Flathead students develop plan to open school-based coffee shop

School-Based Enterprise students at Flathead High School only had 12 weeks to brew up an entire business.

What percolated was Southside Coffee, slated to open in August. The coffee-based business will operate out of the new high school addition.

In the School-Based Enterprise class, taught by Marti Paugh, students learn business theories and development, in addition to management, leadership and customer-service skills. The semester-long class is open to sophomores through seniors who have taken introduction to business or marketing courses.

On Monday, junior Claire Cherot and seniors Edgar Hall and Shaye Thompson visited the future site of Southside Coffee, currently under construction underneath the grand staircase in the new addition. Rather than use all the space under the staircase for storage only, it was decided to set aside a 12-by-10 foot area for the coffee shop. As part of that process, students took the initiative to meet with the architect to ensure there was enough square footage to operate comfortably.

“They did such a great job,” said Paugh, who sat in on the meeting with administrators.

Cherot, Thompson and Hall were part of the inaugural School-Based Enterprise class held last semester, which kicked off with 12 students who laid the groundwork for future classes.

Students paired up to brainstorm business plans. Developing a business within a semester was quite a feat, according to Paugh. The process was broken up into steps. Students learned about promotional strategy, for example, then came up with one to present to the class as an assignment. Then, the entire class refined the proposals into a final version.

“We bounced ideas off of each other to make our business plans the best we can,” Thompson said. “Out of the five groups all of the ideas, the strongest ideas, and the ones that work the best, are in the business plan.”

The most challenging part of establishing a business?

“I think it’s putting your ideas in words,” Thompson said.

“In writing,” Cherot added. “To make it sound professional” before presenting it to investors.

Perhaps the most difficult step was focusing on one idea.

“Taking your big ideas and learning how to be realistic,” Paugh said.

Then, as Hall summed up, “putting something on a piece of paper.”

“My advice — put it on paper. Do it. Get it started,” he said.

Why choose coffee as the main product?

Thompson said location was a driving factor. She said students currently have to travel a distance to get coffee, which makes a difference for time-crunched students. For Hall, it was a natural choice, claiming with a laugh that he drinks several cups of coffee a day.

In addition to coffee, tea will also be on the menu.

The idea to name the business Southside Coffee came from classmate Eric Gardner and was selected after the class surveyed the school.

“Southside pride is a big thing at Flathead,” Hall said.

Hours of operation will be determined based on how many students take the class next year, but Paugh said the goal is before, throughout and after school. The students are hopeful it will also open for special events such as parent-teacher conferences, the freshman career fair, or speech and debate tournaments.

Prices are also to be determined, Paugh said. Students proposed a price point after analyzing coffee prices in the valley.

School-Based Enterprise students will be considered for management and other employee positions, which they will work during study-hall periods. The class also has partnered with the special education department and Life Skills program for students to obtain job skills.

Montana Coffee Traders is partnering with Flathead to provide employee training and assist in quality control.

What also makes the enterprise unique is they don’t have startup, overhead or wage costs, Cherot said.

“We get paid in class credit,” he said.

“Also, it’s a resume builder,” Cherot noted.

Any profit from the enterprise will go to Flathead’s DECA chapter, a club for students interested in marketing, finance, hospitality and management who also participate in state and international competitions. In addition to DECA, the students said their class discussed putting money toward scholarships.

“We thought a lot about doing scholarships instead of making kids pay for art classes or sports. Because we’re a nonprofit none of the money goes to us,” Hall said.

Helping the student business get off the ground is a $2,000 Kalispell Education Foundation grant.

The three students gave accolades for the work Paugh put into teaching the class.

“It’s definitely the most hands-on class that relates to something that mostly everyone will have to go through after high school and even during,” Thompson said.

Even after Thompson and Hall graduate this year, they plan to stop by for a cup of coffee.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.