Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

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260 : Wait! Is your current Job actually the right Job?

292 : How to Take Charge and Drive Your Career w/ Ed Evarts Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

Who is driving our career? Most of the time we attribute our careers current state to outside forces or fate. Rarely will we consider that we ourselves are the primary driver of our success. The good news is that there are lot's of things that we can both do to take control and start really steering thing in the direction we want to go. Lucky for us today's special guest has written a couple books on this subject, one of which we will be discussing in depth. I am very pleased to welcome to the show, Ed Evarts, Author of the new book "Drive your Career: 9 High-Impact Ways to Take Responsibility for your Own Success"

Ed Evarts is the founder and president of Excellius Leadership Development, a Boston-based coaching organization. He works with successful leaders to increase their self-awareness so they can manage themselves more productively; with successful teams to ensure their time together is as productive as possible; and with smaller organizations, at a pivot point in their evolution, to help them plan strategically and purposefully.

Ed is also the author of "Raise Your Visibility & Value: Uncover the Lost Art of Connecting on the Job" and the host of Be Brave@Work, a weekly podcast in which leaders share stories about bravery—or the lack of it—in their careers, and the impact their choices have had on their career progression.

In today's conversation we will be going in depth on several of the tactics from the book Drive your Career and discussing how to apply them in your context.

We cover:

Passenger vs driver
Creating a positive relationship with your boss
Being a helper
Self awareness and action
Writing yourself back into the equation
Feedback
Understanding vs being understood
Curiosity and culture of fear
Bell curves and personal resiliency
Empathy

Links:

Website: www.excellius.com

See Ed in action: https://bit.ly/2Zr29Kp

Episodes to listen to next:

258 : Prioritizing your Mental Health in the New Year w/ Dr. Lara Pence

203 : Empowering Women in Business w/ Katherine Knapke

165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli

226 : The Art of being Indispensable at Work w/Bruce Tulgan

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235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff

www.coffeefest.com

When Experience is a Liability Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

Don't hire someone with experience! At least that is what I hear quite often. The idea being that you won't have to untrained old habits. I many people's mind experienced employees are more of a pain than they are willing to deal with.

But where does this assumption come from? Is this a fair rule to have for hiring? I honest don't think so. The truth is that experience is only a liability in the hands of certain people.

On today's Shift Break we will be exploring just how experience can turn into a liability and how to approach baristas with experience in a fair way.

Related episodes:

194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader | Aired January 17 2017

121 : Working from Your Strengths w/ Strengths Finder Guru, Lisa Cummings

031 : Essential Advice for New Baristas : Tips to help you successfully navigate and thrive in your new coffee career

018: Hiring, Culture, and the Future of your Shop

For consulting reach out to: chris@keystotheshop.com

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194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader | Aired January 17 2017

291 : What to do if Your Baristas Won't Listen to You Jul 04, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever thrown your hands up in frustration and said something like, "Why won't my staff listen to me?!" I get this type of question a lot from people attending my lectures at Coffee Fest. Managers and owners alike have this moment often. I know I have. We desire nothing more than generating buy-in and to be at peace knowing that our employees are not only listening but will faithfully carry out what has been communicated. Unfortunately this just is not the case and today we will be exploring what some possible causes and suggesting some fixes to help you finally be able to trust your staff, and yourself.

We will cover:

Your approach to communication
Expectations and engagement
Approach to Leadership and communication
Feedback and honesty
A culture of ignoring the boss
Your focus and energy
Hiring the wrong people
Systems of support

Episodes to listen to next:

248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team

244 : Top 10 Ways to Lose Employees

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www.coffeefest.com

ROR #7 Illustrative Sample Roasting w/ Mike Ebert of Firedancer Coffee Consultants Jul 02, 2021

Show notes

Sample roasting is a critical part of any roasting operation. But sample roasting is not simply used for finding defects or even just for making purchasing decisions. It is also very important to use as a tool to illustrate what a coffee can do and where it fits in your line up according to your's and your customers tastes. Today we are going to be exploring what our guest, Mike Ebert calls, "Illustrative Roasting", and giving you tools, insights, mindsets, and best practices to use your sample roaster to its fullest capacity in helping your coffee reach its highest potential.

As the founder of Firedancer Coffee Consultants, Mike is dedicated to helping clients create a personalized strategy to ensure long-term success. He works primarily with roasters, producers and retailers, drawing from his extensive experience in all facets of the specialty coffee supply chain to guide clients in reaching their potential. Ebert is an Authorized SCA Trainer; holding the professional level certificates in Green Coffee, Sensory Skills, Roasting and Brewing. He has had a hand in many positions up and down the supply chain and continues his volunteer work with the Specialty Coffee Association's Education Advisory Council as Co-Chair of the Education Content Committee.

In our conversation we cover:

Sample roasting for defect vs Illustrative
Roasting with Objectivity and planning use of coffee
Priorities of sample roasting frequency
Sample roast and cupping for buying vs development
Taking into consideration the end user
Translating from sample roasting to production roasting
Selecting the right sample roaster
Assumptions that get you in trouble
SOPs and System for any and all roasters

Links:

www.firedancercoffee.com

www.roastmagazine.com

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Related Episodes:

RoR #1: A Conversation w/ Anne Cooper of Equilibrium Master Roasters

RoR #2: Exploring Quality Control w/ Spencer Turer of Coffee Enterprises

RoR #3: Making Contingency Planning a Reality w/ Andi Trindle Mersch of Philz Coffee

RoR #4: Practical Thermal Dynamics w/ Candice Madison of Royal Coffee / The Crown Oak

RoR #5: Time and Color in Roasting w/ Morten Munchow of Coffee Mind"

RoR #6: Buying Less and Doing More w/ Ever Meister

286 : Coffee Roasting Best Practices w/ Scott Rao

Tips on how to Replace a Manager Jun 30, 2021

Show notes

Turnover is inevitable. Even though we expect it, it's not easy. When it comes to replacing managers though, it becomes 10x as difficult because they occupy a specialized position and typically possess a certain skill set that made them effective.

On today's shift break we are answering a question posed by a listener on how to go about replacing a manager who is moving on.

This is a great episode for both managers and bosses of managers alike. Succession planning for your admin positions is critical and I hope this episode helps guide you down the right path.

Related episodes:

For consulting reach out to: chris@keystotheshop.com

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288 : The Truth behind Cheap Coffee w/ Karl Weinhold

290 : Coffee Connections in Central Africa w/ Keith White Jr of Paraiso Trading Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

Today we get to explore the ever growing Central African coffee farming industry with some one who's company is creating inroads, resources, and opportunities to improve farmers lives and the global demand for their product.

Keith White Jr. is the founder of Paraiso Trading. Paraiso Trading was created to connect Central African Farmers and their high quality organic produce directly to world markets. The company initially focuses on organically produced Coffee, and Cocoa. However as it grows and adds more farmers to the network it will expand the product portfolio.

Working with women farmers, as well as priding ourselves on only working with farms and Cooperatives that we have actually visited and exceed our social and transparency standards in accordance with those required to be apart of the global economy. They work hard to promote the product at a higher price, work with farm owners and managers to assist in obtaining certifications, educate farmers and others on the benefits of improved sustainability and environmental consciousness, as well as educating consumers on the history behind their cups of coffee and who is producing it.

Having grown up the son of a sharecropper in the south and a farmer himself, company owner Keith White has lived the frustration of growing some of the highest quality products on the market yet still struggling to make a living while others became wealthy from the very same product. We aim to be a part of the change happening in the specialty coffee industry!

In our conversation today we talk all about how the company was founded, the opportunities, challenges, and needs associated with bringing central African farming to the greater market, and what we need to know about what goes on behind the scenes in getting providing a stable and thriving life for farmers.

We cover:

Getting started in coffee and founding pqraiso
Finding the potential and ways to help farmers in Cbetral Africa
Brining the coffee to market
Partnering with farmers
Certifications and the role they play
What goes into creating stability for farming communities
Importance of organic and responsible farming
Helping shift methods
Improving land management
Addressing concerns about supply

Links:

www.paraisotrading.com

Related episodes to listen to next:

103 : The Colombian Coffee Connection w/ Ervin Liz

078 : Exploring Green Buying and Sensory Analysis w/ Amanda Juris

265 : Gaining Clarity on Transparency w/ Jonas Lorenz of The Pledge

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247 : Founder Friday! w/ Ritesh Doshi, CEO of Spring Valley Coffee, Nairobi, Kenya

www.coffeefest.com

289 : Founder Friday w/ Ochen Simon Eidodo of Chariots Coffees, Uganda! Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

It's Founder Friday and we are talking with the founder of Chariots Coffees in Uganda, Ochen Simon Eidodo!

Chariots coffees and Barista Academy was established in 2018 by Ochen Simon Eidodo one of the most renown Ugandan professional barista and 2018 Ugandan Barista Champion, whose experience in coffee brings a high level of quality in the coffee value chain in Uganda helping to promote the highest level of coffee quality from farm to cup.

Chariots Coffees and Barista Academy was designed to be the best buyer and seller of high quality coffees in Uganda. They also are training up a highly professional and passionate barista community in Uganda who will brew the best quality their very own Ugandan coffee. The result is the promotion and boosting of the rate of domestic consumption of Ugandan coffee.

In today's conversation we are going to hear the story of both Simon and Chariots Coffees and the incredible impact they are having on the coffee industry in Uganda. I love hearing about producing countries creating change, increasing internal consumption, and building a stronger coffee community right where the coffee grows. Enjoy!

We cover:

Beginnings in hospitality industry in Uganda
Simon's shift in perspective on coffee
His competition experience
Influence on Ugandan barista and coffee scene
Adding value at origin
Starting Chariots Coffee
Challenges in starting and running the business
Expanding services
How the Ugandan barista and coffee scene has changed
Learning the roasting process
Passion, purpose, love
Advice to entrepreneurs at origin

Related Episodes:

171 : Founder Friday w/ Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters in India

256 : Founder Friday w/ Varat Vichit-Vadakan of Roots Coffee Roaster in Bangkok, Thailand

153 : Exploring the Peace Trade in the Congo w/ Mighty Peace Coffee

www.chariotscoffees.com

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278 : Making great Hiring Decisions

When Small Problems Grow Up Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

The day is full of issues calling for your attention. Most of the time there are a few urgent problems that need to be addressed and once they are, new ones seem to rush in to fix the void. Where do big problems come from?

On today's shift break we will be discussing the origin of most big problems, why we miss them, and what do do about it.

Related episodes:

The Impact of Absence 244 : Top 10 Ways to Lose Employees Fix the Small Stuff! : Management, Morale, Coffee Bar Culture

For consulting reach out to: chris@keystotheshop.com

Visit our sponsors!

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

The best espresso machines in the world!