The Mount's Unfair Advantage (23A)

In creating The Mount Coffeehouse, I have a few resources that make me and my venture unique. Some are more important than others but all play a role in defining how The Mount will be successful.

Human Capital

Empathy

- Valuable: This trait is valuable as I will need to relate to my customers and my employed baristas.

- Rare: I think empathy is a pretty rare trait because it requires time, patience, and the ability to listen to understanding.

- Inimitable: I would hope that the rest of my team would strive to imitate me and treat every staff member with respect and understanding.

- Non-substitutable: Empathy is unique because it allows you to understand and feel the feelings of others which can help identify what team members like and dislike about the company.

Social Capital

The Mount Ministries

- Valuable: The Mount is extremely valuable because it is the mission the coffeehouse will be supporting through its non profit set up.
- Rare: there is no other conference like the Mount that exists in the Gainesville area 
- Inimitable: at least as of yet, this conference can not be replicated because it is the first of its kind. 
- Non-substitutable: I would not want to substitute the Mount with any other non profit to support because I fully believe in their mission in discipling young incoming freshman.

Greenhouse Church

- Valuable: Extremely valuable because they are prayer partners in making this dream a reality.

- Rare: I don’t know any other church that loves and supports me like Greenhouse does. Also, Greenhouse has one of the largest dedications for local, national, and international missions.

- Inimitable: Greenhouse has and is currently being replicated in multiple cities across Florida so it is not inimitable

- Non-substitutable: The Mount Coffeehouse could possibly—and maybe should partner with other churches in the area because they would probably be willing to support my venture of ultimately providing a Christian space.

Florida Cicerones

- Valuable: I find the Florida Cicerones, people and organization, very valuable because they are teaching me customer service skills and increasing my social capital.

- Rare: Every university has some sort of tour guide system but Cicerones are rare because we don’t get paid.

- Inimitable: The inner workings and culture of Cicerones is not easily duplicated.

- Non-substitutable: the experience and network that Cicerones has provided and will continue to provide me with during my time at UF is non-substitutable.

Financial Capital

Fundraising Experience

- Valuable: knowing how to fundraise will be very valuable for me running The Mount as a nonprofit.

- Rare: I think most people going into business and or nonprofit have fundraising experience.  

- Inimitable: fundraising skills that I have learned can be easily duplicated.

- Non-substitutable: I think this skill is non--substitutable because there will inevitably be times when our budget may be low as a nonprofit and we’ll have to cover our venture in unique ways.

Savings Account

- Valuable: I need money to open The Mount

- Rare: most everyone has and should have a savings account

- Inimitable: Pretty much all banks have options for savings accounts.

- Non-substitutable: I need a savings account, Period.  

Capabilities

Barista Experience

- Valuable: I think this is the most valuable experience I have because it’s being hands on with my venture’s main product.

- Rare: working at starbucks is not rare but when I work at a craft, local coffee shop that experience will be rare.

- Inimitable: I hope to replicate this experience in multiple shops so I can gain multiple standards of excellence and see what customers love the most.  

- Non-substitutable: perhaps working in another food industry could somewhat substitute, but for running a coffee shop I need this capability of working with coffee.

World Experience

- Valuable: traveling the world, visiting various coffee farms and cafes will be incredibly valuable to know where I want to source from and the type of cafe culture I want to emulate at The Mount.

- Rare: maybe some people travel the world to taste different coffees but I wouldn’t regard it as the most popular reason to travel or vacation.

- Inimitable: I myself am imitating what other coffee shop owners have done before me.

- Non-substitutable: seeing the role coffee plays in the world will be a non-substitutable experience for me.

Public Relations Major

- Valuable: this major will equip me with the skills to be a manager and formulate communication plans for The Mount.

- Rare: there are many PR majors at UF but I’d say there are not many who want to use these skills to found their own coffee shop nor have the ministry/nonprofit side I want to use mine for.

- Inimitable: At the moment, I feel that this is the best major for me and will maximize my writing skills while preparing me to manage my coffee shop.

- Non-substitutable: I am hoping the skills I obtain from this major are marketable and worthwhile.

Organizational Culture

The FISH Philosophy

- Valuable: this philosophy is very valuable for my workplace because it will teach my employees how to 1) Be There 2) Play 3) Make Their Day and 4) Choose Your Attitude.

- Rare: I think this is a rare organizational culture because it brings “play” into the workplace which isn’t usually the standard.

- Inimitable: I am copying someone else’s standard so it IS replicable.

- Non-substitutable: I’m sure there are other practices for creating a fun and inclusive environment but this one is the best one I have found thus far.  

Although all these resources are incredibly important—and there’s probably some that I am missing—I think my capability as a barista is most important to my venture because this experience is giving me abilities in a way a major can not. For example, working for Starbucks I have learned critical customer service skills which will help me establish the organizational culture I want to cultivate among my employees. Additionally, I have started to learn inventory, knowing how much supplies we use and how much supplies we need, and so much more. When I work for a craft coffee shop, I will continue to learn what customer enjoy about a coffeehouse experience. Because it encompasses so many facets of what I will need to run my own coffee shop, I know that my time as a barista is a significant resource.