Well now! Today we are going to get an inside look into one of the biggest and most successful coffee brands in the nation! We are talking with the Co-Founder of Biggby Coffee, Mike McFall!
Biggby Coffee was founded in 1995 in Lansing, Michigan a fast-growing $100-million-dollar coffee franchise with 250+ locations across the Midwest and quickly expanding into the East Coast in 2020. Biggby is one of the largest coffee chains in the USA.
Having originally started with Biggby in 1996 as a minimum wage barista, Mike has since held every subsequent position within the company, including his current title as co-Founder and co-CEO (May 2016). Mike believes his time in each of his previous roles has allowed him to form a bond with his employees based on understanding, credibility, and respect. Two decades later,
Mike also wrote and published the Inc. Original book, Grind, with the mission to help founders and entrepreneurs take their business concept and turn it into a positive cash-flow business. In the book Mike shares his personal experiences having led Biggby through survival mode, stability, and aggressive growth.
In our conversation today we will be hearing the story of both Mike's and Biggby's development from concept to present day and all the failures, lessons, and success in between.
This is a very insightful interview and Mike truly hits on some crucial keys to success that apply to everyone from coffee shops with 1-2 spaces to a large chains with hundreds.
We cover:
Links:
Need consulting? Reach out! chris@keystotheshop.com
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
All of us want to wake up, look around, and be happy with where we are and what we're doing. How we accomplish that is often thought to be in the "big breaks" and in exclusive opportunities. But in most cases, who we become and what we are able to do is based on the daily decisions we make that pave the way.
Today we will be talking about how we can most effectively build our careers by embracing this mindset.
Related Episodes:
243 : Encore Episode! “The Sleepwalking Barista (Owner)”
Laziness and the most important Decision
"It's not my Job" & Self-Sabotage
Need consulting or coaching? Reach out to KTTS Consulting!
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
Your Own Branded App!
How does your shop address and interact with the homeless community? If you are like most people, the answer is not very defined and born more from fear and misunderstanding than empathy and informed policy. As we provide spaces to serve the community, it is important that we focus in on how we interact with every person within it, including the homeless.
To help us rewrite the narrative and bring some understanding to the conversation on home we and our businesses treat the homeless we are going to be talking with the Executive Director of Louisville Coalition for the Homeless, Natalie Harris.
Natalie Harris joined The Coalition for the Homeless in April of 2010.
The Coalition is a nonprofit organization committed to advocacy, education and collaboration on the issues of homelessness. It is member agency of over 30 homeless shelter and service providers serving Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. They have a staff of twelve. Natalie was responsible for working to create Rx:Housing/Louisville and effort to end both veteran and chronic homelessness in Louisville.
Natalie was also the Chief Executive Officer of Miami Valley Housing Opportunities, a nonprofit supportive housing provider in Dayton, Ohio. Natalie also served as director of the Specialized Housing Resources Department at Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC), the state housing finance agency. There, she was responsible for development, implementation and coordination of policies and procedures relating to special needs housing. She has served as a consultant to the U.S. Census Bureau, Corporation for Supportive Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Urban Institute on issues related to rural homelessness and supportive housing.
In this conversation Natalie gives us insight into the factors contributing to homelessness and helps give us practical and actionable steps to take to equip ourselves and our staff with the mindsets and tools to really connect with and help the homeless community in meaningful ways.
Please look into the links provided here to learn more.
We cover:
Links:
email: nharris@louhomeless.org
https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/take-a-course/
Related Episodes:
180 : A Conversation with Rugid Grind Founders, Brian Washington and Averett Barksdale
182 : Founder Friday w/ Alec Tod of Indie Coffee Roasters
106 : Changing Lives Through Coffee w/ Pamela Chng of Bettr Barista
183 : Exploring Diversity w/ Phyllis Johnson
139 : Founder Friday w/ Kusanya Cafe Co-Founder, Phil Sipka
Need consulting? Reach out! chris@keystotheshop.com
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
In the relationship between wholesale coffee roaster and client, there are things that do not get talked about as much as they should. Largely this is based the desire to maintain the relationship and any harder or awkward conversations present themselves in the course of business are subsequently ignored, often util they reach a critical point.
Today we are going to be discussing why honestly should be the cornerstone of this professional relationship and how it benefits both you and your client.
Related episodes:
246 : Selecting a Wholesale Coffee Provider
133 : 5 Keys to Successful Wholesale w/ Sarah Richmond
233 : A Conversation w/ Anthony Ragler, Black and White
Need consulting or coaching? Reach out to KTTS Consulting!
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
Your Own Branded App!
When we set up a manager in the cafe we are not just delegating authority and freeing up some of our time, we are setting up the business for failure or success. All of it boils down to how we manage and lead them in their responsibilities and roles.
Today we are going to explore the basics of managing your managers and cover many aspects that get over looked. As I have said plenty of times in on this show, managers are one of the most important, if not THE most important role in the cafe. We need to determine to invest in their success from the beginning in tangible and consistent ways.
I hope todays conversation will help you do just that.
Be sure and listen, or re-listen to the recommended episodes below.
Related episodes:
028 : Why it’s Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan
179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap
013 : Leadership & Management Master Class w/ Eva Attia : Leadership | management | hiring | career
109 : Leadership Abandonment Syndrome : Lack of development in senior staff and what to do about it
141 : The 27 Challenges Managers Face w/ Bruce Tulgan
Need consulting? Reach out! chris@keystotheshop.com
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service
We love to talk about coffee! So much so, we often fail to give people the information they need to be successful on the bar. If you have ever gone off on a tangent about extraction science and esoteric processing methods with a new hire (I think we all have) then this episode is for you!
Today we will talk about training TMI and how we should be approaching the communication of information if we want baristas to be successful as a result of their time in the training process.
Related episodes:
4 Tips for training your staff
025 : Mastering the Art of Training w/ Dave Stachowiak
Need consulting or coaching? Reach out to KTTS Consulting!
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
Your Own Branded App!
Sometimes everything will seem to suggest that leaving our job or career in pursuit of something better is the best option. But is is always the best option? What if the job we have now is actually the perfect one for us? What might we be missing out on if we leave and how do we get clarity to make these kinds of decisions in the first place? Today we are going to be exploring these questions with returning guest, Scott Anthony Barlow of Happen to your Career.
Scott Anthony Barlow is the Founder and CEO of Happen to Your Career. He’s been featured on CNBC, Yahoo, CareerBuilder, Fast Company and Huffington Post and various Colleges and Universities as a top expert on Career Happiness. He gets way excited about careers, coffee, and helping people take control over their life and work.
In our discussion today we cover specific mindsets, frameworks, and questions to ask yourself in order to gain career clarity and truly know that you should either stay or go.
We cover:
Links:
www.happentoyourcareer.com/8day
Related Episodes:
073 : How to be Awesome at Your Job w/ Pete Mockaitis
121 : Working from Your Strengths w/ Strengths Finder Guru, Lisa Cummings
125 : Confidence in Conflict w/ Kwame Christian : A framework for Compassionate Curiosity
Need consulting? Reach out! chris@keystotheshop.com
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service
Your customers are not just in the shop. They are not even just in your city. They are anywhere your digital footprint treads and how you manage that experience will determine the quality of the experience people have with your brand.
Today we are going to be chatting about the importance of digital hospitality and why it needs to of equal importance to in person service.
Related Episodes:
120 : Social Media 101 w/ Jenn Chen
227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds
234 : Actions and Strategies to Improve your Messaging w/ Garrett Oden
215 : Communication and Marketing Master Class w/ Spencer M. Ross, PH.D.
Need consulting or coaching? Reach out to KTTS Consulting!
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
Your Own Branded App!
We have created a monster. Over the years our quest to please the customer has turned toxic as it ignores the well being of our staff and enables entitled, rude, and even abusive behavior. All this in the name of the miss guided notion that "The customer is always right".
In today's episode we will be exploring this toxic customer service culture, what is behind it, what its impacts are, and how to begin the process of replacing it with a heathy culture of boundaries and support that create a great experience for both staff and customers alike.
Link:
Related Episodes:
The Customer service pro is not Always Right
151 : How to Respond and React to Negative Feedback : 5 Step Process
248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team
244 : Top 10 Ways to Lose Employees
019 : 10 Reasons to Love the Customer w/ Chris Deferio
Need consulting? Reach out! chris@keystotheshop.com
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service
Welcome to the new series produced in partnership with Roast Magazine, "Rate of Rise: Elevated conversations on Roasting"!
Every first Friday we will be interviewing roasting experts from around the world to discover wisdom and insights that will help you thrive in your roasting business. In this inaugural episode we are going to be talking with the amazing Anne Cooper or Equilibrium Master Roasters!
With over 25 yrs working in the Coffee Industry, Anne is an Australian Roaster who has gained extensive experience in many areas of the coffee industry as Barista, Café Owner/Manager, National Barista Trainer & Assessor, Head Roaster/Roasting Production Manager at both a National & International level. A certified Q Grader, Anne regularly attends, volunteers, competes in & judges coffee competitions in Australia, USA & Brazil. With her consulting company, Equilibrium Master Roasters, Anne continues to develop her extensive roasting skills & knowledge with exposure to a wide range of roasting companies & machines and various roasting techniques / industry relevant processes & protocols - she is really passionate about passing on skills & knowledge to the next generation of flame keepers.
In our conversation we focus on setting yourself up for success through data, equipment knowledge, establishing solid protocols, and balancing the use of software and tools with a deep sensory understanding of the roasting process.
There is a ton of fabulous information here to help you kick of 2021 the right way!
We cover:
Links:
Related Episodes:
152 : Essential Advice for Starting a Roastery w/ Jen Apodaca
078 : Exploring Green Buying and Sensory Analysis w/ Amanda Juris
082 : Knowledge and Flavor w/ Cosimo Libardo
This episode is brought to you by Roast Magazine! Visit them and subscribe over at: