The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by MAP IT FORWARD

While there are some wonderful employers in the coffee industry there are definitely employers that you should NOT work for. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we'll share some details on who you should avoid and what the indicators are that expose red flags that warn you about what's to come if you choose to work for them.

Ask any business owners in the coffee industry and they'll all tell you the same thing, "The hardest part of running my business is managing people". There are ways to make the team culture more harmonious before you hire your team and it all starts with your hiring strategy. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we'll go through just a few of the few game-changing tips we share with consulting clients who are putting together new teams.

The coffee industry is all about creating spaces where people can come together and connect over coffee in beautiful welcoming spaces. As business owners struggle to sustain customer needs in a boom period that coincides with labor shortages, automation is proving to be an attractive alternative to the increased number of challenges 2021 has presented. As these options become more and more enticing for business owners, who will win out as the most necessary asset to cafes and roasteries - automation or staff?

When interviewing for a barista position, there's a question from candidates that's coming up more than ever - "What career growth opportunities are available for this role?" Previously, the standard answers were something like "barista trainer" or cafe manager. In 2021 that's changed and with Gen Z entering the workforce at the time of a labor shortage, if you're not able to adequately answer this question and demonstrate that you can back it up, you're not likely to find the team you need. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we explore what the new career paths are for Baristas and why this is awesome for baristas and employers.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, staff shortages have become a more urgent problem for businesses in the coffee industry because of reasons created in past decades. We (as an industry) have kicked the can down the road for far too long without taking seriously the consequences of not addressing the blaring issues that needed to be addressed and those issues are now having a greater impact than anticipated. However, if you're a business that's prepared to embrace the challenges this moment offers, and really examine what our labor force around the world is really looking for, you can put together a dream team of employees where you all conspire to each others success.

More than you might think, the answers to why your business isn't thriving are hidden in the numbers you're not tracking. Many business owners fail to do regular stocktakes as a part of their inventory management strategy. Monthly stocktakes will show you so much more than how many take away cups you have in stock or how many bags of green coffee you have left. The insight you get from monthly stocktakes can be a game-changer for your profitability. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we'll explore why.

Even though business in general for the coffee industry is better than ever, cafes around the world are caught between their desire to remain the friendly local community hub and the increasing pressures of inflation that are driving down profitability and making it harder and harder to stay in business. Business owners want to keep their prices reasonable but the pressure is mounting and sooner or later, they're going to have to give in. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we talk about why we think you should significantly increase your prices without delay and how to assess if this strategy is a right fit for you now!

Business for cafes and coffee roasters alike is going great as we surge towards the end of 2021. Cafes seem to be full and roasters seem to be selling more coffee than ever. At MAP IT FORWARD, we're more worried than ever that despite your business doing awesome (which we're super happy about), there may be trouble ahead. Check out this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD to find out why and how you can get ahead of the curve so that coffee shortages are don't become an obstacle to your success.

As the C-Market reaches an almost 10-year high and the supply of Arabica becomes more and more stressed, could robusta be the solution to your supply issues? In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we'll explore why or why not you might consider this an option.

In the past 52 weeks, we have seen the price of coffee increase by 102%, that's an (almost 10 year) high of $2.39 per pound on the ICE Exchange (commonly known as the c-market in our industry) in New York. The last time it was this high was in 2012 (think about that for a second!!) and with the current supply chain and logical challenges we're experiencing, the laws of supply and demand economics suggest that we have no idea where this bull run will stop. So what are the ramifications for small businesses and professionals in the coffee industry worldwide, and how is this going to affect the way we do business for the foreseeable future?

Having a great culture and good supply chain practices are fantastic but how do you know if they're making your business more profitable or crippling your business's financial health? You would do this by understanding your profit and loss statement (also called an income statement) and it's just one set of numbers that you need to understand in order to know how you're doing. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we'll take a look at a variety of "numbers" you should be gaining clarity on if you're in (or looking to start) a business in the coffee industry.

"Ransomware is a type of malicious software (malware). When it gets into your device, it makes your computer or its files unusable. Cybercriminals use ransomware to deny you access to your files or devices. They then demand you pay them to get back your access." - Cyber.gov.au

Now imagine you can't access your POS data, your financial systems, your roast curves and roasting data, your green coffee forecasting spreadsheets, etc. Would that cripple your business? How much would you be prepared to pay hackers to get your data back?

"You're a roaster and I'm a barista, let's open a cafe together and we'll roaster our own coffee to save money. We'll serve the best quality coffee and we'll show everyone how it's done". Sound familiar? This is the beginning of a business partnership that is almost certain to fail. If you don't do your due diligence about your new business partner where it counts, you WILL be in for a world of hurt. Check out this episode for reasons why and ways to avoid making the same mistakes most people make when going into business in the coffee industry for the first time.

Financial and economic literacy is difficult for pretty much everyone who isn't a part of the investing world. Unlike the coffee industry, the investing world has a much higher barrier to entry if you want to participate. When things go well for investors (stock market, property, etc.), they are the ones positively affected by those wins. When things go badly for large groups of investors, let's say when they create a "bubble" (i.e. the stock market right now) and that bubble bursts, the ramifications can be catastrophic for everyone. Because it's so hard to understand, most people don't invest the time into becoming economically literate. We are at the precipice of a global financial collapse and in this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD we'll explore some things you should know as the collapse edges closer.