The coffee shop is made up various tasks and roles that all work together to create something magical. Wen those roles are not clear or followed through on then the we lose the magic and gain frustration. No role in the cafe is as important than that of the owner (arguably managers but that’s another topic), yet we rarely see …
368 : Walking the Line Between Leadership and Friendship
We have a problem. There are plenty of people in leadership positions but many of them are afraid to step into their role and opt instead to try to avoid the difficulty by being friends with everyone. I’ll bet you know a manager or owner like this and I’ll also bet it was not necessarily an endearing quality. In an …
366: A Conversation w/ Chris Baca of Cat and Cloud Coffee
We all want leadership and cafe culture that inspires. Through personal and professional development we can learn how to create an environments where our values and core beliefs are lived out in real time. In spite of the inevitable challenges, set backs, and failures that come with entrepreneurship and leadership, when we bring our true selves to work in good …
364 Founder Friday w/ Sarah Alakeel of Hjeen Coffee in Saudi Arabia
I am so excited for this month’s Founder Friday! Today we are talking with someone who has not only taken a passion and turned it into a thriving business that serves her community and culture with excellence, but has done so in the face of cultural challenges that, as a woman in Saudi Arabia, forced her to be creative in …
363 : Setting Boundaries in the Coffee Shop w/ Tom Henschel
Working in a coffee bar means working in close quarters with your fellow baristas, managers, and owners. In this daily work we will eventually begin to feel the tension and start to wonder about how we can set boundaries for ourselves so we can continue to work and still take care of ourselves. The subject of boundaries may be ruminated …
343 : Founder Friday! “Curated Edition” | Hospitality + Meeting People Where They Are
Welcome to this special edition of the Founder Friday series! We have an incredible collection of interviews from some of the world’s best coffee shop operators and entrepreneurs. Within each interview are gems of wisdom that help us move ourselves and the industry forward. In this special edition of Founder Friday I went back into the archives to mine those …
341: How to Think About Success
How do you think about success and your coffee shop? For many people it boils down to financial metrics only which, in the long run, may not bring the kind of fulfillment the we seek when we first set out to begin in coffee. In fact without some more nuanced goals and metrics for success, even the profitability will and …
337: Founder Friday w/ Diana Martinez of Cafe Calle, Los Angeles
Diana Martinez is one of those people that I am thrilled to see find success in coffee. She had a dream to open a coffee shop and consistently pursued knowledge and experience right out of the gate by working at a roastery and coffee shop then setting up a simple table on a sidewalk in her neighborhood to serve good …
336: A Cafe Leadership Masterclass w/ Selina Viguera of Blue Bottle Coffee
It’s not very often you come across someone who has spent decades as a true example of what it is to be an exemplary manager, leader, and professional. When you do find them you better be prepared to absorb their wisdom and let it help guide your own career. Well, today we are privileged to sit down with …
335: A Better Business Model for Coffee Farmers w/ Thaleon Tremain of Pachamama Coffee
Most of us would say we represent farmers with our work. Few of can say we literally work for farmers. Increasingly we see the need for business models that don’t just give financial reward to farms but that shift the power balance to them. This is where the example and work of Pachamama Coffee shines as an example of …
