Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

It's not uncommon to feel like the day get's away from us and that we are always being taken for a ride by the work. Heck, I can hardly remember entire years of my own career due to not taking on this one essential habit until much, much later. On today's Shift Break we are going to talk about "Bookending" your day and how to use this time in the beginning and end of your work day to show up fully, mature decisively, and have maximum positive impact on your business, coworkers, and staff. Related Episodes: The Counterbalanced Barista Patience & Passivity : Career Advice for the Long Game Learning -vs- LEARNING Accurate Reflection : A very important end of year challenge and encouragement to the Keys to the Shop community Career Advice from Joe Marocco of Mill City Roaster : Mission, learning, goals, mindset Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co

How do you think about success and your coffee shop? For many people it boils down to financial metrics only which, in the long run, may not bring the kind of fulfillment the we seek when we first set out to begin in coffee. In fact without some more nuanced goals and metrics for success, even the profitability will and does suffer. Today I want to talk about four ideas of what I believe success can look like that go beyond the financial and help balance our pursuit of profit in a way that bring sustainability to both you and the people you serve through the business. We cover: Out normal understanding of sucess The importance of employee care Legacy and long term creation Intentionality and Community impact Personal and professional growth Related episodes: 055 : Personal Growth & Development w/ Jared Truby, Cat & Cloud Coffee 293 : Thoughts on Defining Professionalism 206 : The Emotional and Social Impact of the Cafe Space w/ Noa Berger 009 : How to Approach Data and Metrics w/ Simon Ouderkirk : Simon shows us how we should be thinking of numbers and their relation to our shops, baristas, and businesses 302 : Data's Roll in the Success of your Shop w/ Mark Calhoun and Jim Strarcev of Perfect Cube 227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds Blog: Who we are and What we do Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

I witnessed a heartbreaking scene unfold while at SCA EXPO in Boston. The situation was a common one in most of our cafes but in this context it really impacted me and inspired this Shift Break. What are we doing in specialty? Is our talk about accessibility just talk? Are the best expressions of coffee the most exclusive? Lot's of questions rolling around the ol' noggin after this trip and today I wanted to chat about it with you. As you listen, ask yourself what you would do in this scenario and how we as an industry might be able to do better in welcoming a larger variety of people into our spaces while we simultaneously pursue excellence. Related episodes: 262 : Understanding the Homeless Community w/ Natalie Harris, Executive Director of The Coalition for the Homeless 338: A Conversation w/ Martell Mason of The Sepia Coffee Project, Detroit, Michigan 337: Founder Friday w/ Diana Martinez of Cafe Calle, Los Angeles Building an Accessible Coffee Menu w/ Joe Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co

It is the 5 year anniversary of episode #19 titled "10 Reasons to Love the Customer"! Coffee professionals tend to pit themselves against the customer as and us vs them battle. The original episode in 2017 was inspired by a magazine article about what baristas hate about customers. This mentality does not good for anyone and because we easily fall into thinking negatively about the customer, I thought it was time we refocus and exercise thankfulness and positivity. All of these reasons are general enough to be true of almost any car or coffee shop. Truth be told, beyond the general reasons, there are a ton more specific ones that are unique to your own community. It is my hope that you take this episode and contextualize it, and put in place as a regular thankfulness practice for yourself and your team. Related Episodes: Ignoring the Customer Spiders! What they can Teach us About Hospitality 045 : Simple, Powerful Hospitality w/ Philip Turner 016: Raising the Bar on your Customer Experience w/ Michael Butterworth 277: Encore Episode: How to respond to Negative Feedback Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

We love the idea of developing a culture of trust. A place where it is safe to open up and be honest without worrying. Vulnerability is the new metric (among others) by which we judge how successful we are as leaders and I am happy that is. But if we are not carful then we risk using vulnerability as a weapon against people. In today's Shift Break we will be chatting about how our desire to have a team where there is openness and trust can lead to us resorting to coercion and essentially forcing people into vulnerability, making it weird for everyone. Related Episodes: Toxic vulnerability One on ones Above and beyond Reasonable expectations Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co

What does you baristas training produce? For many shops barista training is a loose and rushed experience that falls short in equipping staff with what is needed to succeed. It also creates stress in leadership who desperately want to see good results but through poor mindsets toward training, sabotage the chance of seeing them. In today's episode we will be talking about what goals and outcomes you need to be shooting for when thinking of and developing your your training programs. We discuss: Why we don't see the things we want What baristas need vs what we give them Pitfalls of rushed and overly wrought training Memorization and Understanding Standards and Consistency Excitement and Curiosity Related episodes: 194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader | Aired January 17 2017 330 : Establishing Systems in Your Coffee Shop 080 : Changing things in the Cafe : A workflow for Refinement 248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team 301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

How do we get people to come to our shop? This is the question at the root of most of our marketing efforts. So many of us have stories of how customers will tell us, even after years of business, "I never knew you were here!". It's frustrating. In todays Shift Break we will be chatting about how we have been limiting ourselves with the way we are approaching marketing and the change of mindset and tactic that I think may help get people in your shop and aware of your brand. Related episodes: 215 : Communication and Marketing Master Class w/ Spencer M. Ross, PH.D. 304 : Inside the Coffee Data Trends Breakout Report w/ Katie Von Der Lieth of the SCA 120 : Social Media 101 w/ Jenn Chen 234 : Actions and Strategies to Improve your Messaging w/ Garrett Oden Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co

Dave Baxter, an inventive engineer and founding member of the NORM-ROAST Consortium, dives deep into the Norm Roast Protocol, which aims to bring transparency and efficiency to coffee roasting. He discusses how to objectively measure energy efficiency and emissions, challenging marketing claims from manufacturers. The innovative protocol promotes standardization and encourages manufacturers to adopt sustainable practices. Dave also shares insights on optimizing roasting processes while balancing quality and environmental impact, making a compelling case for industry-wide adoption.

In order to have clarity on how to operate effectively in coffee we need to view it thought a global lens. The tapestry of people and cultures that make up our industry are rarely represented and even less often do they benefit from coffee culture. The answer to this problem is something that today's guest calls "The Sepia Coffee Project". Martell Mason is Co-Founder of the Sepia Coffee Project(SCP), a boutique roastery based in Detroit's North End. Although a native of the city, Martell has lived a very nomadic life with years spent throughout Asia, East Africa and Scandinavia. With a BA in International Affairs and grad work specializing in Sustainability and Coffee Value Chains; Martell continues to search for ways to bridge the gap from "farm to cup" while ensuring there is greater representation of all persons involved with an emphasis placed on those of color. In 2017, he established Arabica Trading House in Istanbul, Turkey, being one of the first specialty traders to import high-quality, transparent coffees direct from origin. Pivoting after the shocks of the pandemic, Martell arrived back in the US in 2021 and saw an opportunity to be of service to a young, yet vibrant coffee community in Detroit. Sepia Coffee Project's mission is to make specialty coffee more accessible to underserved markets, creating a more inclusive and equitable platform for coffee consumers, industry peers and the greater community at large. In our conversation today we are going to be learning about Martell's unique journey through coffee and how his experiences shaped his views and the work he does today to create equity and inclusion for all. We cover: Getting into coffee and developing a broad perspective Global travels and working in coffee How story adds value Learning by connecting directly with people Improve systems through deeper understanding Looking at what quality is and who defines it Farmer livelihoods and mainstream coffee Celebrating a wider range of coffee Addressing "Coffee Deserts" The establishment and goals of The Sepia Coffee Project Bringing coffee to the underserved and marginalized Related episodes: 116 : Understanding Gentrification w/ Dr. Stacey Sutton 183 : Exploring Diversity w/ Phyllis Johnson 233 : A Conversation w/ Anthony Ragler, Black and White 297 : Making Coffee Education Fun w/ Suneal Pabari of Leaderboard Coffee 092 : Tony "Tonx" Konecny of Yes Plz : Consumer Accessibility, roasting, 3rd wave, subscription 227 : Connecting with Hearts and Minds Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

Diana Martinez is one of those people that I am thrilled to see find success in coffee. She had a dream to open a coffee shop and consistently pursued knowledge and experience right out of the gate by working at a roastery and coffee shop then setting up a table on a sidewalk in her neighborhood to serve good coffee to those who did not have access to it. Today she has a brand new brick and mortar shop and the loyal support of her community. I dod not come easy though and that is what today's conversation is all about. In this Founder Friday we will get to hear details of Diana's journey into coffee entrepreneurship, the challenges, lessons, opportunities, and mission that drives her to continue to build this dream. Not just for herself but for her culture and her community. I know you will be inspired by this one! We cover: How the dream began during COVID Gaining experience and taking the first step Starting on the sidewalk to serve the underserved Getting a loyal following and the role of social media Lessons learned in catering BET Awards and other opportunities When things got real How getting in "trouble" led to a brick and mortar Realities of finding and building a space Community reception Advice to other entrepreneurs Links: www.cafecalle.com Instagram @cafecalle Related Episodes: 236 : Founder Friday! w/ Meil Castagna-Herrera & Curtis Herrera of Cafe Corazon! 284 : Founder Friday! w. Jackie Nguyen of Cafe Cà Phê | Kansas City, MO 187 : A Conversation with Nikki Outlaw of Anecho Coffee 097 : Founder Friday w/ Erica Escalante of The Arrow Coffeehouse Visit our awesome sponsors! Ground Control : Revolutionary Batch Brew Coffee! www.groundcontrol.coffee The Barista Series: Best Plant Based Beverages on Earth! www.pacificfoodservice.com