Sorry to break it to you, but literally nobody who matters cares how you define yourself. In our quest to find belonging and quell the voice of our imposter syndrome, we tend to over define ourselves and posture in a way that limits our ability to run…

Now is the time to start redirecting our gaze from competitions and accomplishing greatness on a stage serving judges that do not matter to our shops, and refocusing our attention on the judges that truly matter. Our customers.  Today on Shift…

The search for a “superstar” barista seems to never die. It is a desire born from our tendency to attribute success and power to one person in-spite of the evidence around us that pretty obviously points to the opposite. But oh if we just hire a…

 We all know that in order for a business to be sustainable, it has to be profitable. We need financial margin in order to deal with the unexpected expenses and events, provide opportunities for others, fund growth as needed, and yes, pay…

As most of you know, Starbucks has once again coopted a traditional drink and introduced it to their menu as a part of their “Back to Starbucks” campaign. The cortado, a 4 oz espresso and milk drink originating in Spain, has been a staple menu item in…

There is no doubt about it, having a training lab is a wonderful asset to have for elevating the quality of your training…until it isn’t. Truthfully, much like any tool, it depends on how it is used and whether it is part of a bigger picture. Today…

The title of today’s episode sounds like a no brainer, but you may or may not be surprised to know that it is way easier than you think to be this way when traIning baristas. It is not something that we set out to do, but is born from a confluence of…

I feel as though this question is constantly on the mind of owners. It is a question born from a desire to have a well trained staff that makes the quality of the work more consistently great, as well as a desire to be an effective trainer and have…

Did you know that, in spite of all the work you do for others, the sacrifices you make to run your business and do what you can for your staff, plus the positive impact on your community,  the you are ACTUALLY evil and/or complicit in the demise…

Ah the age old debate. Should you hire someone who is experienced working in coffee? On onhand they have skills that may be helpful and on the other they might have bad habits you need to address.  Or should you hire someone without experience?…