415: The Best Lessons On How to Listen w/ Listening Expert, Oscar Trimboli

Chris DeferioLeadership, Management, Podcast

Learning how to listen is the cornerstone of effective and transformative communication. In the hustle and fast paced daily activities of the coffee shop, it is easy to forget about listening and truly understanding what is being said beyond the words we hear. Add to this that emotions are often high, listening deeply and well can seem daunting. Thankfully we …

408: Coffee Tools, Music, and Serving the Community w/ Anita Tam of Slow Pour Supply Co.

Chris DeferioBusiness, Leadership, Podcast

The world of coffee is saturated with suppliers of tools and equipment. Most are seeking the transaction and chasing the opportunity the current market has afforded them. Precious few  suppliers are truly passionate about their customers in a meaningful way that results in the love and respect of the barista community. Slow Pour Supply is one such company, because Anita …

386 : A Look Back at the Lessons of 2022

Chris DeferioBusiness, Leadership, Management, Podcast

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 …

383 : How to Train a Manager

Chris DeferioLeadership, Management, Podcast, Uncategorized

  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 …

380 : Founder Friday! w/ Cary and Cindy Arsaga of Arsaga’s Coffee Roasters

Chris DeferioBusiness, Founder Friday, Leadership, Podcast

How do you measure the impact of you business? We talk about metrics mostly related to finances and judge success accordingly. But the deeper and more fulfilling impact a coffee shop can have is based in relationship. You may ask yourself the question, does what I am creating or have created have “heart and meaning”? If your answer is yes …

378: 5 Areas to Develop in Managers

Chris DeferioCareer, Leadership, Podcast

It is easy to assume that a managers main role is only to take on basic administrative tasks. At least this is the way I would argue most shop treat the role of manager. It is too often a “set and forget” scenario that inevitably leads to  managers being in the dark, ill equipped, and frustrated. Ultimately this is all …

375 : Founder Friday! w/ Roland Horne of WatchHouse

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Leadership, Podcast

I am so happy to share with you this Founder Friday episode that takes a hard look at what is possible when you want to offer excellence at scale in a cafe setting. I am joined by the founder of the iconic and standard setting company, WatchHouse, Roland Horne. Roland founded WatchHouse in 2014 after extensive experience running small-to-medium-size businesses, including …