Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

The best espresso machines in the world!

246 : Selecting a Wholesale Coffee Provider

303 : Create Authentic Partnerships w/ Marc Gessler of Cat & Cloud Coffee Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

Ideally, the nature of your relationship with your wholesale customers is less like a transaction and more like a partnership. How do we approach caring for those who have decided to serve our coffee in a way that is true to our values, supports their success, and creates growing trust and mutuality? In this episode these questions and more are answers as we talk with the Partner Program manager for Cat and Cloud Coffee, Marc Gessler!

Marc has been in coffee now for 7 years. Born and raised in Santa Cruz, he began his career at Verve and after following the progress of Cat and Cloud he landed a job as a barista and quickly moved into working in the wholesale partnership program. Marc now leads this program that seeks to build authentic and values based relationships with all the people who partner with Cat and Cloud.

In this conversation we will talk a bit about Marc's own journey into coffee, then dive into the work he does in supporting all the Cat and Cloud wholesale partners on a day to day basis, how they manage challenges, and continue to improve their standards and communication.

I love the passion Marc brings that absolutely resonates with what I know about the whole team over there at Cat and Cloud. You are sure to gain some very valuable insight that you can apply to your wholesale department after listening to today's episode.

We cover:

Where do leads come from
Values and authenticity as prerequisites
Managing partner relationships
Training and customization
Trusting your clients
Meeting people where they are
Dealing with difficulties and when to part ways
Keeping track of partner progress and needs

Links:

www.catandcloud.com

Related Episodes:

133 : 5 Keys to Successful Wholesale w/ Sarah Richmond

233 : A Conversation w/ Anthony Ragler, Black and White

235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff

191 : Retraining your Staff on new Standards

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

Study the Rules Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

If you want to do well in competition you have to study the rules. Without this you are flying blind and will probably get a less that stellar result for your effort. The same thing is true for your career.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the importance of learning the "rules" as it applies to your professional journey in coffee and why doing this will give you a much better chance of success.

Related episodes:

Visit our awesome Sponsors!

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

The best espresso machines in the world!

009 : How to Approach Data and Metrics w/ Simon Ouderkirk

302 : Data's Roll in the Success of your Shop w/ Mark Calhoun and Jim Strarcev of Perfect Cube Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

There is a lot of information available to us through our POS systems that show us the numbers behind the business. Owners and managers read these numbers to get a sense of not only how the business is doing, but also to get an idea of where it needs to go and what decisions need to be made to make that happen. So it is quite important that we have a sensible way to approach and use the data so the conclusions we come to and actions we take benefit the business long term.

Today I am so pleased to be talking with Mark Calhoun and Jim Strarcev of PerfectCube!

After they sold their financial technology business to Charles Schwab, Mark and Jim pivoted to the retail space by opening a gelato shop. They ultimately wanted to learn the retail business so they could create a better software solution for mom-and-pop stores and small franchises.

The result is PerfectCube, an online platform that allows small retailers to easily track their performance and even forecast the near future. In the space of a few minutes, users can get a read on sales, inventory levels and other important metrics. PerfectCube can assess what hours of the day have the highest sales and which individual products sold fastest, not just today, but last week, last month and last year.

Mark and Jim give a great work shop at Coffee Fest trade shows called -Real Number in Your Cafe- and today they are going to be discussing with us their path to retail, approach to the numbers, and how owners and operators should be managing the metrics to make the best choices for how they run their cafes.

We cover:

From big data to gelato
Learning the key points of focus for retail
Taking care of customers
Looking at what was behind the data
Short term thinking, long term damage
False positives and confirmation bias
Iportance of easy visualization
Metrics to pay attention to
Next steps to get and use data well

Links:

www.perfectcube.co

PerfectCube on Facebook

Related episodes:

170 : Why your Inventory Counts w/ Albert Amar and Pierre-Francois Rio of SwiftCount

172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must!

184 : Making Great Business Decisions w/ Dave Stachowiak

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

The Quality Standards Equation Sep 02, 2021

Show notes

If your shop does not have specific standards for the products your serve and the way you serve them, then you are leaving a lot of the success of your coffee shop up to chance. Question is, how do you go about setting standards? Where do the parameters come from?

In today's Shift Break we will be discussing an equation for how to set up the basics of your cafe's quality standards in a fashion that is informed, practical, and flexible.

Related Episodes:

Visit our awesome Sponsors!

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

The best espresso machines in the world!

301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

These are the two most important and intensive processes in the cafe yet they often are the most rush and poorly thought through. The preparations we make and the actions we take when hiring and training staff will and does create a ripple effect that is felt by everyone who interacts with your business for years to come.

Maybe more than ever, a proper focus on hiring and training with excellence is the key to creating resilience and sustainability in our coffee shops. Strong investment in the beginning helps alleviate issues down the road.

Today we will be going through a detailed presentation I delivered at Coffee Fest that dives into some very practical advice to equip you to bring on, and care for well, the right people for your coffee shop and customers.

We cover:

Values based hiring and the problem of false-promises
Building the role and job description
Steps of the interview process and the role of feedback
Ways to attract staff
Proper views toward training and onboarding
Structures to equip baristas
Patience, follow through and intentionality
Manuals and teach trainers to teach

Related Episodes:

Visit our sponsors!

Follow Birch on Instagram

300 : Founder Friday! w/ Jermey Lyman of Birch Coffee, NYC Aug 25, 2021

Show notes

New York City is undoubtedly one of the coffee capitals of the world. With a seemingly endless number of options to choose from, it is hard to stand out and create something that makes people notice and even hard to keep their attention and patronage. Birch Coffee in NYC was founded with the intention to level up the hospitality and customer service one can expect in a coffee house and has been busy building and making this a reality since 2009. Today on Founder Friday we get to talk with the Co-Funder of Birch Coffee, Jeremy Lyman!

Jeremy Lyman is the co-founder of Birch Coffee, a New York City-based coffee company. Since its first store opened in 2009, the company has grown to become one of New York City's premiere and most loved independent coffee shop chains. With more than a dozen locations throughout the city, the focus of Birch is on customer service.

Service is something Jeremy believed was lacking in the Specialty Coffee industry and being that both he and his partner Paul are consumers first and worked in bars and restaurants for years before, they realized that this was what was necessary to stand out in the industry. In order to grow the company, he has overseen the development of not only a high level of service, but methods in which to hone and develop those skills amongst his teams.

Jeremy, Paul, and their team have also figured out creative ways to stand out. From eliminating wifi and introducing conversation starters to designing extraordinarily unique napkins, they have caught the eye of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Forbes who have paid specific attention to these differentiators.

In this conversation we will not only her the story of Birch Coffee's founding and growth but we will also be hearing about Jeremy's journey as an owner through the years as he owns up about hard lessons, values, the impact of vulnerability, and what we considers the most valuable thing owners can focus on at any stage of their cafes development.

I loved this talk and was greatly moved by Jeremy's honesty and candor. I hope you enjoy this episode but more than that I hope it helps inspire you to new levels of personal and professional excellence.

Excellent customer service
First steps and lessons learned early
Overcoming arrogance
What makes a great partnership
Recovery and Vulnerability
Being honest and self aware
Making good decisions
Healthy and unhealthy fear
The vital role of feedback and observation
Training baristas for real world scenarios
Looking for the lessons in everything
Advice for entrepreneurs

Links:

www.birchcoffee.com

Email: Jeremy@birchcoffee.com

Related episodes:

177 : Founder Friday w/ Jonathan Pascual of Taproom Coffee and Beer in Atlanta, Georgia

228 : Cracking the Leadership Code w/ Alain Hunkins

181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge

145: Founder Friday w/ Red Rooster Coffee Roasters co-founder, Haden Polseno-Hensley

017 : Founder Friday w/ Jonathan Rubinstein of Joe Coffee: Entrepreneurship | Coffee Business | Hiring | Barista Culture | Growth

Visit our sponsors!

Hard Work is Hard Aug 24, 2021

Show notes

At work there is unnecessary difficulty and then there is just…necessary difficulty. The trouble is that sometimes we can blur the line between the two and generally will default the thinking all difficulty is to be avoided or is a sign of something wrong with the system, ourselves, or the people we lead.

On this Shift Break I channel my inner old man (kinda) as we will be discussing the necessary difficulty of work and how to avoid blaming others, and why embracing hard work as a blessing and not a curse can change you and your business.

Interested in consulting services? Reach out to : Chris@keystotheshop.com

Listen to these episodes next:

Visit our awesome Sponsors!

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

The best espresso machines in the world!

299 : 5 Rules for a Successful Coffee shop Aug 24, 2021

Show notes

What makes a successful coffee bar? This whole show is dedicated to exploring the depths of the question and yet there are a few fundamental elements that, if practiced, will greatly help your coffee bar succeed. Were are not going to be talking about the common things you might associate with success such as location, Cost of Goods, and great customer service. Those things and many like them are definitely important but even if you have the major pieces in place, there are aspects of your shop that are quite nuanced and are responsible for hold those big pieces in place.

Today we will be exploring the top 5 rules for a successful coffee shop, why they are important, and what it looks like to implement them to make your cafe sustainable for you and everyone associated with it.

We cover:

Doing the right thing facing reality
Celebrating staff and community
People-first systems
Pursuing humility, empathy
Iterating your business
Passion and realism
Feedback and communication
Accepting different means to and end
Values in various contexts

Recommended episodes related to this:

Visit our sponsors!

Care Assurance is the New Quality Assurance Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

Quality control and assurance is common in most well established coffee shops. Even if it is not a dedicated position, it at least is an area where we invest a lot of time and effort. What we don't see very much of is a focus on care. How do the staff and customers experience the business and what are we doing to make sure we are dialing in that experience?

Today on Shift Break we will talk about how investing in care assurance is a critical to success.

Related episodes:

Visit our awesome Sponsors!

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

The best espresso machines in the world!