You see it all the time, a barista is promoted to a role such as trainer, manager, cafe lead etc, but they quickly find that there is very little preparation that has gone into this role. They are either simply not doing much, but now they have a title, or they are doing far too much in an effort …
415: The Best Lessons On How to Listen w/ Listening Expert, Oscar Trimboli
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 …
392 : Cafe Management and the Importance of Team w/ Justin Duenne of Quills Coffee
The journey of a barista often will lead to management. That particular role of leadership in the cafe comes with a host of changes that call on people to not only care for the quality and operations of the cafe, but the people themselves. Today we are going to be talking with Justin Duenne of Quills Coffee, a manager whose …
386 : A Look Back at the Lessons of 2022
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
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 …
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 …
361: Managing Roastery Relationships and Logistics w/ Corey Turner of Andytown Coffee Roasters
From the perspective of the cafe, the world of the roastery seems to be shrouded in mystery. Indeed, as we have said on the show before, roasting is practically its own business with its own ecosystem of relationships and systems. Todays guest is someone who began in the cafe and then dove in to that world and has since been …
354 : Management Master Class w/ Ryan Fisher of Erewhon Market, L.A.
Operations management is a distinct from cafe management. At a certain point in your coffee business’ growth it become necessary to have someone whose job it is to manage managers and oversee the operations of the retail shops. This is a critical role that is as much about leadership as it is about decisiveness and and systems. Today we will …
351 : Pro Tips for Using Spreadsheets w/ Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee
In order to have a profitable and consistent coffee shop you need to track and keep your data in order. Whether is labor, expenses, or COGs- spreadsheets are an essential tools to help you build a stable business. On today’s episode we sit down with frequent guest of the KTTS podcast, Maxwell Mooney of Narrative Coffee to talk about his …
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 …
