That age-old question amongst coffee roasting small business owners, “How much should I be charging for a bag of roasted coffee?” continues to be asked as more first-time business owners enter the roasting space. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we explore how to answer this question and some things to consider that you may not have considered previous to the pandemic.
Read MoreThe landscape of the hospitality industry has been changing for many years but the pandemic has played a particularly important role in influencing the acceleration of that evolution. In this episode of the podcast we’re going to explore why now more than ever, it’s important to have clarity around who the right employer is for you and how you might approach figuring out who is and who isn’t the right fit for you.
Read MoreWe’ve recently been speaking a lot about the importance of creating a customer acquisition plan to bring in new customers and converting them to paying customers rather than just brand admirers. A key part of a customer acquisition strategy is having clarity around the strength of your communication channels. Your mailing list may have some hidden superpowers you’re yet to uncover. In this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we explore the different strengths your mailing list has compared to your social media.
Read More“My boss is cheap because he never spends money on new equipment”. “My boss is cheap because she won't let us choose whatever we want off the menu for our staff meal”. “My boss is cheap because they make us pay for our coffee on our day off”. If this sounds familiar, this episode of the podcast is something you may find will give you a little insight as to why your boss may be making those decisions to help make you happy in the long term rather than just in the short term. While you don’t consider that free lunch as a part of your wages, business owners do. The more they give away for free, the less likely you are to be successful in asking for a pay raise next time you ask because the business may not be doing as well as it could be. Subscribe to the podcast on listening apps or our youtube channel to deep dive into this further!
Read MoreNow that you’re well aware of the staff shortages in the hospitality industry globally, having a company culture that people will be drawn to will help you attract staff more than ever before. Surprisingly, paying special attention to establishing a culture within the businesses in our industry isn’t something that has traditionally been a priority. Shifts in generational culture (YAY! Shoutout to Gen Z) are encouraging business owners to consider creating workplace cultures that consider the needs of the employees as much of the needs of the business and we think it may not be such a bad thing! Check out this episode of the podcast to find out why!
Read MoreHistorically, raising pricing for a cup of coffee has been challenging and has lead to back-breaking margins for the last decade. With consumer awareness increasing around the inflation of commodities and a shortage within the labor market, could this be a unique opportunity where increasing your prices will make sense to your customer?
Read MoreOftentimes, leadership is something that we figure out as we go in the coffee industry and the challenges of great leadership are seriously underestimated as an essential part of running a happy, inspired, growth-focused team on board with your vision. Leading with vulnerability can be the strength activation to your leadership style that you didn’t know you needed. One incredible example of this leadership style is Kyra Kennedy, the CEO of @baratza. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we’ll take a look at why vulnerability can (counterintuitively) supercharge your leadership style and why all the best leaders are leaning into it.
Listen to Brene Brown’s Podcast: Dare to Lead for more on Leadership and Vulnerability
Listen to Kyra Kennedy on the MAP IT FORWARD podcast here:
https://youtu.be/gwi4mEZIzu0
https://youtu.be/LuEysrEnzYQ
Read MoreIn recent years, automation has slowly been edging into the mainstream of the coffee industry. Shortages in the labor market across the hospitality industry have seen larger companies that serve companies like McDonald's, Donut King, and the rest transitioning to automation as a long-term solution for an ongoing issue. Is it time for small businesses to consider the same measures to adapt to labor shortages that are likely to continue long-term?
Read MoreOver the years, coffee roasting sales teams have used equipment as a way to attract new business. This often came with a reciprocal commitment of exclusivity for some time that meant cafes could not use other roasters during that period. With the cost of second-hand cafe equipment getting cheaper and cheaper due to mass business closures over the last 12-18 months, coffee roasters are going to have to find new incentivize to attract (or keep) customers. In this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we explore some of the options you may want to explore!
Read MoreWith volatility being experienced in many markets that directly affect our industry, the traditional models of doing business are soon going to be rocked to the core and will fundamentally have to change to adapt. Cafes will still exist but due to shortages in the labor market, they’ll have to find ways to operate with less staff. Roasted coffee will still be needed, but with the shortage of coffee and the delay in supply due to shipping backlogs, roasters may potentially need to pivot to supplementary revenue streams. Amongst all this uncertainty, if you’re looking to open a new small business in the coffee industry, where should you be focusing your attention? Let’s explore that further in this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD.
Read MoreIf you’re a small business owner in the coffee industry, particularly in the cafe, by now you’re well aware of the staff shortages our industry is experiencing around the world. Businesses across the hospitality industry, including big chains like McDonald's and Taco Bell are closing their restaurants early due to a lack of staffing. The big question is, how long will this go and what can be done to adapt?
Read MoreIf you’re a small business owner in the coffee industry, you’re likely noticing that things are starting to feel a little “off”. You can’t get staff, it’s hard to secure green coffee, your coffee roaster isn’t able to supply you as much roasted coffee as you ordered, you’re required to pay upfront to secure supplies, prices for ingredients and packages are going up, and the list goes on. When times are challenging like this, there are tell-tale signs (if we know where to look) that can tell us if our business is headed for trouble if our runway is coming to an end. In this episode of the DCP by MAP IT FORWARD, we’ll explore what those indicators are and why it’s important to start checking them now!
Read MoreIf you’re a coffee roaster who relies heavily on spot green coffee, you may already be aware of how difficult it’s becoming to get access to green coffee no matter where you are in the world. It looks like, at least in the short to medium term, that this is going to continue to be the case. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we unpack what’s going on and why you should be doing to prevent your supply of coffee from running out.
Read MoreFor years now we’ve been working hard on this podcast to point out the challenges the coffee value chain experiences, especially at the producer's end. In 2021, those challenges are escalating in ways that may not be apparent. Sure, the C Price is climbing and that may, at face value, appear to be a great thing, but in this episode, let's dig deep and explore why this, as well as other variables operating in the mix, should be causing you to pay attention to how you might be affected by what’s coming.
Read MoreOftentimes, B2B (Business to Business) sales seem to be focused on telling the customer all about your product and how it’s going to fix things. In this episode of the podcast, we’re going to take a look at the surprising shift in your sales strategy that can help you land a win-win for you and your customer.
Read MoreThere are a number of reasons small businesses are finding it challenging to hold on the staff and while pay rates are a huge reason, a lack of open communication by the leadership within a business is a close second. In this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we’ll take a look at this issue, why it’s causing so many problems, and suggest some solutions if you’re finding this issue particularly relevant in your workplace.
Read MoreEvery great Customer Acquisition Plan starts with a clear understanding of who your customer personas are. This applies to B2C (business to customer) i.e. retail customers as well as B2B (business to business) i.e. wholesale customers. Simply casting a net out there and saying “I’m going to sell roasted coffee to all cafes who are in my city” isn’t a well-thought-out strategy. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we’ll go deep on what we teach the business owners in our mastermind groups about creating a clear strategy to identify who their wholesales customers actually are.
Read MoreWe’re noticing that the cafe environment (from behind the bar) in 2021. Is that because of the pandemic? Is that because of the social unrest? Is that because of the stress of having to navigate a rapid shifting in culture? The workforce’s needs are changing and, thanks to severe staffing shortages, the circumstances are ripe for employees to make requests from employers that were previously not on the table.
Read MoreWhile most people are drunk on recovery from the pandemic, those who are paying attention to what’s really going on in the economy and the supply chain are aware that there are greater challenges ahead that have the potential to make the near to medium future even more challenging than 2020. Inflation, geopolitical issues causing delays in the supply of commodities, massive shipping backlogs, the removal of government safety nets etc all signal a potential for challenging times ahead. One way to make sure that you’re prepared is to lock in pricing and supply agreements with suppliers for all the products, packaging, and equipment you need to do business over the next 12 months.
Read MoreDarrin Daniel is the Managing Director of Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) who manages the Cup of Excellence coffee competition in a growing number of coffee-producing countries around the world. Find out more at https://allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/
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