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Queen Bean Caffé's Josh Conroy shares secrets of success On Dec. 7, The Yucaipa Valley's Chamber of Commerce Small Business and Home Based Business Growth and Development Committee had the privilege to invite the business owner of the Dairy Queen and the Queen Bean Caffé, Josh Conroy, to speak at their monthly breakfast in November. Conroy grew up in the Los Angeles area and was exposed to business at a young age. His uncle was the original owner of Conroy's Florists and opened 90 businesses across the United States. Conroy's Florist stores had the principle idea that location was the key to success and made it a stipulation that all stores were to be opened on an end-cap, which was a corner location and main traffic area. Conroy's father owns the Market Place at 5th Street and renovated the center. In 2008, when the economy faltered it was difficult for his father to lease the buildings. Josh began helping his dad by showing potential future lessees the store fronts that were available. Soon after, Conroy decided that he wanted to open his own establishment. His parents wanted him to be successful in whatever business he pursued but didn't make it easy for him. Since he wasn't sure what kind of business he wanted to open, he decided to survey the citizens of Yucaipa. He started his venture by talking to the public in front of the Stater Bros. on Yucaipa Boulevard. When he asked "What do you want in town?" the majority of the responses were "a restaurant." Then he asked "what kind of restaurant?" and the responses were "ice cream." Josh knew there was a Coldstone Ice Cream in town but when he inquired about why another ice cream store, he received overwhelming responses that the citizens thought Cold Stone was too expensive. Conroy then decided to research franchise businesses and looked at Dairy Queen and Baskin Robbins, settling on Dairy Queen. He advised the SBHBB attendees to do due diligence (that is why he joined the Chamber), put out advertising in every avenue that was available and placed banner and signs out four months prior to opening his business in Yucaipa. This turned out to be a blessing, and a curse, as some were upset that it didn't open on time due to unforeseen delays. When it did open, the first day the Dairy Queen had 900 order tickets. Conroy hired local teenagers because he heard the teenagers in town couldn't get jobs because they didn't have experience. He put in an ad at the local high school and still employs some of the original young people he hired for his opening day. 6 OUR YUCAIPA | December 2013 | CHAMBER OF COMMERCE A few years later, Conroy decided to open the Queen Bean Caffé and while he did not conduct a formal survey, he did speak to a lot of people regarding this new venture. "I saw that there was no communal space for people to congregate freely. I wanted to create a safe environment for anyone to come and enjoy themselves. I wanted to create opportunities for artists and musicians to be able to perform and display their art," he explained. "I also wanted to create something that is entirely Yucaipa's. There is no other Queen Bean Caffé and it is only in Yucaipa." He was more "low key" and market heavily as he did with the Dairy Queen. He said he found it was best not to do too much advertising or too little advertising prior to opening an establishment, emphasizing the need to find middle ground. Conroy states he is still "fine-tuning" the Queen Bean Caffé and he doesn't want to let it operate autonomously until he is confident with its performance. He's been open 1 ½ years and wants to either expand his business or find a second location in Highland in the next few years. Conroy's establishment also helps the community with numerous fundraisers throughout the year. He has raised over $100,000 for organizations in town and averages one per week. Conroy gave practical advice to the group and stated that "entrepreneurs put more time and effort in their business than just a job." He said, "You have to ask yourself 'where is your heart?' It's worth the time and effort if your heart is in it and you build it. You have to be active in your business. It isn't always about passion, but more about pragmatism. Follow your passion, but make sure you're filling a need or filling a niche. Never make a decision based on emotion – positive or negative." He shared his thoughts on advertising and stated, "There is no such thing as a free lunch – if it's too good to be true then it probably is. "Always minimize your risk and give yourself 48 hours to make a decision. Advertising is simple psychology. If people don't know what you do, you won't be successful. Allocate a certain amount of your budget on advertising. Find out if your advertising works by tracking it," he advised. He has his employees keep every coupon to find what works. "Use punch cards for your clients in your business as that gives you more exposure and the more exposure to the brand, continued on next page

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