Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Latest Episodes:

163 : Lessons from Crush the Rush w/ Josh Littlefield Jul 09, 2019

Show notes

There is no better feeling than when the cafe gets busy, the pressure is on, and you and your fellow baristas dig deep, communicate well, get orders out quickly, accurately, and keep the bar clean in the process. You just crushed it!

This is the idea behind La Marzocco USA's amazing team based competition, Crush the Rush. A competition who's aim is to re-create a rush in a cafe under but with even more pressure than normal and to test team's ability to handle that pressure with professionalism and grace.

Today we get to talk to the one and only, Josh Littlefield, Events Manager for La Marzocco USA & the man spearheading Crush the Rush and its 2nd country wide tour.

In our discussion we chat about the competition's creation, goals, format, and the lessons we can learn from the both the mistakes and successes of the many teams that have all competed in Crush the Rush.

You will learn about:

Grace under pressure
Recovery from mistakes
Accuracy and speed
Good communication when it counts
Handling unforseen challenges
The importance of cleanliness and organization

Be sure and follow the link below to find more info about signing up for Crush the Rush!

LINKS:

La Marzocco USA Instagram

La Marzocco USA Blog

Listen to these related KTTS Episodes:

The Broken Chair Jul 04, 2019

Show notes

Caring for staff is one of the main functions of leadership. Unfortunately, the reality experienced by baristas the world over is that of a dysfunctional, ambivalent, sometimes toxic, or even abusive culture that disregards the welfare and voice of the employee and safe guards the disfunction of the system and the people who run it. Today we chat about how to approach this problem in a proactive way and the mindsets that will put you on the right path for properly care for the people who care for the shop.

Links:

For more info and stories from the group of baristas that inspired this Shift Break please follow:

@coffeeatlarge on Instagram

Below are curated links to past episodes that will act as a primer for being a great leader in the cafe:

#67 : 6 Truths About Power

#121 Working From Your Strengths

#4 Leadership in the Cafe :10 steps to being a People First Leader

#109 Leadership Abandonment Syndrome

#13 Leadership and Management Master Class w/ Eva Attia

#105 Leadership and Management Masterclass w/ Maria Cleavelend

#28 Why It's OK to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan

#55 Personal Growth and Development w/ Jared Truby

#18 Hiring, Culture, and the Future of your Shop

#80 Changing Things in the Cafe

Shift Breaks:

Don't You Forget About Me

Would You Hire You?

Self-Betrayal and the Art of Action

People Not Objects

Building Empathetic Systems

Please Clarify

Acceptance of Dysfunction

The Affirmation Vacuum

Toxic Vulnerability

The One-on-One

Manager Top 3

162 : Discussing "Baristastainability" w/ Jenna Gotthelf of Counter Culture Coffee Jul 02, 2019

Show notes

The sustainability of the barista profession is a subject that needs to be talked about more. Trouble is that we have accepted that the kind of turn-over we see within the ranks of baristas is how it will always be and cannot be helped. In truth, much of what contributes to a barista leaving their job or leaving coffee is entirely preventable by focusing on "Baristastainability"

My guest today, Jenna Gotthelf, is an 8 years specialty coffee veteran and educator with Counter Culture Coffee. Jenna spearheaded this critical professional development project that is based on the results of a globally circulated survey of owners, managers, and baristas.

The survey asks professionals about their training, being valued at work, human resources, compensation, working conditions, and other very pointed questions that shed light on some root causes for employee turn-over and professional burn-out.

In this conversation we will be talking with Jenna about some of the results of the survey and what kinds of actions and steps can be taken to correct course and build a more sustainable barista profession that in turn builds a stronger retail coffee industry.

This is important work and I am so glad for Jenna taking this on!

LINKS:

The presentation "Baristastainability" will be available at the link below soon. Stay tuned!

www.counterculturecoffee.com/learn

161 : Founder Friday Drive-Thru Edition! w/ Jasmine Diedrich Wilson of Diedrich Espresso, Everette, WA Jun 28, 2019

Show notes

Drive-Thru coffee stands play a huge part in spreading the good word of specialty coffee. The convenience they offer makes both consuming coffee and getting into the business of coffee more accessible. Today on Founder Friday we are talking with a real drive-thru success story, Jasmine Diedrich Wilson, Owner of the Diedrich Espresso!

Jasmine started the company at 19 years old and has been at it for eight years. She started with two stands and now has a whopping sixteen. This is an all women owned and run organization that not only serves great coffee and hospitality to their customers but also gives back the their community every chance they get.

Jasmine is a wonderful business woman who, in the beginning, learned a lot of hard lessons and has since developed an inspirational skill for leadership, management, and the know how to run a multi-site coffee business.

We will learn about:

Jasmine's story and the evolution of Diedrich Espresso
Leading by empowering others
Overcoming your past leadership mistakes
Dealing with criticism for how you got your starting capital
Elements of a successful drive through
Curating the culture across multiple locations
Ideal drive-thru menu
Achieving hospitality in a drive-thru
What are the financial standards for determining staffing levels?
Choosing locations

ENJOY!

Links:

WWW.DIEDRICHESPRESSO.COM

Differentiation Takes Time! Jun 27, 2019

Show notes

As your competition increases, standing out becomes more of a struggle. We chase ways to be unique and often we grab hold of trends, products, and concepts that end up looking more like desperation than authentic expressions of your business and brands. Today we chat about the fact that differentiation, the kind that matters most, comes with time and is well worth waiting for.

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160 : The Smart Way to Approach Money w/ Jill Schlesinger Jun 24, 2019

Show notes

Managing money can be super stressful. This is especially true when you own and operate a coffee shop, the margins are thin, and there seems to be more going out than coming in. To help us work through our approach to our money we are talking with the Emmy Award nominated and Gracie Award winning financial analyst for CBS News, Jill Schlesinger!

Jill is the host of the "Jill on the Money Podcast" of the nationally syndicated radio show, "Jill on the Money" which one the 2018 Gracie Award for best national talk show. Jill appears on CBS radio stations all over the country and covers the topics of economy, markets, investing, and all things financial. She translates complicated business and economic news into understandable relatable topics for everyday people.

Jill is also the author of the new book, "The Dumb Things Smart people do with Their Money" where she reveals 13 costly mistake we are likely making right now with our money and how much of what causes us to make these mistakes are emotional blindspots related to our mindset on toward money.

We dive into this idea and more in this episode as Jill details smart and stable ways to approach money. The result is a conversation that will definitely set you on the a course for a more peaceful relationship with your finances.

In this conversation you will learn about:

Developing a balanced mindset toward money
Achieving and enjoying your goals
What mistakes small biz owners make
Why it's important to pay yourself
Developing endurance as an entrepreneur
Who to take advice from
A framework for making decisions
Good practices once you are profitable
Investing in your employees and business
Creating an environment consistent with your values
Setting the financial tone in your business

LINKS:

www.jillonmoney.com

Customer Experience - vs - Coffee Quality Jun 20, 2019

Show notes

Coffee is too cheap, and we all want customers to pay more for specialty coffee. How can we more effectively shift customers over to paying more, is it through higher quality or better experiences? Today we chat about why elevation of the customer experience is the ultimate leveraging tool for creating sustainable value and ultimately will be what determines whether people will consistently pay more.

159 : Unconscious Bias w/ Lauren Lathrop of Mill City Roasters Jun 18, 2019

Show notes

What we think and how we act are inextricably linked. In the world of hospitality how our views and assumption about others influences everything form how we serve customers -to who we promote to leadership positions in the cafe. A large part of what contributes to our behavior is actually under the radar and as such goes unaddressed. Today we making a conscious effort to tackle and talk about unconscious bias w/ special guest , Lauren Lathrop of Mill City Roasters!

Lauren works as part of the education team at Mill City Roasters in Minneapolis, where she recently moved after 10 years in Portland, OR. She is an Authorized SCA Trainer, a Head Judge for the United States Barista Championship, and a certified judge for both the World Barista and World Brewers Cup Competitions. She has worked in the coffee industry for over 12 years as a barista, assistant manager, and retail coffee educator. She has also competed in Barista Competitions, earning a spot in the finals at the 2012 Northwest Regional Barista Competition. She now serves as Vice Chair for the US Barista Competitions Committee and has developed a number of new training programs for competitions, including an Unconscious Bias Training for Judges.

In todays episode you will learn about:

The evolution of the Unconscious Bias Training and its impact on the competitions
Our tendencies for bias in customer serve and in the shop
Why unconscious bias is not intrinsically bad
What can do to address it personally
What we can do to address it systemically
Helpful mindsets to adopt in the journey to explore unconsious bias

LINKS:

www.millcityroasters.com

Lauren's email: Lauren@millcityroasters.com

Self-Betrayal and the Art of Action Jun 12, 2019

Show notes

Everyday we have the opportunity to act on thoughts we have that would benefit others and never follow through. There is a whole world of encouragement lying dormant inside each of us that could greatly contribute to harmony within the bar and ease the relational tension that is such so prevalent in cafes around the world.

Today we discuss the concept of self-betrayal and how not engaging in it can bring everyone to a higher level.

www.keystotheshop.com

chris@keystotheshop.com

158 : A Managment Masterclass w/ Jon Felix Lund, VP of Operations for Coava Coffee Roasters Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

Being a manager in coffee ain't easy. There is no end to the number of different issues vying for your attention on any given day and it can seem like you are constantly trying to keep your head above water. Managers are the most important leaders in specialty retail and in order to do our best work we need to learn from the example of others. Today get to learn from the experiences of someone who has seen great success in cafe management, Jon Felix Lund.

Jon has been in coffee for close to 15 years and Currently VP Of Operations for Coava Coffee Roasters in Portland, OR where he has spent the last 6 years. He started as a trainer and quickly moved into management from there.

With an emphasis on developing his team, constantly improving communication, and deftly planning for the future the things that he will need to succeed, Jon is the perfect person to help us learn in this management masterclass

Some of the things you will learn: