TCMBA #25 - Your Coffee Business Needs a Plan
My Biggest News Yet! 😱
I can’t believe I get to share this with you.
I’m pleased as punch to introduce you to….
My new business partner Heather Kelley!
She’s now the Co-CEO of The Coffee MBA!
For many of you, she needs no introduction. But in case you don’t know her, Heather leads from vulnerability, works practical magic in business, has sales chops galore, is a total beam of sunshine, and has had an illustrious coffee career.
Not only does she bring her own MBA to the business (that’s right, two coffee gals with MBAs comin’ at ya!), but she also brings deep knowledge and experience in how to grow. Want to start a wholesale program? Sell to distributors? Build an annual operating plan? Develop relationships with potential clients? She’s. The. Expert.
Here’s are some of the products Heather has worked with:
Pacific Foods Barista Series Milks
Pacific Foods Chai tea line
Ghirardelli Chocolate: Foodservice division
Kind Bar Kind BRANDS
Pixie Mate` - Yerba Mate
Sambazon Acai
Island Rose Tea and Lemonade
Stumptown Coffee & Cold Brew
Vive Organic
Water Avenue Coffee & Cold Brew
See See Motor Co Coffee & Cold Brew
Ful Foods Company
Please join me in welcoming her to the team!!!
What does this mean for The Coffee MBA?
Exciting things, that’s what!
Until now, The Coffee MBA has been about bringing my MBA skills to the coffee industry through consulting, helpful insights, and my newsletter.
But you’ve shown me that we’re all ready to level up!
So with Heather by my side, and our complementary skill sets— and similar but perfectly different backgrounds— we’re building an online education platform specifically designed for the specialty coffee industry.
You won’t learn how to brew your beverage better.
You’ll learn how to make your business better.
We want to help you get the skills and tools you need to keep your business generating profit and building revenue.
So, without further ado, let’s give Heather the floor!
I’m so happy to be a part of the Coffee MBA and using my knowledge and experience to help coffee businesses and industry professionals’ succeed beyond their current levels!
As my first contribution to the Coffee MBA Newsletter, I’m going to tell you about something I believe wholeheartedly but have to push myself and others to be intentional about.
Planning…
(Keep reading, I promise I won’t let it get boring!!)
Raise your hand if planning doesn’t come naturally but you always crave it. (Be honest…! I see you, that’s me too).
I crave it so subliminally that I noticed I unintentionally befriend and align myself with people who are really good at planning. You know, the people who have a perfectly organized and labeled pantry (my eyes widen at the thing of beauty), and the printed itinerary and set list for the music festival you’re going to (“Yasss! Sylvan Esso plays in 10 mins on stage 4, let’s go!”).
… But I know the value of planning so I’ve designed my professional life in a way that planning is a huge focus. Because it’s critical!
One of my favorite quotes:
“Plans are useless, but planning is essential”
– Dwight Eisenhower.
Why is planning essential?
Intentionality
Focus
Team alignment
Common goals
LESS ANXIETY & FEAR OF THE UNKOWN (what? I’m not yelling, you’re yelling)
… and the big ones…
Bringing in the money $$$
Losing the money -$$$ (And undoing mistakes that cost you cold hard cash, wasted time, and some of your best employees because they’re just, burnt out.)
Coffee people – let’s get real. A lot of us aren’t really planners.
As a passion driven industry where creatives and free thinkers rule the world, we’re not always amazing at getting down to the brass tacks of planning. We rail against the systems and corporate bureaucracies that rule society, because we’re in this for the passion! (Or you ditched that well paying corporate job selling something boring because you wanted a more personally fulfilling career)
...plus… I mean it’s just coffee, what do I need to plan?
First of all, it’s not “just coffee” it’s your livelihood and many other people’s as well, and second – friend, you have a lot to plan:
Strategy (How I do business for the rest of the year and beyond)
Tactics (what’s in the weeds of those strategies?)
AOP aka. Annual Operating Plan (How will my money in and out, fund my strategies & tactics and all the cool swag I want to buy to hand out to people?)
Forecasting – Inventory and Sales (Monies out vs. Monies in)
Key Performance Indicators (what are the points I can measure to see how my business is doing? How my teams are doing?)
Marketing (Who am I talking to right now and why?)
Impact (How is my business effecting those in it, and around it?)
Look, a lot of you have things you do for planning that are “kind of ok”. I’ve spoken to many top roasting companies in the USA and they all basically have a system or two, because well, you have too.
But, is it the best system? Is it helping you grow? Are you reaching your revenue goals? Are you and your teams feeling prepared for what’s happening next? Is your team scrambling in many directions? Do you know where your company needs to grow and focus next?
If you think you could benefit from support on any of these questions, we’re here for you. We have ideas and things you may be able to use to get you going. Plus you can always secretly send us your questions and we’ll help you figure it out. No one has to know 😉.
(whispers…. “we’ve got you”)
Join me for my next newsletter on the exciting topic of “Why planning without data is like driving with no headlights!”
Peace, love, and warm coffee mugs –
Heather
…and Miranda. I know, Heather is the best, but you all are stuck with me.
