Excerpt: Building Confidence as a Coffee Shop Leader

Becoming a great leader at 787 Coffee isn’t about making instant changes or jumping into bold initiatives right away. It’s about building trust and confidence with your team over time. Leadership is a marathon, not a sprint, and it takes patience, consistency, and a thoughtful approach.

Start by setting a steady pace—don’t rush. Focus on a few important initiatives that show your team you have a clear direction. Make sure your leadership team is strong, aligned, and ready to support your vision. Communication is key—talk to your team regularly, and make sure they understand where you're headed. By picking your battles carefully, fostering a strong team culture, and always working on improving yourself, you’ll create an environment where your team feels heard, supported, and confident in your leadership.

Remember, earning your team’s trust takes time, but it’s the key to long-term success. When you build that confidence, your team will not only follow you but thrive under your leadership.

Sales isn’t about pushing customers into decisions—it’s about guiding them. As a coffeepreneur and business coach, I’ve learned that the key to successful sales is solving problems, not creating pressure. When you fix a customer’s problem, you create value, and when they see that value, a “YES” becomes easy. Certainty and value are the two most important things you can offer. If your customers feel confident in their decision and understand how your product solves their problem, they won’t hesitate to buy.

Take, for example, a customer who comes in for a latte at 787 Coffee but leaves with a coffee bag. By asking the right questions, highlighting the value of bringing that same great coffee experience home, and offering simple solutions, you can guide them toward purchasing without forcing it. Remember, sales isn’t about the hard sell—it’s about showing customers the results they can expect and giving them the certainty that they’re making the right choice.