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People

This my fellow coffee lovers and entrepreneurs is the heart of the matter.  Good People.  Good Barista's.  Train them well.

It is now Showtime.  If you haven't seen the new Eddie Murphy and Robert DiNero movie, "Showtime", please do so and memorize the way they both intone and utter that wonderfully funny: "It's Showtime".

The coffee business is entertainment.  Your customers journey to your establishment to feel good.  Perhaps for some alone time, which is fine, after the latte or cappuccino has been prepared expertly to their delight.  When you are preparing a drink, always remember "Its Showtime".

If you love to be with people it is a good business to be in, coffee.  There is lots of social activity.  There is lots of interaction.  But you also have to be a business person.  If you have both skills, terrific.  If you need a business person then make sure you get one. 

If you don't like to be with people, go to the well.  If the well is dry, and it may be, think hard about the business.  People are what make any retail business good to be in and successful.  If you are a great accountant, creative and artistic, but do not like people, hire a good people person.

Go slow when you hire!  Hire well.

Fire fast.  If you think you have a problem - you made a mistake - you probably did - so act on it.  In coffee, you brew your mistakes, don't brew your people.  And don't waste time brooding over a mistake.

Recruiting

Spend the money to get good people and train them well and give them the support they need to supply great service always.  Pick a location that will give you the volume to afford to do this.  Or, be prepared to supply this service yourself.  Your customers are looking for it and will reward you with loyal patronage.  Be prompt, courteous and kind.

When you are in front of the customer be cheerful and helping always.  Never complain.  Never gripe about anything.  Your backroom problems must be left in the backroom.  Your customers are there to have you provide a service to them, not to listen to your story.

Take your time and be prepared to work hard while you seek out good people.  I made lots of mistakes because I was always in a hurry.  I had two stores open from 5 AM to 11 PM during the holidays.  I needed people.  The mistake I made was moving too fast.  The price I paid was an incredibly large number of w-2's.  Go slow, hire good people.  Wait for them to come along.  If you don't have good people you can't expand peacefully and safely and profitably.

Run a basic newspaper ad:  Help Wanted, great business, great customers, $8 hour, plus incentives, advancement, medical benefits, and free coffee, come to my store.  Better if you can pay $10 or more.
Lincoln Electric is a welding company in Cleveland, Ohio.  They never lay people off.  Well, if you have been there for three years, you get lifetime employment. (Time Magazine, June 18, 2001, page 40.)  This is a a great idea.  The staff have to agree to do anything at any time.  One day they may weld, one day they may sell, one day they may clean the lot.  Their people make $30,000 plus incentives and the incentives were over $17,000.  How can this be?

Ditto for you.  Hire flexible people who will jump to clean because they know it is there business life that depends upon it.  Hire flexible people who can bake, make and shake.

Bake the bagels, make the coffee or sandwich, and shake the blender for a super tasting chai.  Remember this: we want people who can bake, make and shake.  "Shake it up baby, twist and shout - come on".  There is so much wisdom in this song.  These are the people you need.

Smiling, twisting, shouting, happy, helping, imaginative, hard working, well balanced.

Any hint of drugs, alcohol, lateness, persistent tardiness where the bake is not done on time, any hint of these things - move on it.  Don't wait.

If money on the counter ends in the tip jar, move on it.  Don't wait.

If you have shortages every day.  Don't wait.

The problem is you will have to fill in, or you have to have reserves to fill in, so hire well.  Hire slow.  Take you time.  The time to wait is when you are hiring.  The time to not wait is when you think you have a problem.  If you think it, it probably is right.  Trust your gut, trust your judgment, act on it.

Training

You and your staff have to learn the business of coffee, the history, the drinks, the recipes, the names, terms, techniques of brewing, temperatures, display, and TASTING the greatest brew in the world.  Coffee.  With or without sugar.  I prefer, and urge you to develop a taste for, black coffee.  You would not buy or select a book without first reading the jacket, would you.  Tasting is like reading the jacket.

Yes, Chai, Tea, Granita, Mocha, Grande and Maxima-Grande are all part of the mix.  But in the coffee business you have to know coffee, for lots of reasons.
 
Managers or lead people or leaders or just plain key people are hard to come by, pay them well.

Customers are people too.

Barista

This is the term describing the person who makes espresso drinks and works the espresso machine.  This is the main character in the show.  This person has frequent interaction with your customer and the best chance to sell other things and keep people involved as the espresso drinks are prepared.
There are contests at the SCAA annual meeting for the best Barista in the Country.  They are great fun to watch.

Managers

Take your time and be prepared to work hard while you seek out good people.  I made lots of mistakes because I was always in a hurry.  I had two stores open from 5 AM to 11 PM during the holidays.  I needed people.  The mistake I made was moving too fast.  The price I paid was an incredibly large number of w-2's.  Go slow, hire good people.  Wait for them to come along.  If you don't have good people you can't expand peacefully and safely and profitably.

Run a basic newspaper ad:  Help Wanted, great business, great customers, $8 hour, plus incentives, advancement, medical benefits, and free coffee, come to my store.  Better if you can pay $10 or more.
Lincoln Electric is a welding company in Cleveland, Ohio.  They never lay people off.  Well, if you have been there for three years, you get lifetime employment. (Time Magazine, June 18, 2001, page 40.)  This is a a great idea.  The staff have to agree to do anything at any time.  One day they may weld, one day they may sell, one day they may clean the lot.  Their people make $30,000 plus incentives and the incentives were over $17,000.  How can this be?

Ditto for you.  Hire flexible people who will jump to clean because they know it is there business life that depends upon it.  Hire flexible people who can bake, make and shake.

Bake the bagels, make the coffee or sandwich, and shake the blender for a super tasting chai.  Remember this: we want people who can bake, make and shake.  "Shake it up baby, twist and shout - come on".  There is so much wisdom in this song.  These are the people you need.

Smiling, twisting, shouting, happy, helping, imaginative, hard working, well balanced.

Any hint of drugs, alcohol, lateness, persistent tardiness where the bake is not done on time, any hint of these things - move on it.  Don't wait.

If money on the counter ends in the tip jar, move on it.  Don't wait.

If you have shortages every day.  Don't wait.

The problem is you will have to fill in, or you have to have reserves to fill in, so hire well.  Hire slow.  Take you time.  The time to wait is when you are hiring.  The time to not wait is when you think you have a problem.  If you think it, it probably is right.  Trust your gut, trust your judgment, act on it.

Non Compete Agreement

You definitely want commitment.

You definitely don't want to train a competitor - and lots of people in the business have worked for other stores on purpose, with malice aforethought, to get the training and experience so they can open a store themselves.

So, have all your staff sign non compete non disclosure agreements.

E-mail me and I will send you our form.  No charge.  Do this.  I can't stand to see people get hurt.  It happens every day.  

 
 
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