Hi there,

This is super-generic. As I read it, you may be boiling the ocean and at the same time missing critical things. 

Boiling the ocean:

• Which market are you sizing? Whole Cambridge, a specific location?
• What specifically do you want to know about competition? Everything?
• Customers - you mention specific questions but… what are you going to do with that information? “preferences” and “what they like” is the same thing. Let's say 80% like latte and 20% caramel macchiato. How does it impact your recommendation? Does it even impact your recommendation? What about customer segmentation - no question on target customers, are they all the same? You could have mentioned student population, local population, etc…
• Financials: how are you going to estimate all of these?
• Capabilities? Only considering the entrepreneur capabilities? You want to evaluate whether she's suited but… you don't mention any criteria.
• Risks: financial and other. What is “other" specifically? As I read it, this is everything again. By the way, you don't need a specific bucket for this. You may just mention a sensitivity analysis in the financial part, but  otherwise consider risk in every other analysis

What you are missing in a big way:

• The coffee shop itself. You have no questions on the target location, value proposition and positioning, offering, brand, communication strategy, size/capacity, … If you have no “store concept” how are you going to evaluate if that concept may be successful?
• Your structure could be used for any other industry, and even for different business problems. There's nothing problem nor business-specific in there.

You need to go deeper, not just deeper but much much deeper, be specific on your questions, and relate the questions to the problem at hand.

(edited)

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, your proposal for the initial structure is OK, but unfortunately it is not well adapted to the question at hand and thus is generic.
• Moreover, I would advise you to reach out to an experienced coach to improve on the skill of structuring case studies. I have designed the Case Structuring Program specifically for candidates who struggle with structuring a case study like a consultant would do.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming Bain interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there

This is almost a template structure, so it's not going to fly in the interview. 

Think about it this way - 80% of the people who will go to the interview will provide the same thing. 

It doesn't show creativity, an ability to think through the client's situation and to tailor the structure specifically to the question. 

For instance, one practical thing you can improve is to make the structure more operational. 

Meaning have a set of areas or questions that, if resolved and investigated, could lead the client to an answer as to whether or not they should enter that market. 

Sharing here another material on structuring that you might find useful: 

• Expert Guide: Mastering Structuring & Brainstorming

And in case you need more help, I run a masterclass on first principles structuring that helps candidates handle any type of case: 

• Masterclass: First Principle Structuring

Best,
Cristian

Hi,

I haven't encountered this case before, but I think your framework can work well with some refinements. It's crucial, especially in this scenario, to tailor your framework specifically to the case at hand. The current structure appears a bit generic.

For instance, assuming the case involves an individual opening a coffee shop in Cambridge, the focus shouldn't be on the overall market size and growth rates of the UK coffee shop industry. Instead, the assessment should revolve around the individual's ability to:

a. Attract existing coffee consumers to choose their shop over local competitors.

b. Convert non-coffee consumers into customers.

Therefore, emphasize understanding local consumer preferences, purchasing behaviors, how competitors are meeting these preferences, and how this individual plans to cater to these specific consumers.

Best regards,

Oliver