Keys to the Shop Podcast ️

Leading and managing are only as effective as your knowledge and understanding of the who, what, and why of your cafe. Sadly many people with the title of manager or in positions of leadership are going day-to-day putting out fires, chasing down tasks, but never getting ahead in developing and supporting their staff in meaningful ways.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about some practical tools to start using in your leadership practice right away and how to think about the position you hold so you are able to grow yourself and grow others.

How we think determines how we act. This is especially true when it comes to pressurized situations like the kind that we find in a busy coffee shop environment. We talk a lot about leader, ship, tactics, and principles, and aspire to be better leaders, but if we don’t fix our thinking, our actions will not be effective in our efforts will fall flat.

On today’s episode we will be discussing for major mind set shif that every coffee shop leader needs to make in order to properly serve the people they work with and for.

We cover:
🔑 Teaching vs informing
🔑 Working with vs dealing with
🔑 Preemptive vs reactionary
🔑 Effective vs impressive

It’s Founder Friday and I am so pleased to finally welcome the one an only Tim Wendelboe!

Tim Wendelboe runs his own roastery and espresso bar in Oslo, Norway where he imports, roast and serve high quality coffees.

Apart from winning 8 Nordic Roaster Competitions with his team, he was the 2004 World Barista Champion and the 2005 World Cup Tasting Champion and has also published several books on coffee. Tim spends a lot of time working together with the producers he buys coffee from in order to improve the quality of their coffees. He is also working on his own coffee farm, Finca el Suelo, in Colombia where he uses his knowledge in soil biology to grow coffee free from pesticides and mineral fertilizers.

This was a great time talking about a wide range of subjects all related to pursuing excellence in operations, trade, leadership, and craft.

In todays discussion we cover:
🔑 Tim Wendelboe’s coffee journey from 1998 to today
🔑 Importance of systems and standards in coffee shops
🔑 Competitive Coffee and Professional Growth
🔑 Long-term relationships with coffee farmers and sustainability
🔑 Roasting techniques and the shift to lighter roasts
🔑 Staff training, retention, and creating a team-oriented culture
🔑 Standards, Leadership, and Human-Centered Management
🔑 Building Systems for Quality and Consistency
🔑 The role of customer service and authenticity in coffee
🔑 Future challenges in coffee quality and climate change
🔑 Partnerships with Farmers and Sustainability Initiatives
🔑 The importance of organizational knowledge and leadership
🔑 The Future of Coffee and Customer Engagement

Seemingly in balance to our episode with Kwame Christian on big swings, we need to talk about small starts!

Making decisions about size, scope, and scale of our cafes can set us up for success or it can set us up for disappointment. I see this play out time and time again where people over commit to something and bite of more than they can chew. This leads to al sorts of downstream issues.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the mentality of starting small in all aspects of your business and why it makes all the difference for the sustainability of what you create.

There is wisdom in taking well considered steps in your life and business. The trouble is that sometimes, when the best move is a big one, we can write it off as unwise or reckless. How can we overcome what holds us back from making the right big moves?

Well I am pleased to welcome back to the show someone who has lived out and navigated this problem. My friend and world renowned expert in communication and negotiation, Kwame Christian!

Kwame Christian, Director of the American Negotiation Institute. He is the author of two bestselling books: Finding Confidence in Conflict and How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race

He is a highly sought after keynote speaker and was a recent featured guest on the Mel Robbins Podcast.

Kwame is dedicated to empowering others and has helped countless individuals overcome the fear, anxiety, and emotion often associated with difficult conversations through a branded framework called Compassionate Curiosity.

As an attorney and mediator with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Public Policy, and a Juris Doctorate (Law Degree), Kwame brings a unique multidisciplinary approach to making difficult conversations easier.

We discuss:
🔑 Big swings mentality and its impact on success
🔑 The role of identity in behavior change
🔑 Overcoming fear and limiting beliefs
🔑 Practical strategies for habit formation
🔑 The concept of strategic luck and positioning
🔑 The importance of honesty and self-awareness
🔑 Playing small is often rooted in limiting beliefs and fear.
🔑 Adopting an identity-based approach can accelerate behavior change
🔑 Small, consistent actions lead to big ripple effects over time
🔑 Practicing identity shifts through experiments and reminders is effective
🔑 Embracing uncertainty and adaptability is crucial in a changing world

I had a conversation with a successful cafe and roastery client recently. We talked about delegation and what was standing in the way of them giving tasks and authority to others. It came out that they were worried about relinquishing control and that they want things to be perfect. Of course this owner is in good company, we all have this feeling that ultimately holds things back.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how we can not just let go of the limiting beliefs preventing us from empowering others, but how we can reframe how we talk to ourselves about giving up control so our people, and out business can grow more fully into what it needs to be.

Boardgames and coffee! The two were meant for one another. Gathering around a table to share an experience with your friends and family is core to how community happens.

Today's guest has been a pillar in this community for over 7 years and brings an incredible depth of knowledge and skill in hospitality, leadership, and culinary to the gaming table.

We are talking with Kevin Kerkoff of Hitherto Coffee and Gaming Parlour in Greenfield, IN!

Kevin J. Kerkhof is an entrepreneur, hospitality executive, educator, and culinary professional with more than 30 years of experience in foodservice, specialty coffee, retail operations, business development, and hospitality management. Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for combining operational excellence with a passion for culinary innovation, hospitality, team development, and creating exceptional guest experiences.

Prior to founding Hitherto, Kevin served as the Founding Chef and General Manager of Greyhouse Coffee & Supply Co. in West Lafayette, Indiana. During his tenure, he helped shape the organization’s culinary and operational vision while providing leadership and oversight for hundreds of employees throughout the years. He played a key role in concept development, menu creation, facility design, budgeting, organizational leadership, and operational growth.

He has worked with and supported organizations including McDonald’s, Whole Foods Market, Ecolab, Tyson Foods, Purdue University, the Culinary Institute of America, and the Specialty Coffee Association.

In our conversation about his career and boardgame cafe concept we discuss:
🔑 Journey into Hospitality and Culinary Arts
🔑 The Influence of Agriculture on Culinary Pursuits
🔑 Transitioning to Coffee and Greyhouse
🔑 Leadership Lessons from Greyhouse
🔑 The Evolution and Financial Challenges Starting Hitherto
🔑 Navigating the SBA Loan Process
🔑 The Concept of a Board Game Cafe
🔑 Creating a Unique Customer Experience
🔑 Selecting Games for the Community
🔑 Staffing for a Dual Concept Cafe
🔑 Managing a Board Game Cafe
🔑 Event planning and managing game and coffee events
🔑 Advice for Aspiring Cafe Owners

We serve 2 types of customers. External and internal. The external customer is the one that comes in for a coffee and spends money and time with us as guests in the cafe. The internal customer comes in for a job and spend their energy and time helping us serve the first customer well. In this environment, managers are critical leaders in caring for both groups. Not only this, managers are under pressure to serve the big vision of the business and those who own it. No wonder management burns out as much as they do!

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about serving your managers. The servant leadership model is one that fits neatly in coffee and we will discuss how to adjust our mindsets and schedules to properaly and actually care for those who care for others. This shift makes all the difference.

I have noticed a lot of noise in the industry. The coffee shop and its owner are the targets of a crushing and never ending stream of marketing that does not care about your success, but only moving units. The uncertainty that was supposed to be solved, is made worse, and the simple desire to serve coffee professionally, gets over complicated. No wonder we burn out so often.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how simplicity is the best strategy for any coffee shop and is worth establishing as a central pillar of the business so you can navigate the pressured environment of entrepreneurship and build something on a stable foundation.