From the Founder Friday vault we are diving into the subject of how to care for your staff, staff culture, and setting up yourself and your people for success with amazing past guests Lauren Crabbe of Andytown Coffee Roasters San Fransisco, Dorian Bolden of Beyu Caffe and Beyu Blu,Durham, NC -Jonathan Rubinstein of Joe Coffee Company NYC, and Kathy Turiano of Joe Bean Roasters in Rochester, NY.
I have pulled out some clips from each of these amazing founder's episodes that will address this subject.
We have now had 30 conversations with some amazing founders here on the show and one of the things they all have in common is that the care for their people is of primary importance. In fact, the cornerstone of the most successful shops is that they are in constant, substantive conversation with their staff about their needs and the needs of the shop as they experience it.
I hope will inspire you to make the care for your staff a tangible and consistent foundation of your leadership and business.
LINKS:
Founder Friday w/ Lauren Crabbe of Andytown Coffee Roasters
Founder Friday w/ Dorian Bolden of Beyu Caffe / Beyu Blu
Founder Friday w/ Jonathan Rubinstein of Joe Coffee Company NYC
Founder Friday w/ Kathy Turiano of Joe Bean Roasters
Sometimes it seems like everything is crashing down around you. You break a cup, your co-workers are annoying you, customers are frustrating, you're tired, you can sense that your are 2 seconds away from biting someone's head off, and it's only 8am!
In short you feel like you're about to lose it.
We have all been there. The question is, how do we get ourselves out? How do we overcome this thing that threatens to overcome us?
Today we chat about some powerful things to do to reclaim emotional control of this familiar situation and I share a bit about my personal struggle with anxiety, and how the tools detailed in this episode have helped both on the bar and in life.
Inventory Magic with ODEKO!
Clean that equipment with Urnex!
When we listen, we tend to stay on the surface of what is being said but rarely ever venture into the deeper meaning of what is being communicated. This means we enter into dialogue with staff and customers only hearing a fraction of what can be perceived and as a result our personal and business relationships fall short of their potential.
Today we are going to take our listening skills to the next level and learn about the art of "Deep Listening" with our guest, Oscar Trimboli.
Oscar is an internationally recognized coach, mentors and speaker who spent over ten years with Microsoft Office leading the Australian division to great success. He created extraordinary opportunities for through the "Microsoft Protege" program that gave young professionals in the company access to mentors and coaching.
Oscar is also the author of the new book "Deep Listening: Impact Beyond Words". In this book Oscar codifies into a very intuitive and easy to understand format the art of becoming and taking on the practice of being a Deep Listener. It is essentially a field guide that will transform you from the inside out and take your communication skills to a level that honors and explores the depth of each conversation you have.
In this conversation you will learn:
Please do yourself and everyone around you a huge favor by visiting Oscar's website:
Download the 5 Levels of Listening and buy the book:
Deep Listening: Impact Beyond Words
Here are some related episodes:
This phrase is rarely heard in the cafe, especially not from leaders. Too many shop cultures are void of genuine and humble apologies as those with authority wrongly suppose that doing so would compromise their position. Nothing could be further from the truth. Today we will chat about the power of a good, heart felt apology, and three do when measures to take if you want it to make a difference.
This is such an important leadership skill and one that, if practiced well, can stop a huge number of dysfunctions from springing up further down the road.
Manage your inventory with ODEKO!
Clean that equipment with Urnex!
For so many people cold brew is the first step into the world of specialty coffee. In order to truly serve our customers well we need to make sure that, when we offer cold brew, we do it in a way that is engaging, fun, relatable, and helps showcase to them the vast possibilities of specialty coffee. Well, today we get the privilege to talk with the someone who has spent year exploring, tasting, and talking to creators of some of the best cold brew out there.
Rachel Dillon is the host of "The Cold Brew Chick" podcast. A show that takes a deep dive into the multi-faceted world of cold brew and the story of those who produce it. Today she sits down with us and gives us 6 tips on how how we can level-up our cold brew game from all that she has learned from her own conversations and experiences as the ultimate cold brew consumer
You will learn about:
Links:
Related episodes:
Huge problems come up for staff and customers when we are not on top of the may unique situations that spring up on the bar. In spite of trying to be preemptive and plan for all possible scenarios you will have baristas who make drinks differently, customers who are not charged for things they should be charged for, and many other types of exceptions that will be made on the bar without your knowledge. Customers end up frustrated at inconsistency and baristas end up confused.
Today we are chatting about actions you can take to manage these exceptions now before they develop into toxic traditions later.
Manage your inventory with ODEKO!
Clean that equipment with Urnex!
There is no better feeling than when the cafe gets busy, the pressure is on, and you and your fellow baristas dig deep, communicate well, get orders out quickly, accurately, and keep the bar clean in the process. You just crushed it!
This is the idea behind La Marzocco USA's amazing team based competition, Crush the Rush. A competition who's aim is to re-create a rush in a cafe under but with even more pressure than normal and to test team's ability to handle that pressure with professionalism and grace.
Today we get to talk to the one and only, Josh Littlefield, Events Manager for La Marzocco USA & the man spearheading Crush the Rush and its 2nd country wide tour.
In our discussion we chat about the competition's creation, goals, format, and the lessons we can learn from the both the mistakes and successes of the many teams that have all competed in Crush the Rush.
You will learn about:
Be sure and follow the link below to find more info about signing up for Crush the Rush!
LINKS:
Listen to these related KTTS Episodes:
Caring for staff is one of the main functions of leadership. Unfortunately, the reality experienced by baristas the world over is that of a dysfunctional, ambivalent, sometimes toxic, or even abusive culture that disregards the welfare and voice of the employee and safe guards the disfunction of the system and the people who run it. Today we chat about how to approach this problem in a proactive way and the mindsets that will put you on the right path for properly care for the people who care for the shop.
Links:
For more info and stories from the group of baristas that inspired this Shift Break please follow:
Below are curated links to past episodes that will act as a primer for being a great leader in the cafe:
#121 Working From Your Strengths
#4 Leadership in the Cafe :10 steps to being a People First Leader
#109 Leadership Abandonment Syndrome
#13 Leadership and Management Master Class w/ Eva Attia
#105 Leadership and Management Masterclass w/ Maria Cleavelend
#28 Why It's OK to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan
#55 Personal Growth and Development w/ Jared Truby
#18 Hiring, Culture, and the Future of your Shop
#80 Changing Things in the Cafe
Shift Breaks:
Self-Betrayal and the Art of Action
The sustainability of the barista profession is a subject that needs to be talked about more. Trouble is that we have accepted that the kind of turn-over we see within the ranks of baristas is how it will always be and cannot be helped. In truth, much of what contributes to a barista leaving their job or leaving coffee is entirely preventable by focusing on "Baristastainability"
My guest today, Jenna Gotthelf, is an 8 years specialty coffee veteran and educator with Counter Culture Coffee. Jenna spearheaded this critical professional development project that is based on the results of a globally circulated survey of owners, managers, and baristas.
The survey asks professionals about their training, being valued at work, human resources, compensation, working conditions, and other very pointed questions that shed light on some root causes for employee turn-over and professional burn-out.
In this conversation we will be talking with Jenna about some of the results of the survey and what kinds of actions and steps can be taken to correct course and build a more sustainable barista profession that in turn builds a stronger retail coffee industry.
This is important work and I am so glad for Jenna taking this on!
LINKS:
The presentation "Baristastainability" will be available at the link below soon. Stay tuned!
www.counterculturecoffee.com/learn
Drive-Thru coffee stands play a huge part in spreading the good word of specialty coffee. The convenience they offer makes both consuming coffee and getting into the business of coffee more accessible. Today on Founder Friday we are talking with a real drive-thru success story, Jasmine Diedrich Wilson, Owner of the Diedrich Espresso!
Jasmine started the company at 19 years old and has been at it for eight years. She started with two stands and now has a whopping sixteen. This is an all women owned and run organization that not only serves great coffee and hospitality to their customers but also gives back the their community every chance they get.
Jasmine is a wonderful business woman who, in the beginning, learned a lot of hard lessons and has since developed an inspirational skill for leadership, management, and the know how to run a multi-site coffee business.
We will learn about:
ENJOY!
Links:
As your competition increases, standing out becomes more of a struggle. We chase ways to be unique and often we grab hold of trends, products, and concepts that end up looking more like desperation than authentic expressions of your business and brands. Today we chat about the fact that differentiation, the kind that matters most, comes with time and is well worth waiting for.
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Managing money can be super stressful. This is especially true when you own and operate a coffee shop, the margins are thin, and there seems to be more going out than coming in. To help us work through our approach to our money we are talking with the Emmy Award nominated and Gracie Award winning financial analyst for CBS News, Jill Schlesinger!
Jill is the host of the "Jill on the Money Podcast" of the nationally syndicated radio show, "Jill on the Money" which one the 2018 Gracie Award for best national talk show. Jill appears on CBS radio stations all over the country and covers the topics of economy, markets, investing, and all things financial. She translates complicated business and economic news into understandable relatable topics for everyday people.
Jill is also the author of the new book, "The Dumb Things Smart people do with Their Money" where she reveals 13 costly mistake we are likely making right now with our money and how much of what causes us to make these mistakes are emotional blindspots related to our mindset on toward money.
We dive into this idea and more in this episode as Jill details smart and stable ways to approach money. The result is a conversation that will definitely set you on the a course for a more peaceful relationship with your finances.
In this conversation you will learn about:
LINKS:
Coffee is too cheap, and we all want customers to pay more for specialty coffee. How can we more effectively shift customers over to paying more, is it through higher quality or better experiences? Today we chat about why elevation of the customer experience is the ultimate leveraging tool for creating sustainable value and ultimately will be what determines whether people will consistently pay more.
What we think and how we act are inextricably linked. In the world of hospitality how our views and assumption about others influences everything form how we serve customers -to who we promote to leadership positions in the cafe. A large part of what contributes to our behavior is actually under the radar and as such goes unaddressed. Today we making a conscious effort to tackle and talk about unconscious bias w/ special guest , Lauren Lathrop of Mill City Roasters!
Lauren works as part of the education team at Mill City Roasters in Minneapolis, where she recently moved after 10 years in Portland, OR. She is an Authorized SCA Trainer, a Head Judge for the United States Barista Championship, and a certified judge for both the World Barista and World Brewers Cup Competitions. She has worked in the coffee industry for over 12 years as a barista, assistant manager, and retail coffee educator. She has also competed in Barista Competitions, earning a spot in the finals at the 2012 Northwest Regional Barista Competition. She now serves as Vice Chair for the US Barista Competitions Committee and has developed a number of new training programs for competitions, including an Unconscious Bias Training for Judges.
In todays episode you will learn about:
LINKS:
Lauren's email: Lauren@millcityroasters.com
Everyday we have the opportunity to act on thoughts we have that would benefit others and never follow through. There is a whole world of encouragement lying dormant inside each of us that could greatly contribute to harmony within the bar and ease the relational tension that is such so prevalent in cafes around the world.
Today we discuss the concept of self-betrayal and how not engaging in it can bring everyone to a higher level.
Being a manager in coffee ain't easy. There is no end to the number of different issues vying for your attention on any given day and it can seem like you are constantly trying to keep your head above water. Managers are the most important leaders in specialty retail and in order to do our best work we need to learn from the example of others. Today get to learn from the experiences of someone who has seen great success in cafe management, Jon Felix Lund.
Jon has been in coffee for close to 15 years and Currently VP Of Operations for Coava Coffee Roasters in Portland, OR where he has spent the last 6 years. He started as a trainer and quickly moved into management from there.
With an emphasis on developing his team, constantly improving communication, and deftly planning for the future the things that he will need to succeed, Jon is the perfect person to help us learn in this management masterclass
Some of the things you will learn:
Where ever you are in your journey as a manager you are sure to get something useful and empowering from this conversation.
Enjoy!
LINKS:
Have questions or comments? Want training or consultation?
Sometimes we can give ourselves a pass when it comes to being the type of professional that we want employees to be. Practicing self-awareness is tricky when the work continually distracts you but it is necessary in order to not become a hypocrite at work. Today we talk about why it is important to ask yourself this question and what to do once you have answered.
The beautiful thing about coffee is getting to explore the stories of all the wonderful individuals who make up the specialty community. Today we we do just that.
In this series of four short interviews from the show floor at Coffee Fest Indianapolis we get to sit down with Stephen Garcia, General Manager at Commissary Barber & Barista, Indianapolis, IN / Andy and Sarah Hassler, Owners of Blue Mind Roasting, Indianapolis, IN / Lizath Zorrilla, Co-Owner of La Finca Coffee House, St. Francis, WI / Natassa Contini, Owner of the nations first dog cafe, Chateau Le Woof in Astoria, NY
As we dive into their stories we get to hear about the pressures of ownership, self-care, team management, pursuing opportunities operating a hybrid model cafe, delegation, confronting racial bias in the shop, growing a business sustainably, managing power dynamics between boss and employee, and a whole heck of a lot more.
I hope you enjoy getting to know these folks. I definitely think you will find something that will encourage, inspire, or equip you for the road ahead no matter where you are in your coffee journey.
LINKS:
Need consulting or training for your shop? Lets talk!
“Like walking into your granny’s kitchen.”
That’s the goal Andytown Coffee Roasters founders Lauren Crabbe and Michael McCrory have for what people experience when they walk into their shops in the Outer Sunset of San Fransisco.
Starting as a single 600 sq ft shop, Andytown currently employs 49 people over 5 locations— four public-facing coffee shops and one private office cafe. All pastry, baking and coffee roasting is done in-house and they have a thriving wholesale business as well.
Today we get the honor of sitting down with co-founder, Lauren Crabbe to hear a detailed account of the founding, evolution, and the values that drive Andytown Coffee Roasters. This is sure to inspire!
In this episode you will learn about:
Links:
Tracking staff performance can be difficult when you are putting out fires and being pulled in a thousand different directions. Things fall through the cracks and that means we miss growth opportunities with staff who end up feeling forgotten about and not noticed. Today we talk about this issue and how to take action so you can track progress and deliver specific and meaningful feedback that will bring clarity for yourself as well.
Links:
Shift Break: Leadership Abandonment Syndrome
Do you need help in your shop? Reach out!
www.keystotheshop.com/consulting
Less Bitter, More Glitter. That is one of the mottos for Glitter Cat Barista, a new barista competition training program designed to give marginalized and underrepresented communities the resources to shine on the competition stage and address the problem of representation in the USBC.
In it's first year Glitter Cat has made substantial impact on the diversity seen in barista competitions with four of the ten participants advance from qualifiers to nationals where two first time competitors made it to semifinals and one third-year competitor made it to finals.
All of this is the brainchild of today's guest, T. Ben Fischer.
T. Ben is a 6 year coffee industry veteran and has placed 2nd and 3rd in the USBC (2018, 2019) He is currently based in New York City as a Coffee and Retail Trainer for Blue Bottle Coffee. He joins us today to talk all about Glitter Cat's founding, the journey he has been on, and the lessons learned along the way.
In this episode you will learn:
I am so glad we got to have T. Ben on the show. He is a great example of what one person with a vision and the willingness to act can do to make a difference.
Enjoy!
LINKS:
Communication is the cornerstone of a harmonious team. Problem is that we tend to see things that need correction and don't feel comfortable bringing them up to each other. Today we chat about how a mutual agreement between coworkers can help propel growth and prevent strife.
Links:
Decaf coffee has been much maligned over the years but it has been getting steadily better. What once was a joke amongst "serious" coffee nerds is now being focused on with the same care as its caffeinated counter part thanks to the efforts of companies like Swiss Water.
But while the death of "Death before Decaf" is eminent (I hope) there still remains a lot of confusion and bias around the subject and decaf drinkers around the world are suffering because of it.
Today we welcome the amazing Mike Strumpf to the show. Mike is the Director of Coffee at Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee and has an impressive list of coffee credentials – a Licensed Q Grader, Education Coordinator for the Canadian Chapter of the SCA, Authorized SCA Trainer (AST) in Green Coffee and Sensory, member of the Coffee Skills Program (CSP) Green Coffee Creators Group, SCA Barista Competitions Group Past Chair, and Head Judge for the World Barista Championship to name a few.
In this conversation he is going to give us an education and perspective shift on decaf and the critical role it plays in our specialty coffee community. Some of the things you will learn in this episode:
I hope you enjoy this episode with a coup of decaf (or regular) coffee and that it helps you lean into what is a blind spot for so many of us.
Be sure and visit the link below to get Swiss Water in your business!
LINKS:
Expanding to a second shop is exciting but it can complicate things when the move to grow is not based on a solid foundation. Today we are chatting about some helpful things to consider before you decide to make the leap.
In a country torn by war one organization is literally sowing seeds of peace and hope through coffee. Mighty Peace Coffee is a next generation impact company working directly with coffee cooperatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo to end poverty and conflict, bring about economic transformation through community and capacity-building, and international advocacy.
Today we get to talk with 3 of the leaders of this organization: Liza Elena Pitsirilos, JD Stier, and Jim N. Ngokwey (See their bios below!)
They take us behind the scenes of Mighty Peace and discuss the founding, evolution, mission, and challenges they face in fighting for the people of the DRC. We also discuss their quality control, approach to marketing, and what hey believe is needed from retailers to help smaller producing countries like the DRC gain more traction and success in the global specialty market.
This is a great organization doing fantastic work and I hope you are inspired by this interview!
LINKS:
Get roasted Congolese Coffee delivered : Patreon Monthly Membership
Mighty Peace Coffee on Facebook
Email for green buyers: info@mightypeacecoffee.com
Guest Bios:
Liza Elena Pitsirilos / CEO, Partner
Born and raised in New York City, Liza has developed her executive Midas touch as an expert educator, wellness leader, and successful entrepreneur, leading Fortune 500 corporate culture creation, coaching, and sales team retreats.
After earning a political science degree from the University of Wisconsin, Liza spent the following decade working overseas with high risk communities earning a Master's Degree in Education, working with immigrant populations, and mastering the art of corporate leadership through facilitating workshops and trainings for over 200 companies. In 2018, she began her Mighty Peace Coffee adventure.
Liza leads the all-women executive team from her homes in Madison and NYC, where she emphasizes family values, time with loved ones, respect for the land, environment, and planning sustainably for future generations. Liza leads health and wellness retreats for women in Miami, NYC, and all those a part of the Mighty Peace tribe.
JD Stier / Chairman, Partner
Born in Atlanta Georgia in the 1970s, raised by a civil rights attorney father and catholic faith leader mother, and with social justice at his core, JD began visiting the African Great Lakes as a university student alongside his housemate, a refugee from African Great Lakes conflicts. Over the decades, JD has worked with local communities as an organizer, human rights defender, award winning documentary filmmaker, and an advocate ally for the Congolese-led development of local economies. Invited to keynote at Harvard, Yale, Oxford, LSE, and over 100 centers for thought and policy leadership, JD argues the key to Congo peace is in charting its own economic path forward.
After having been asked to support local coffee cooperatives, JD offered to assemble the international business and marketing team needed to support the Congolese coffee cooperatives as they transform local economies. JD served in the Obama White House and has founded and led myriad initiatives aimed at ending armed conflicts and spurring economic development, including Stand With Congo. JD lives in New York City and Madison, Wisconsin with his true love, Liza, CEO of Mighty Peace Coffee.
Jim N. Ngokwey / Partner, Business Development
Jim N. Ngokwey was born in Senegal, lives in New York City, hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo and is a proud Pan-African. He is passionate about Africa, business and development and is committed to using his expertise and resources to empower African entrepreneurs and drive wealth creation. He is also actively involved in various non-profit organizations, as a management team member in Young African MBAs, a non-profit with a mission to bridge Africa’s management talent gap. He also proudly volunteers for Malaika, a school for girls in Kalebuka, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As part of his work with the Sub-Saharan Africa Chamber of Commerce, he conducted an exploratory trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo to study the country’s business environment. The outcome was the DRC Investment Opportunity Report which focused on the risks and rewards of investing in SMEs in the country. He is proud to lead Mighty Peace Coffee’s Business Development and is excited to play a role in helping the organization reach its immense potential.