The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by MAP IT FORWARD

We're at an interesting moment in our industry's history as an intersection of many fast-shifting developments continue to stress test our industry over an extended period. The adaptations hospitality small businesses have made to the pandemic, such as long-standing labour shortages, inflation, shifts in technology, and supply chain constraints are all inviting new shifts to the coffee small business model across the entire value chain. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we explore what this means for us as an industry and how this may unfold for businesses worldwide.

The events of the last 16 months have left many of us wondering about our career and business choices and we're being called to reassess if what we're doing now (or where doing pre-pandemic) is still relevant to how you want to see your career unfold. If you've decided that it's time to start considering the next step after your career as a barista, this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by MAP IT FORWARD is for you!

Thanks to the pandemic and a long-needed uprising of employees holding employers to account for low wages, a lack of culture, and less than optimal working conditions for baristas worldwide, the nature of the labour workforce on the consumer end of the coffee value chain is changing rapidly. Of course, not all employers treat their staff poorly so how do you know when it's time to move on from a job as a barista and when you're better off staying put?

We’ve been hearing a tonne about the labour shortage across the hospitality industry around the globe. It begs the question, where has the exiting workforce gone, and why are they leaving in droves? In this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro podcast by MAP IT FORWARD, we take a look at some of the answers to their questions.

If you’re a small business owner that deals with any form of packaging for your goods, or are responsible for inventory control for the business you work for, you will by now be well aware of the shipping delays experienced globally for months now. This is a multifaceted issue that takes needs to be understood if we are to truly consider the impact of this issue on the coffee industry. In this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we take a deep dive into the matter at hand and what may be in our future as an industry if things don’t improve.

Having confidence in your confidence is an important and valuable superpower to have as a small business owner. This means putting the effort into actually knowing your shit (about your craft and how to run a business) as opposed to the bravado of “faking it till you make it”. In a world where bravado is rewarded on social media platforms, recent years have left a number of failed small business owners struggling to understand why they couldn’t make it work when so many others seem to make it look (on social media) so simple. In this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro podcast by MAP IT FORWARD, we explore why this happens as well as some tips to avoid this trap.

When small business owners and people from corporate structures start having conversations about business, it’s like two people who speak similar languages with different dialects trying to have a conversation. You think you know what the other person means but you’re using different words to explain the same thing but because you aren’t as familiar with that dialect, you totally misunderstand what’s being communicated. I hear all the time from small business owners meeting with larger corporates (interested in buying them out or looking to invest) who feel utterly deflated after meetings with corporate employees who use terms that have left them believing they didn’t know what they were talking about. When the question is phrased a different way without all the unnecessary intimidating language, the small business owner knows exactly how to explain their position. In this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro podcast by MAP IT FORWARD, we’ll explore why this happens and how you can handle yourself to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment.

As we see a new generation, Gen Z, come into the workforce, we’re coming to see just how different their requirements from their employers are compared to previous generations. Company culture is a big driving force behind how Get Z will choose a place to start their professional career and with the current staff shortages, you’ll need all the help you can get to attract the right staff. It’s also important to understand the potentially damaging (and possibly dangerous) side effects that not having a culture can have on your business. Check out this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro podcast by MAP IT FORWARD to learn more!

The hospitality industry is under a tonne of strain right now from a number of directions - the pandemic, labor shortages, supply delays, and rapidly increasing costs and labor (i.e. inflation). While some countries seem to be drunk on recovery from a pandemic that many seem to think is almost over, the Delta variant of the virus has other ideas for us all and if we’re not paying attention, we might get "knocked off our barstools” as it forces countries into lockdowns (as it has here in Sydney) when we least expect it. In this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro podcast by MAP IT FORWARD, we explore whether or not we should be preparing for the variant and what that looks like.

With the Delta variant of the pandemic starting to cause more havoc than we’d like, we’re starting to see a confusing dichotomy between countries that are going back into lockdown while others are declaring the pandemic over and opening up completely. For countries when lockdowns are becoming a thing again, the long-term damage to businesses, employees, and the long-term mental health of business owners is beginning to get beyond the joke! Alas, we somehow have to find a way to persevere. In this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, (available on Youtube and podcast listening apps everywhere) you’ll hear a few key suggestions of what can be done at this moment to help keep your head (and your sanity) above water! p.s. I hope you’re all staying safe and inspired out there! You got this!

A year into the establishment of our MAP IT FORWARD Mastermind groups, it’s our pleasure to announce the changing of the guard from one fabulous coffee roasting coach to another. As Anne Cooper leaves to turn her attention to her EQMR community we’re proud to welcome Danish national coffee roasting champion, Ante Bikic @bikic.a as our new coach.

If you’ve had the good fortune of being a barista or a roaster because you loved your job but had the misfortune of working for someone that didn't treat you well or pay you fairly, you would have undoubtedly caught yourself thinking something like “If I ever own a business I’m going to treat my staff so well they’ll never want to leave” or “When I open my business I’m going to pay everyone super well”. Often time, these very same people go on to open businesses only to fall under the same pressures and stress their previous employers experienced and repeat the same cycles. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we’ll explore connecting you to values that will make you proud to work for you as an employer.

At face value, it seems that the world is returning to normal with recovery being the vodka the world is getting drunk on right now. However (for those taking notice) everywhere you look prices are going up, labor is hard to find, and products are hard to get hold of due to shipping disruptions around the world. This could spell challenging economic times for small businesses over the next couple of years. The important question is, “How do we remain growth-focused as these challenges escalate?”. In this episode of the Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD we’ll explore some tips to consider as these events unfold.

Our offerings to retail customers are pretty universal across the industry - brewing equipment, roasted coffee, cups of coffee and other beverages, food, desserts, etc, etc. How then do we set ourselves apart from other businesses offering the same products as we do? We’ll take a deep dive into the question that will solve that problem for you in this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD.