279 : Founder Friday! w/ Daniel Brown and Nephthaly Leonidas of Gilly Brew Bar

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Podcast

It’s Founder Friday! Today we get the honor of hearing the story of Gilly Brew Bar in Stone Mountain, GA from Daniel Brown and Nephthaly Leonidas. Started by Daniel Brown who was quickly joined by Nephthaly Leonidas, Gilly Brew Bar was founded with the mission to help people re-imagine coffee culture. This mission serves their main purpose, which is to disrupt …

The Problem with “Should”

Chris DeferioPodcast

Ever get frustrated that your staff are not doing things the way you want? I’m guessing you have. In fact if you are like most leaders presented with an issue in the shop you have probably also said, “That “should” not be like that.” or “They “should”…

278 : Making great Hiring Decisions

Chris DeferioBusiness, Podcast

A lot of how successful a shop is depends on the people who work in it. In the specialty coffee retail industry we can tend to hire based desperation, convenience, or nepotism. What we end up with then is problems in the work and culture that manifest themselves either immediately or down the road. Instead we need to prioritize the …

Eliminating menu items Humanely

Chris DeferioPodcast

Even though you might want to, you can’t just chuck items in the garbage willy-nilly. I have been there, done that, and suffered the wrath.  There is a better way to keep the menu fresh and get rid of items  humanely and with deference to…

277: Encore Episode: How to respond to Negative Feedback

Chris DeferioPodcast, Uncategorized

How we respond to negative feedback will have a big impact on how our business grows. The trouble is that we tend to not take kindly to negative feedback and respond with either dismissiveness, avoidance, or defensiveness. We leave a lot of value on the table when we don’t embrace critique and use it to our advantage. Today we are …

Positive Doubt

Chris DeferioPodcast

In conversation with employees we are often too quick to accept the first answer or the first explanation of and issue. In order to help we need to have the right information. Unfortunately, often due to the power difference between boss and employee,…

Special! “Thinking Differently” Series | Radical Sustainability w/ James Combs of Combs’ Coffee

Chris DeferioPodcast, Uncategorized

Welcome to the last episode in the “Thinking Differently” series brought to you by Ground Control! We are ending on an amazing episode this week as we are going to be talking with the amazing, James Combs of Combs’ Coffee in Corinth, Texas! James Combs founded Combs‘ Coffee in 2013 by visiting East Africa on a sourcing mission with a …

276 : Six Ideas for Increasing your Revenue

Chris DeferioBusiness, Podcast

How do I make more money? Which areas of the business can I adjust to increase my profitability? These are the questions on the minds of most coffee entrepreneurs. Running a coffee bar means you make your money via low profit margins that compound when scaled. It is not as easy as simply introducing a new flavor, choosing the right …

Who do we Serve?

Chris DeferioPodcast

When we serve coffee, who are we serving? If you were to listen in on many conversations about coffee over the counter you would think we are just serving ourselves based on the narrow range of coffees we tend to favor as professionals. We serve both…