Vai offline con l'app Player FM !
255: Operationalizing Kindness and Absolute Excellence while Building Birch Coffee with Paul Schlader
Manage episode 393061922 series 2897178
âIt wasnât about being better than others, it was being ourselves, and true to our ideals in our work.â Thatâs just one of many gems from todayâs guest, Birch Coffee co-founder Paul Schlader, who says, âI donât accept anything less than absolute excellence.â
In this conversation we talk about how he stands out in the New York City noise by hiring for kindness; getting bought out when the Gershwin Hotel closed and thereby ending the lease on their first location, then parlaying those funds into two new stores (and the growing pains that followed); and the moment he had to tell his entire team they were furloughed indefinitely when New York City delivered the shut-down order; losing four stores but bouncing back to 14 (when so many other coffee shops closed down).
More About Paul: Paul Schlader co-founded Birch Coffee, a New York City-based coffee company, in 2009. Since then, the company has grown to fourteen locations and is doing 10x the revenue by the end of year three. Paul and his business partner Jeremy have been focused on bettering the industry through their work in coffee and service over the past fifteen years.
Paul's work directly focuses on quality of product. As a licensed Q grader, he manages all of Birch's green coffee purchases, and oversees their roasting, wholesale program, and espresso training. Though the coffee side is important, leadership is where Paul spends most of his time, building teams and working to teach their leaders to follow the mission, "Serve our customers every need, every time, knowing every moment counts.â
đ 3 Key Takeaways
- A sample interview question to screen for kindness: What do you like most about working in the coffee industry, and what has drawn you to this industry? Individual has to talk about something positive. Through their tone, what they are sharing, we make an assessment about whether they are being truthful, honest, and openâor whether they are blowing smoke.
- From one store to two was far more challenging than two stores to four: Building trust, and making sure all systems are written out and tracked, everything memorialized. âOne of our core values is ownership, up and down the chain of command. We all do the dishes, we all do what is called upon us at any time in the business.â
- Learn along the way: âNot knowing is the best part of the adventure of entrepreneurship, and the greatest teacher. Thereâs no button you can press to accelerate your ability to be better. You canât do it until you go through it.
đ Permission
Drop being hard on yourselfâgive yourself grace as you learn and grow, and make mistakes.
â Do (or Delegate) This Next
Operationalize one of your business values by crafting an interview question or manager manual entry that describes how you show up as {quality}.
đ Resources Mentioned
- Paul on the web, IG, LinkedIn
- HQ: Birch Coffee
- Blend: Emmaâs Espresso
- Articles: Eaterâ4,000+ Restaurant Closings in New York City since the pandemic, ForbesâNvidia Founder Admits: âWouldnât Start Company If I Had To Do It Over Againâ
- Video: AcquiredâNvidia CEO Jensen Huang
đ Books Mentioned
- Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey by A.J. Jacobs
- Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business
- Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One
- Life After College
đ§ Related Episodes
- Free Time: 177: âDonât scale too soonâ â On Books and Mission-Based Business-Building with Readwise Cofounder Daniel Doyon
- Pivot: 353: Pain, Purpose, and PortalsâPivoting from Massage Therapist to Coach with John O'Connor
- Acquired: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang
đ Check out full show notes and share with friends: https://itsfreetime.com/episodes/255
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
285 episodi
Manage episode 393061922 series 2897178
âIt wasnât about being better than others, it was being ourselves, and true to our ideals in our work.â Thatâs just one of many gems from todayâs guest, Birch Coffee co-founder Paul Schlader, who says, âI donât accept anything less than absolute excellence.â
In this conversation we talk about how he stands out in the New York City noise by hiring for kindness; getting bought out when the Gershwin Hotel closed and thereby ending the lease on their first location, then parlaying those funds into two new stores (and the growing pains that followed); and the moment he had to tell his entire team they were furloughed indefinitely when New York City delivered the shut-down order; losing four stores but bouncing back to 14 (when so many other coffee shops closed down).
More About Paul: Paul Schlader co-founded Birch Coffee, a New York City-based coffee company, in 2009. Since then, the company has grown to fourteen locations and is doing 10x the revenue by the end of year three. Paul and his business partner Jeremy have been focused on bettering the industry through their work in coffee and service over the past fifteen years.
Paul's work directly focuses on quality of product. As a licensed Q grader, he manages all of Birch's green coffee purchases, and oversees their roasting, wholesale program, and espresso training. Though the coffee side is important, leadership is where Paul spends most of his time, building teams and working to teach their leaders to follow the mission, "Serve our customers every need, every time, knowing every moment counts.â
đ 3 Key Takeaways
- A sample interview question to screen for kindness: What do you like most about working in the coffee industry, and what has drawn you to this industry? Individual has to talk about something positive. Through their tone, what they are sharing, we make an assessment about whether they are being truthful, honest, and openâor whether they are blowing smoke.
- From one store to two was far more challenging than two stores to four: Building trust, and making sure all systems are written out and tracked, everything memorialized. âOne of our core values is ownership, up and down the chain of command. We all do the dishes, we all do what is called upon us at any time in the business.â
- Learn along the way: âNot knowing is the best part of the adventure of entrepreneurship, and the greatest teacher. Thereâs no button you can press to accelerate your ability to be better. You canât do it until you go through it.
đ Permission
Drop being hard on yourselfâgive yourself grace as you learn and grow, and make mistakes.
â Do (or Delegate) This Next
Operationalize one of your business values by crafting an interview question or manager manual entry that describes how you show up as {quality}.
đ Resources Mentioned
- Paul on the web, IG, LinkedIn
- HQ: Birch Coffee
- Blend: Emmaâs Espresso
- Articles: Eaterâ4,000+ Restaurant Closings in New York City since the pandemic, ForbesâNvidia Founder Admits: âWouldnât Start Company If I Had To Do It Over Againâ
- Video: AcquiredâNvidia CEO Jensen Huang
đ Books Mentioned
- Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey by A.J. Jacobs
- Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business
- Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One
- Life After College
đ§ Related Episodes
- Free Time: 177: âDonât scale too soonâ â On Books and Mission-Based Business-Building with Readwise Cofounder Daniel Doyon
- Pivot: 353: Pain, Purpose, and PortalsâPivoting from Massage Therapist to Coach with John O'Connor
- Acquired: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang
đ Check out full show notes and share with friends: https://itsfreetime.com/episodes/255
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
285 episodi
Táș„t cáșŁ cĂĄc táșp
×Benvenuto su Player FM!
Player FM ricerca sul web podcast di alta qualitĂ che tu possa goderti adesso. Ă la migliore app di podcast e funziona su Android, iPhone e web. Registrati per sincronizzare le iscrizioni su tutti i tuoi dispositivi.