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Business Day One: Coffee Shop Simulation
Project type
Presentation
Date
Spring 2023
Location
Marquette University - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Insights
How can a new coffee shop establish a brand in a competitive market and attract consistent customer interest while making smart, data driven business decisions over a thirteen week timeline? In my role as VP of marketing for Caffeina, I led the development of our brand voice and created our marketing strategy which involved promotional campaigns based on market trends. I created social and visual media for our brand mocking up sample social media posts and promotional flyers. By the end of the simulation, our coffee shop ranked among the top of our class. We achieved steady customer growth and managed our finances by creating a detailed set of financial statements. My work helped position our shop as one of the most recognizable in the simulation and we received positive feedback on our marketing creativity and consistency.
To guide our marketing, I researched marketing strategies used by competitors and successful coffee chains. We focused on brand storytelling and value pricing. I also studied the course our business took by the small adaptations and changes we made week by week affected us as a whole. This taught me how responsive real marketing needs to be and consumer behavior.
Some of the biggest challenges were adapting to market feedback quickly while maintaining a consistent brand identity. Communicating effectively across roles, especially during high pressure decision weeks was another learning curve. I took away a lot from this project and it was my first look in college at hands on marketing experience. I learned how to create and evolve a brand and collaborate with a cross function team productively. Most of all I learned that marketing is not just creativity but strategy, communication, and adaptability.
This 13-week simulation project was part of Marquette University’s Business Day One course, where student teams ran a virtual coffee shop. Our team of five took on executive roles to manage all aspects of a startup business—from finance and operations to HR and marketing. I served as the Vice President of Marketing, responsible for developing our brand, promotions, and customer outreach strategies.
The course was designed to introduce first-year business students to real-world decision-making and teamwork through experiential learning. We were tasked with running a fictional coffee shop in a simulated marketplace. Each week, we met to analyze data, make strategic business decisions, and adjust our approach based on customer feedback and competitive performance.