my own bookshop. I hoped it was Merlin, willing to give up his secrets.

One other volume among the many retail and business manu-als must be mentioned: Michael Gerber's
The E-Myth Revisited
. As a motivational book for would-be small business people, especially retailers, it can't be bettered. Its central tenet is that you should not let the business run your life — you run the business. It is not only inspirational in tone, but very practical too. As I began my early questioning and research, many a retailer took me aside and murmured “You have read
The E-Myth
, haven't you?”

But before I advanced much further, there was one step I could confidently take. In my day job as a trade marks lawyer I frequently advise my clients to ensure that they have their brand names safely registered before commencing use in the market. This was certainly familiar territory, something I could take care of in half an hour. I did a search of the online records of the Australian Trade Marks Office database (something I always advise my clients should be done by a professional — i.e. me). Satisfied that the Register did not reveal any problems for the safe use and registration of my chosen name, I lodged an application. Within about four months it was examined by the Trade Marks Office, no problems were encountered, the application was accepted, advertised and eventually registered — about a seven month process in all. TEA IN THE LIBRARY was mine!

Once I started the ball rolling by preparing to lodge a trade mark application, another issue immediately arose — who should own the mark? Me, in my personal capacity, or a company? The latter would be a preferable way for me to run a business, as it would keep the business separate from my personal finances. The added benefit would be securing a company name. While this doesn't give proprietary rights like a trade mark registration, it does at least prevent others who may have the same bright idea (I was thoroughly convinced it was a bright idea) from registering the same name for a company. Thus, with some help from my accountant, I invested in a shelf company, and changed its name to “Tea In The Library Pty Ltd”. The company owned the trade mark, $2 in share capital, and that's all. I was its sole director, secretary and shareholder.

Now, various opinions have been expressed about my choice of a name for my bookshop café. The word “twee” has been used. Heads have been scratched about the inclusion of the word “library”, with customers known to enquire whether the books are actually for sale (our reaction to this rather awful occurrence was to put up a flurry of signs with clearly marked prices and large dollar signs). We had to ensure that we offered an excellent selection of properly made, quality, delicious leaf teas, to justify “tea” in the name.