Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

629: Founder Friday! Stephanie Jones of Mrs. Jones Cold Brew is The OG Cold Brew Queen!

Cold brew only is not a normal thing for a coffee bar. It takes deep dedication, innovation, and focus to drive that concept and offer customers out of the ordinary that

SHIFT BREAK! Don't Build Compromise Into Your Business

What happens when we build into our systems exceptions for the less than desirable habits of staff? Well for starters we rob that staff member of the opportunity to grow

628: Start With Reasonable Hospitality

We love extremes. Novel services, events, specials, and stunts to catapult us into the consciousness of our customers seem to be what we favor and are fixated on. After a

SHIFT BREAK! The Danger of Fast-Track Training

The temptation for fast-track people during training is a very common one. I would go so far as to say that, half of the reason we see the inconsistencies and quality of

627: Why You Need to Work IN Your Business

We hear the advice from the popular author of "The E-Myth" saying that we should work ON our business, not IN it. While I understand and agree with the point being made t

SHIFT BREAK! Vibes Are a Cheap Replacement For Meaning

I hear the word "vibes" used as a stand in for a lot of different things. Most often it is used to describe a somewhat ambiguous sense of good feelings or peace of mind a

626: Why You Are Not Getting Ahead in Your Career

We all have ambitions and hopes for our career but time passes and we don't see any progress. It would be a mistake to chalk this up to fate instead of a lack of progress

SHIFT BREAK! It's Got To Hurt If It's To Heal! : The Pins and Needles of Positive Change

All too often we are likely to stick with the comfortable and known dysfunction or the habitual neglect of important areas of our business, than to take the uncomfortable

625: 5 Ways To Make Your Coffee Taste Better

The quality of your coffee is one of the main reasons people choose your cafe vs another. It is the baseline expectation customers have for a specialty coffee shop and to

624: Founder Friday! The Power of Inclusion w/ Lindsay Wrege of 321 Coffee in Raleigh, NC

One of the coolest things about coffee is how it can be used as a catalyst for change. Today we are going to be talking with someone who has built one of the best example

SHIFT BREAK! It's The Way You Say It: Tips For Improving How People Receive Your Words

You may have the best advice and information, but then your delivery can often fall flat or even have the opposite effect. This is very common in the cafe leadership envi

623: Coffee Content Overload! What Matters Most When Consuming Content Today

Today we have an impossibly vast range of resources and content about anything you need to learn or know about coffee and coffee shops. What a time to be alive! The issue

SHIFT BREAK! Don't Give Your Staff Invisible Targets

If we want our staff to succeed, we have to give them clear target to aim for. Unfortunately shocking number of cafes have what I would describe as invisible targets that

What are the Key Holder Coaching Groups?

For cafe owners, the way you and your coffee shop grow is determined by how you are supported and nourished by community. The trouble is most owners are isolated, stres

622: Lifting Up Coffee Farmers w/ Ben Carlson of Long Miles Coffee!

In coffee we can often question the impact of our efforts. Over time though, small consistent steps in the right direction can not only carry you over many miles, it can

SHIFT BREAK! What It Means To Have Integrity In Our Work

Integrity is hard to identify unless you are actively looking for and working on it. But what is "it"? Well, in some ways it is consistency, but that is not enough. Integ

621: Managment, Supply Chain, and Building Great Teams w/ Ewelina Kania!

In order to provide excellence in the cafe, we need to focus on people. Building, caring for, and managing a team is the cornerstone of any great cafe. The potential of y

SHIFT BREAK! Challenge and Affirmation: Why You Need Both In Your Coffee Shopp

If we know anything it is that striking a balance in our communication is very difficult. It often feels like we are neglecting affirmation for fear of not addressing iss

620: Creating Spaces For Joyful Hospitality w/ Mo Maravilla of Studio Tigre

As we continue to see specialty coffee shops grow and expand into the furthest reaches of the globe, one thing remains an enduring value to customers. That feeling of bel

Special! Interviews From Coffee Fest Chicago 2026! w/ Lan Ho (Fat Miilk), Miranda Haney (Barista Friend), Asia Vo (Loba Pastry and Coffee))

Every Coffee Fest we sit down with presenters and speakers to talk about their field of expertise and learn from their experience in coffee. This time we had a wonderfu