Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

What a great year this has been! So many amazing people have graced KTTS with their presence, perspectives, and wisdom. It really is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to high value content that can transform your coffee business and career. This makes it very hard to choose which lessons and insights to feature in this episode but I have assembled 8 clips from past guests that I believe offer timeless wisdom and an opportunity to reflect and give you positive momentum for the new year. So here is the line up in order of appearance and what they speak on: EP:327 Phuong Tran | Lava Java: Embracing Simplicity EP: 375 Roland Horne | WatchHouse: Having a specific value proposition EP: 366 Chris Baca | Cat and Cloud: Finding your leadership style EP: 336 Selina Viguera | Blue Bottle: Custom training and cafe management EP: 337 Diana Martinez | Cafe Calle: Serving your community well EP: 359 Nigel Price | Drip Coffee NYC: Accessible Excellence EP: 328 Xavier Alexander | Metric Coffee: Resilience, stewardship, and legacy EP 380: Cindy and Cary Arsaga | Arsagas Coffee Roasters: The key to developing a meaningful business Links to guests websites: www.lava-java.com www.watchhouse.com www.catandcloud.com www.bluebottlecoffee.com www.cafecalle.com www.dripcoffeenyc.com www.metriccoffee.com www.arsagas.com Interested in leveling up your coffee shop or setting up 1:1 coaching? Click here to schedule a free consulting discovery call with KTTS Click here to book a formal one-on-one consulting call! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

On this last Founder Friday of the year I am quite happy to feature a coffee shop founder story that is firmly rooted in service to the community. First as a pop up at farmers markets and now with a brand new brick and mortar, today we are talking with the founders of Last Mile Cafe in Grand Rapids, MI , Arick Davis and Sarah Layman! Arick and Sarah come with a lot of experience in non-profit and impact work as well as tech. Their love for coffee and people eventually guided them to begin Last Mile Cafe as a coffee business designed to make an impact through partnerships with charitable organizations and baking into the practice of donating 10% of all revenue to charities voted on by customers. As of this recording Last Mile's brick and mortar was only 9 days in to being open and things have just been getting better from there. In our conversation we will get an inside look at how they built this impact coffee business, their reasons behind decisions that shaped it, and how they have experienced the journey from mobile to brick and mortar and the road that lies ahead. We discuss: Leaving the corporate world Building for sustainability and impact work Setting out, pivoting and rebranding Learning coffee as a consumer Partnering with organizations To roast or not to roast Donating 10% to charity Pop ups, farmers markets, and learning service Next steps past 2 weeks open/refining Related episodes: 106 : Changing Lives Through Coffee w/ Pamela Chng of Bettr Barista 192 : Freedom through Coffee w/ Esther Hope-Gibbs of Manumit Coffee 180 : A Conversation with Rugid Grind Founders, Brian Washington and Averett Barksdale 139 : Founder Friday w/ Kusanya Cafe Co-Founder, Phil Sipka Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com

We all want our customers and staff to be enthused and exhibit what we tend to consider loyalty. Trouble with that word is that it is loaded with assumptions that go beyond reasonable expectations. In fact, many operators are guilty of trying to force loyalty through coercion and making things personal. This is toxic loyalty. In today's Shift Break we will be discussing a better way to think about loyalty that builds healthy and sustainable relationships with staff and cultivates an environment where we are more likely to receive peoples advocacy beyond what is expected. Related episodes: Customer Loyalty The Key to Up-Selling When "Going above and Beyond" goes too Far Don't Force Vulnerability Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co Subscribe to KTTS Follow on IG @KEYSTOTHESHOP

There has been a resurgence of mobile coffee carts recently. A cart offers the owner flexibility, agility, and a less risky entry into the world of coffee retail. That said, there are many elements that need to be in place for you to be able to set up and run a successful coffee cart that serves you and your customers well. Today we are going to be digging into the details with special guest Sarah Naylor of Daybreak Coffee Cart in Snohomish, WA. After 11 year working in coffee and and 8 years in the pastry arts world, Sarah Naylor took all the hard earned knowledge and wisdom she acquired through the hospitality industry and ventured out on her own to found Daybreak Coffee Cart. Daybreak is a mobile coffee cart and craft coffee catering service located in Snohomish County. Daybreak offers an elevated coffee experience for weddings, corporate events, conferences, and mitzvahs all around. They love serving others and aim to bring joy wherever we go. It is their mission to share kindness through coffee. In our conversation we discuss her beginnings and the practical actions she took to start and run her cart in a way that serves her guests with excellence and most importantly, also serves her and her family well. We cover: Changing paths via life challenges Putting family first and the "why" True service and operating values The first steps in starting the Coffee Cart Ergonomics and set up Setting, expectations, and forming an LLC Drawing from past experience to inform the journey The key business logistics and necessities Saying no and growing responsibly Menu design and Pricing Marketing, networking , and promotion Developing confident and positive thought patterns Links: www.daybreakcoffeecart.com IG: @daybreakcoffeecart Related episodes: 115 : Finding Success in Mobile Coffee w/ Tim Cox / Communion Coffee 367 : Designing Your Coffee Shop for Community w/ Dr. Lisa Waxman 187 : A Conversation with Nikki Outlaw of Anecho Coffee 161 : Founder Friday Drive-Thru Edition w/ Jasmine Diedrich Wilson of Diedrich Espresso 011 : Founder Friday w/ Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee : hospitality / building relationships / coffee quality Interested in leveling up your coffee shop or setting up 1:1 coaching? Click here to schedule a free consulting discovery call with KTTS Click here to book a formal one-on-one consulting call! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

Sometimes it is hard to reconcile our desire for authenticity with the performance and responsibilities that we take on while working in the cafe. In fact, for many baristas, their distaste and inability to embrace anything that seems prescribed leaves them incapable of delivering meaningful service and, consequently, incapable of advancing in their work. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about your role as a barista and how it is your job to take ownership of the duties of your job, which will in turn create the authenticity you seek. Related episodes: Excellence in the Things we Hate 015 : What to do if You don't Advance w/ Anne Nylander : How to take the next step in your barista/coffee career 356 : 5 Barriers to Progress in Your Coffee Shop 014 : A Barista's Guide to Advancing: How to take full advantage of where you are and set yourself up for success in coffee 355: Baristas! 6 Essential Qualities to Get Yourself Hired Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co Subscribe to KTTS Follow on IG @KEYSTOTHESHOP

It is easy to assume that if you have found the right person for the manager role then they will not need very much investment or guidance from you to get the hang of things. After all, they are amazing and you trust their "can do" attitude will be enough to help them succeed. Obviously this is not the case, but that doesn't stop this misconception from being repeated over and over again in cafes around the world. Truth is that no matter who you hire you will need to have a structured plan for how they will be onboarded, trained, and invested into over a significant period of time so they are not only capable, but confident and trustworthy in their work as a true leader, not just a barista with a few extra admin tasks. On today's show we will be going over some needed mindsets, approaches and methods for training up a manager that may challenge the way you have been doing things to this point, but will definitely set everyone up for success. We cover: Who is a good manager and what do they do? The misconception of time Your role in the relationship Real investment and specificity Developing beyond knowledge transfer Committing to long term development Co-creation and staying touch with the real needs of the shop Related episodes: 314 : The 6 Essential Qualities of Coffee Shop Leaders 109 : Leadership Abandonment Syndrome : Lack of development in senior staff and what to do about it 179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap 261 : The Basics of Managing Managers 378: 5 Areas to Develop in Managers Interested in leveling up your coffee shop or setting up 1:1 coaching? Click here to schedule a free consulting discovery call with KTTS Click here to book a formal one-on-one consulting call! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

In this conversation, Charlie Habegger, a seasoned coffee buyer and expert from Royal Coffee, redefines the cupping process in coffee evaluation. He challenges traditional norms, advocating for a more relaxed and exploratory approach that enhances sensory experiences. Discussion includes the evolution of cupping standards, the impact of fatigue on tasting, and the significance of flexibility in understanding diverse coffee profiles. Charlie also shares personal anecdotes and insights on creative evaluation methods, emphasizing connection and growth within the coffee community.

Boy oh boy this is a hard question. The initial reaction you might have to this will depend on your position in the cafe, your knowledge of the circumstances around the firing, and your ability to consider more than just the individual in question. In other words, it depends. On today's Shift Break we will be talking about how to think about this question and what areas need to be considered before you give a definitive answer that may have unintended consequences on your coffee shop, and more importantly, the people that work in and frequent it. Listen to these related episodes next: Two responses to Accountability It's not You, It's Me Passive-Aggressive Management When Patience is not a Virtue Why You Need to Back up Your Policies 301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence 329 : How to Teach Company Values to Your Staff Visit our Sponsors!!! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co

Innovation in the coffee industry is no longer just about large companies tweaking their standard equipment, but it is becoming democratized through small companies bringing their ideas to market through networking, research, and good old fashioned hard work. Today we are going to be talking with 2 of the 3 founders of one such company who sought to create the brew they always wanted but could not find. WE sit down with Michael Butterworth and Ozgur Jerdan of Etkin Design! Etkin believes that when brewing coffee, you shouldn't have to choose between batch size and quality. If you brew coffee for your friends and family, you're often stuck making multiple batches. The Etkin Dripper is a new, flat-bottom coffee dripper optimized to make up to one liter of coffee. Its proprietary design helps ensure an even extraction and ideal brew time resulting in a sweeter, more full-bodied cup of coffee. Michael is a long time industry pro who has been a Q Grader, competitor, cafe trainer, and is an active AST certified trainer Ozgur is from Istabul,Turkey where the brewer is made with local porcelain and has a long history in academia around ESL, education, and organizational direction. Aaron O'Neal is the other cofounder who is not present in this interview. His history and expertise is in the work of media and marketing consultation and leadership as well as a deep love and enthusiasm for coffee. In our conversation today we explore the story of how these three friends conceptualized and brought this brewer to market, the relationships, challenges, and what their story means for innovation, hospitality, and how we enjoy coffee at home. We Cover: Unique journey to market Hospitality Proper brewing geometry Creating ease for hosting Relationships in business Crowd funding and democratizing innovation Building trust with the manufacturer Turkish culture of hospitality Is home brewing tech too complex? Consumer journey and goals Links: https://etkincoffee.com/ @etkindesign Related episodes: 016: Raising the Bar on your Customer Experience w/ Michael Butterworth 360: Encore Episode! Hosting Consumer Coffee Classes: 7 Tips for Success Sustainability Series #4 : Consumer 092 : Tony "Tonx" Konecny of Yes Plz : Consumer Accessibility, roasting, 3rd wave, subscription 349 : Talking About 21st Century Coffee w/ Kenneth Davids 216 : Helping your Customers Brew at Home w/ Brian Beyke , I Brew my own Coffee Podcast 333: Bridging the Professional and Home Barista Gap w/ Lance Hedrick of Onyx Coffee Lab Interested in leveling up your coffee shop? Click here to schedule a free consulting discovery call with KTTS Click here to book a formal one-on-one consulting call! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

It happens all the time. We create and conduct training sessions, programs, and systems that contain a lot, but do not produce a lot. We end up with staff that are ill equipped for handling the day-to-day work and challenges that await them and as a result the customer receives an inconsistent experience. On today's Shift Break we will be talking about the number one way we create ineffective training programs and what we should be investing into in order to properly train and prepare ours staff and business for long term success Please listen to these related episodes: 339 : What Good Barista Training Produces 313 : Coffee Education and Training w/ Michael Phillips of Blue Bottle Coffee 301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence 296: Holistic Barista Training w/ David Castillo of Go Get Em Tiger , Los Angeles 235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff 130 : Anne Nylander | Training Principles for Specialty Coffee Professionals 119 : Barista Training Masterclass w/ 2009 WBC Champion, Gwilym Davies Like the episode? Subscribe, share, and rate the show! Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co