...hard at work on the business plan. still no news yet as to whether we are the party that the owner wants to thrash out a deal with. hopefully we'll hear this week.
also working on promo material for the cafe vision which will go out to potential mission-partners in the next few weeks.
keep watching this space!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Cowley Road Carnival Pictures
Found some fab photos of the Cowley Road Carnival on the bbc site. The one on the left is actually of the balcony of the building we are in negotiations over - so a little glimpse of what might be. The rest are here.
Friday, March 30, 2007
getting everyone on board with the vision
we had our church small group meetings (which we call 'huddles') last night. Good chance to talk some more about the vision behind the business project.
People are coming from a variety of starting points and I guess a lot has to do with personality. Some people are by nature risk-resistant and others are more comfortable with risk. Both need each other in my view and one isn't necessarily any better than the other. It's what you do with it that counts.
We've got to keep working hard at communicating this vision and trying to keep in step with each other. Not an easy thing to do as a community - people travel at different speeds. But there was some really good conversation last night.
People are coming from a variety of starting points and I guess a lot has to do with personality. Some people are by nature risk-resistant and others are more comfortable with risk. Both need each other in my view and one isn't necessarily any better than the other. It's what you do with it that counts.
We've got to keep working hard at communicating this vision and trying to keep in step with each other. Not an easy thing to do as a community - people travel at different speeds. But there was some really good conversation last night.
Getting the costings done
Had a very productive meeting at the potential venue again this morning. Two hours with a guy called Steve Newman (who I stupidly called 'Paul' on the phone - very embarrassing but I bet he gets it all the time!).
Steve is a surveyor who specialises in refurbishing and fitting out commercial property.
We spent two hours walking around the building talking about what needs doing. We should get his report back next Tuesday.
I also had a very helpful telephone conversation with a guy called Bruce Houlistan. Bruce has great local knowledge of the Cowley Road area and also ran a bar/pub in the area for 10 years so has specialist knowledge of the bar/cafe business market. Very helpful initial chat and I'm hoping that he and Jim and I will get together for a meeting early next week to use his knowledge to tighten up our business plan.
Steve is a surveyor who specialises in refurbishing and fitting out commercial property.
We spent two hours walking around the building talking about what needs doing. We should get his report back next Tuesday.
I also had a very helpful telephone conversation with a guy called Bruce Houlistan. Bruce has great local knowledge of the Cowley Road area and also ran a bar/pub in the area for 10 years so has specialist knowledge of the bar/cafe business market. Very helpful initial chat and I'm hoping that he and Jim and I will get together for a meeting early next week to use his knowledge to tighten up our business plan.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
more meetings...
We are now setting up a meeting with an 'architectural design team' to come and start costing out the work that needs doing on the place.
I am also trying to arrange a meeting with a business consultant with specialist knowledge of the cafe/bar scene in Oxford to help with our business planning.
I am also trying to arrange a meeting with a business consultant with specialist knowledge of the cafe/bar scene in Oxford to help with our business planning.
Good meeting
Jim and I met with the agent - Paul Chaston - and two guys from the surveyors we are using - Richard and Rob - at the potential cafe venue yesterday.
It was a good meeting and progressed things further I felt.
It was a good meeting and progressed things further I felt.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
site meeting today
We are currently talking to one agent about one property - I won't say which one at this stage - although we are 'monitoring' other properties too.
Anyway - we have a site meeting this afternoon at the property that is the current favourite.
Jim and I are meeting the agent and the two guys from the surveyors we are planning to use, to look at the building - at what needs doing as well as what we'd like to do, so we can begin to get some sense of what this is all going to cost.
Anyway - we have a site meeting this afternoon at the property that is the current favourite.
Jim and I are meeting the agent and the two guys from the surveyors we are planning to use, to look at the building - at what needs doing as well as what we'd like to do, so we can begin to get some sense of what this is all going to cost.
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