| Interview Question Number | SB Question
| Conceptual Framework Component | Rationale/Coded theme |
| 1. | What marketing strategies have you used to sustain business operations during the first 5 years of operation? | Processes, people, promotion | Business operations – active engagement in the running of all aspects the business, be all in, be true to self, perseverance, take care of your staff |
| 2. | What were the key challenges you had in implementing your marketing strategies during the first 5 years of operation? | Processes, physical evidence, promotion | Learning the ropes of the business, using a hybrid of word-of-mouth and social media to implement marketing strategies |
| 3. | How did you address the critical challenges to your marketing strategies during the first 5 years of operations? | People | Hire people who are smarter than you, network with other coffee shop owners, relational first, then transactional, enhanced personal communication skills |
| 4. | What marketing strategies helped you to increase your customer base during the first 5 years of operation? | Promotion | The coffee donation, inviting interior, accepting of all diverse patrons, word-of-mouth, community outreach |
| 5. | How did you establish your pricing strategy compared to the pricing of your competitors during the first 5 years of operation? | Price | Food and coffee bean prices, benchmark with other coffee shop owners, fair but sustainable pricing |
| 6. | How did the physical location of your business contribute to increasing your customer base during the first 5 years of operation? | Place | Location is crucial, community involvement and engagement, coffee shop ambiance is eclectic |
| 7. | What media were most effective at creating more foot traffic into your coffee shop during the first 5 years of operation? | Promotion | Initially, word-of-mouth, transitioned to social media (Facebook and Instagram), online listing services (Yelp) and other form of electronic media (Radio) |
| 8. | What were the main points of differentiation that you emphasized in your promotional messages during the first 5 years of operation? | Personalization, product, promotion, people | Premium proud, a brand associated with the community., quality, consistency, and value, employees make the difference |
| 9. | How did you merchandise your products to be more appealing to customers during the first 5 years of operation? | Promotion, personalization, pricing | Decide who your target market is and do not devalue your brand. Offer multiple channels of trade and customization—retail, online, wholesale |
| 10. | What examples of superior service offered by your coffee shop during the first 5 years of operation do you recall? | Personalization (Quality) | Make everyone feel welcome. Have exceptional and well-trained frontline employees. Own your mistakes. |
| 11. | What additional information can you provide regarding marketing strategies you used to sustain business operations during the first 5 years? | Personalization (Productivity), people, promotion | Take care of customers, have a niche and artisan products, leading by example, “non-corporate”, get to know people, build an online presence |