Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

It's the second edition of Founder Friday and today we get to hear the story and learn from the experiences of Maxwell Mooney who owns Narrative Coffee in Everette, WA. We discuss how he got started in coffee, his driving vision for Narrative, how competitions and the coffee community helped shape that vision, and much more! I hope you enjoy the discussion. Maxwell is a true professional and incredibly driven guy and I was certainly encouraged by this conversation.

Show Notes and other resources can be found at: www.keystotheshop.com/resources

Maxwell can be reached at:

• [email protected]

website:

• narrative.coffee

social:

• @narrative.coffee (insta)
• @narrativecoffee (twitter)
• @maxwellamooney (Twitter/Insta)

Want to donate you Competition wares? Maxwell suggests donating toWINCC (Women Investing in North West Coffee Champs)

Other Resources mentioned in this interview include:

• Michael Gerber's Book the E-Myth Revisited
• The Boss Barista podcast

Are barista competitions relevant what I do on the bar every day? How does my business benefit from sending staff to compete? These questions are asked by almost everyone at one time or another when they consider a coffee competitions. Today Jess Steffy, Owner of Square One Coffee in Lancaster, PA, joins us to not only answer these questions but also to share her experiences from being both a successful business owner and the Chair for the SCA's U.S. Competition Committee.

Jess is also a licensed Q Grader, a BGA Certified Barista, an SCA Certified Lead Instructor, a veteran USBC Judge, and certified World Barista judge.

Show notes are available at www.keystotheshop.com/resources

Have questions, comments etc? [email protected]

Thanks and enjoy this episode with Jess Steffy!

Other mentions intros episode:

Nick Cho's (of the Portafilter Podcast) post on Mediumabout competition from an owners perspective

You can also learn more about the U.S. Coffee Championships by visiting www.uscoffeechampionships.org

Data, Metrics, Measurements...they play a critical role in the success of your shop. But how we approach the information available to us will determine how well we use it. Today Simon Ouderkirka former coffee professional who now works with Automattic(the company behind Wordpress.com, WooCommerce, and JetPack) talks to us about how we can best approach data and make it work for business and our people.

If you're like me you can really get caught up in the numbers and maybe miss some critical perspectives that being on the floor talking to your staff and customer provides. You might be the opposite. Maybe you don't look at the numbers enough and are all about being on the floor. You might be missing critical information in the data that can enhance the experience people have in the cafe.

No matter where you are, you will likely be encouraged by this discussion and equipped with a foundational understanding of metrics that will help you use them successfully.

Show Notes are available on the website: www.keystotheshop.com/resources

Enjoy!

-Chris

Joyfulness in our work is something we all would like more of. Nathanael May joins us to discuss how we can cultivate joy in our work in coffee. Being a barista and remaining joyful throughout the day can be challenging especially when things just seem to be going wrong. In this episode we talk about the difference between Joyfulness and happiness, Joy's important role in the cafe, how we can take control of our own joyfulness, giving joy to others, and some tips for how you can start that process.

Nathanael May is the Director of Coffee and Green Buyer for Portland Roasting Coffee in Portland , OR. He is a head USBC judge, WBC judge, and a Certified Q Grader.

You can find some great writing from him HERE

For the complete show notes simply click HERE and you will be directed to our resources page where you can find the downloadable PDF of this episode's main points and key take-aways.

Enjoy the show!

www.keystotheshop.com

got comments, questions, or suggestions? Email me! [email protected]

Checklists get things done!!!

If you work in coffee you use a checklist. Some lists are effective and others...not so much.In this episode we explore the 4 keys to making an effective checklist and talk about what role it plays in the cafe and in a baristas professional development.

This is the first in a monthly interview series highlighting founders of great cafes on the last Friday of each month.

This month we are featuring new owners Taylor and Shem Doupe who own Soleil Cafe (So-lay cafe) in Syracuse, NY! They started their cafe in may of 2016 and have been very well received by the community. Their passion for people and great coffee is what drives them and in this interview we get to hear how they came to start their business and what they have learned along the way.

You can find more info on their website:www.soleil-cafe.com

and follow them on Instagram:@soleil_cafe

Also you can email them at:

[email protected]

[email protected]

I hope you enjoy this interview and if you like Keys to the Shop be sure to subscribe to the show and leave us a 5 star review on iTunes...it really helps the ge the podcast up in the rankings and out in front of more people.

email you questions, comment, and suggestions [email protected]

www.keystotheshop.com

This weekend I got to go to Coffee Champs in Knoxville, qualifying event for the United States Coffee Championships. While at an event party hosted by Wild Love Bakehouse I sat down with 5 baristas to get their unique take on coffee service, career development, and the future of the cafe industry. Each perspective shines a light on something different that you will find useful for your own career.

It always helps to learn from the experiences of others and this episode includes some really great insights from:

1. Trainer, Dawn Shanks of Peregrine Espresso in Washington D.C.

2. Manager, Paul Yates of Shenendoah Joe in Harrisburg, VA also Owner of

Rock town Coffee Roasters

3. Consultant,Diana Mnatsakanyan-Sapp, Owner, Undercurrent Coffee, Charlotte, NC

4. Barista, Hannah Craig of Quills Coffee in Louisville, KY

5. U.S. Barista Champion, Lem Butler of Counter Culture Coffee in Durham, NC

Full show notes will be available Wednesday in PDF form from our website

www.keystotheshop.com

Twitter: @keystotheshop

IG: @keystotheshop

In this episode you and I get to discuss some practical leadership practices for the shop to help you keep people first. There are 10 things that, if implemented, will help anyone who is currently a leader or is aspiring to hold a leadership position in a cafe to lead effectively while also providing proper care for their staff.

Thanks for listening!

Show Notes can be found at:

www.keystotheshop.com/resources

We get to talk about mentorship with 2013 World Barista Champion, Pete Licata. In this conversation we discuss what mentorship is, what are the benefits of its one-on-one nature -vs- other learning methods, and how do we find mentors to help us in out coffee careers.

We also discuss how we can invest into others and act as amentor to those who might need our help in our professional community.Pete has a tons of insight and wisdom to share here. This is a guy who just exemplifies learning and teaching in his career. Enjoy!

Here are some links:

http://www.roastratings.com

http://www.licatacoffeeconsultants.com

[email protected]

Twitter @petelicata

Subscribe:Keys to the Shop

Visit:www.keystotheshop.comfor the show notes under "Resources"

In this episode I discuss with guest Ryan Soeder a cornerstone of any great cafe...Workflow.

Ryan will break down the ins and outs of good workflow, why it is critical, and 5 ways you can improve.

Resources:

www.sunergoscoffee.com

Follow Ryan:

Twitter

Instagram