Why's everyone talking so much about Brazil the past couple of weeks and why should you be paying attention no matter where you sit in the coffee value chain? In this and the next few episodes of the podcast, we'll be taking a deep dive into the frost events of the past few weeks in Brazil, what it could mean for producers, the availability of coffee, the pricing of coffee, and for you (business and profession) and your customers.
Read MoreThe term "Fake Coffee" has been circulating in the industry to describe an evolving kind of processing method that, while very popular, is dividing people across the value chain. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we're going to explore what this term refers to, how it's being received by different stakeholders, and the potential damage it's doing to producers.
Read MoreIf it isn't glaringly obvious to you by this stage of a pandemic that is causing our industry to repeatedly open then sort of close and then sort of open again due to continued lockdowns, every business needs an online portal for continuity. This can come by way of a direct portal into your website, your socials, ordering apps, and more. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we'll take a look at why this is more important than ever and why some of these portals are more advantageous to your business than others.
Read MoreI was fortunate enough to escape my corporate career 8 years in, almost 20 years ago, and go on to forge a career in both coffee and music simultaneously. The level of intimidation I felt on my new journey, along with the confusion I felt about how little governance there was to the coffee small business really rattled me. It took me a long time before I realised that that the languages for the two environments were so incomparable that I needed to manage my expectations of what I could bring to my career and what I could take away from it. Square peg, round hole, and all that. If you're an ex-corporate newbie coming into the industry, firstly, welcome!!, and secondly, listen to this episode of the podcast to shortcut your mindset so that you don't have to take as long adjusting as I did!
Read MoreAfter 16 months, the hospitality industry continues to endure a painstaking pandemic filled with uncertainty and endless challenges. Being the resilient humans we are, we've fort tooth and nail to keep our businesses alive and our staff employed. For some though, the fight has cost more than they'd expected, and with the end of the pandemic still not in sight for most countries around the world, we ask the very difficult question on this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD "Is it time to close the doors?".
Read MoreWhat's the difference between the coffees available to you versus the coffees you'd like to offer your customers versus the coffees your customers want to drink? Pondering this question may be at the cornerstone of getting greater success in your small business strategy and on this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we explore how to tease apart the decision making process for choosing a coffee that will best suit your business model and your customers.
Read MoreBusinesses directly a peripherally connected to your own coffee business are experiencing challenging times for a wider variety of reasons ever before for reasons beyond the pandemic. While some businesses are suffering the loss of revenue due to pandemic lockdowns and climate catastrophes, others are struggling with unprecedented delays in product supply and increasing costs despite increased sales thanks to logistical issues. When your supply chain is challenged as much as the hospitality industry's is right now, the time and effort you've invested in your supplier relationships matter more than it ever did.
Read MoreRansomware is increasingly becoming a tool cybercriminals are using to commit crimes against businesses, government departments, infrastructure and service providers, banks, and many other establishments worldwide. These crimes are closer to home than you might think and now's the time to start asking questions to make sure you've taken measures to protect yourself from a ransomware attack and increase your cybersecurity to protect your, and your customers, data.
Read MoreWe'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.
Read MoreThe 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!
Read MoreThanks 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?
Read MoreIn a recent #SydneyCoffeeTownhall event focused specifically on discussing the effects COVID has had on the Aussie coffee industry as we enter almost a month of lockdowns here in Sydney and Melbourne enters its fifth lockdown since the pandemic started. Discussions quickly turned to the comparisons between how our industry has been affected in this current Delta variant lockdown compared with the previous lockdown(s). The things we learned from each other during the July #sydneycoffeetownhall may be of interest to others parts of the world considering this lock left many of us surprised.
Read MoreSo much is shifting in the world from the perspective of technology, governance, supply chains, climate shifting, and our general confidence in the way the world works. As we progress through this pandemic, mounting economic uncertainty, major climate events, and shifts in technology, we need to start considering what doing business in the future looks like in the coffee industry and how to map out careers that will adapt to those shifts. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD, we take a look at some suggestions you may want to consider in future-proofing your business.
Read MoreWe’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.
Read MoreIn our last episode of the podcast, we spoke about the effects of shipping delays on our industry. Today on the podcast, we’re exploring how that is compounding the effects of the disruption those challenges are having on the supply and pricing of coffee globally.
Read MoreIf 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.
Read MoreHaving 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.
Read MoreWhen 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.
Read MoreAs 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!
Read MoreThe plethora of cafes and coffee roasting companies that open year on year send a signal to the market that this is a highly profitable market. Add to that how deceiving successful people portray themselves to be so very quickly after going into business, and it’s no wonder that people are shocked, confused, and bitterly disappointed when they realize how backbreaking and challenging it is to own a small business (while paying for labour and goods at a fair price) and be successful at it. I’ve come to call this the success fallacy of the coffee industry in my small business coaching work in our industry and today on the Daily Coffee Pro podcast by MAP IT FORWARD, we’ll deep dive into what it means and why it exists.
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