As we struggle through COVID and seek also to care for our staff, show hospitality, and address the needs of our community around racial justice, we need to lean on the example of people who have excelled in those areas that we seek to improve. Dorian Bolden was a guest on Founder Friday back in August of 2018 and was …
We all can have a difficult time with serving the public. These days we may be putting on a literal mask, but if we are honest, we have been wearing a metaphorical mask for a while now. Much of how we show up on at work has to do with how we show up…
What is essential? Many of us have been forced into a place of asking this question for the sake of survival and are now looking to create a new way forward for ourselves, our businesses, and our families. If we want our work and life to be imbued with purpose, joy, clarity, and thriving then we need to embrace this …
Making hasty decisions about who you put into what position has always been the Achilles heal of the cafe. As we work to put our shops back together we are going to be under even more pressure to fill positions throughout the organization and the…
Oh boy is this a critical episode! Which one of us does not want to have more financial security? Especially these days? It is not an understatement to say that the future of your cafe hinges on how well you manage your money now and how well you understand money’s role in your business. So many of us are rebuilding …
You won’t get it right…at least not right away. This is the nature of our pursuit in coffee and the relationships we have within it. These days we are surrounded by opportunities to engage in ways that can lead to greater depth o of relationship and…
Throughout history the coffee shop has been a catalyst for conversation. The subject of that conversation is as wide and varied as your clientele and your community. There are subjects of conversation that are very niche and only apply to a few people, and then there are subjects that are happening on a large scale and are relevant and …
In this time we need to take a good look at ourselves and how we are using the power we have been given. In the cafe, authority and power is a gift that is meant to be you used for the benefit of others. Yet, just we have seen in recent days, power…
We are in the people business. Having a great people program is a critical part of being able to thrive as a small business since the degree to which you care for your people, and they feel cared for, directly impacts how they care for the business and its customers. Now, more than ever, we need to lean into …
This Founder Friday is a wild, unique, and refreshingly honest experience. Today we are going to be talking with the one and only Sarah Barnett Gill, the owner of Mama Mocha’s in Auburn, AL. Mama Mocha is a formidably strong Alabama woman who has pioneered her career throughout the southeastern 2nd, 3rd and 4th waves of specialty coffee. She owns a …
