If 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?

If 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!

If 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.

For 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.

Oftentimes, 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.

There 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.

Every 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.

While 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.

Some professionals in the coffee industry are required to stand on their feet all day and lift many heavy things continuously throughout the day. It can be back-breaking and extremely taxing on the body. Here are some quick tips for increasing stamina throughout the day to extend your energy throughout the day, as well as some recovery tips outside of work to reduce long-term damage to your body.

Whether we’d like to acknowledge it or not, many areas of our lives have been permanently influenced by the pandemic both for the better as well as detrimentally. The way we conduct business in our hospitality-focused establishments wasn’t been spared from that trend and the evolution of those changes has not yet fully come to light. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we’ll explore how the definition of hospitality may have evolved as a result of the pandemic.

The ramifications of inflation on each of us in our professional, business, and personal lives is usually something that we can adjust to when it goes up in small increments. However, what happens when governments can no longer keep inflation under control and the cost of raw materials (which includes coffee) goes skyrocketing, putting the complete supply chain under unpredictable pressure?

The world seems to be focused on getting back to business now that the media and governments are touting that the end of the pandemic is in sight. But is it? In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we’ll point out why getting drunk on the elation that is feverish right now may be a little premature. p.s. we really really REALLY wish the pandemic was over and that we were in actual recovery!

With a potential global economic downward turn in sight, how can you prepare new strategies to adapt by selling more coffee while having to pivot in real-time?