the climb is yet uphill

I have recently come upon the discovery that, as I seem to do once a day a Blackbird, this will be quite the upward trek. The best views are found at the end of a tough climb though.
I have found myself to be focused more than ever, but still with much room for improvement.
Today at Blackbird I began an open, mid, and close mandatory checklist, things that must happen each shift. Hopefully I'll finish it up or at least through the mis shift tomorrow. This should provide some structural foundation to the floating establishment that is now my passion.
I plan on starting to do evaluations after we get back into the swing of tings with the fall semester.
All these rules and standards I can already see are going to be tough for some people to embrace, and the biggest reason for that is the prior lack managerial guidance, and that is not a statement aimed at any one person.
Another big problem there is the gossip- fueled poor moral. But there again had there been a structured way of dealing with things I think it would've been different. These people need to be taught how to confront a situation when it happens, instead of letting it brood over night, or over a week for that matter.
I think this is a good place to stop and say something positive about the management prior to myself. I think for the amount of time that they put into this coffee shop, they have done very well. The doors are still open, and patrons are not only still coming, but they each return with a smile. I think the main difference between myself and past management is commitment. This has never been any of other manager main focus, or occupation.
I seriously do still go into work each day with gleeful anticipation for what we can accomplish. And I think that is the magic key to the door of success- working together, as a team to create a positive experience for the customer and the barista in the same instance through the means and combination of coffee and community.

amor y paz

The first post.

This past Thursday I became the general manager of Blackbird Coffee shop. I want to use this blog to sort of chart my progress. I love all things coffee. One day in the not so distant future I would love to own a coffee shop of my own, or at least co-own one. I want to travel to Italy and learn about the coffee culture there, also I would love to go to some of the coffee farms in other countries, to meet the farmers that grow the crop we so zealously guzzle.
One of the biggest things that draws me to the coffee world is the sense of community that is found in abundance amongst coffee professionals. Although this is a commercial world of competition all to itself, there seem to be very few secrets held from opposing businesses, with the exception of some larger corporate companies and some uninformed smaller independent shops.
The coffee shop that I manage is called Blackbird Coffee, and it is located in downtown Milledgeville, Ga. We proudly roast all of our own coffee in the shop; in small batches and only as needed. We have our own House Espresso Blend, and all of this is done by our certified roast master Don Harris.
We serve Italian traditional coffee beverages and some of our own recipes as well. We serve Italian sodas, frappe's , and a various assortment of novelty drinks.
We also serve hand made sandwiches, as well as as, delicious desserts and satisfying snacks.

But to be quite honest the management of this place is in shambles, and the moral is not the best it could be. Coming on board each day I seem to see more and more things that need to be done, and the inclination of this hill seems to be turning into a rock climbing expedition rather than a uphill hike.....but that's only on bad days, and usually before my first cup of coffee. I am extremely excited to see what I can learn, and what I will have no option other than learning from, in the future.

I have been given pretty much full trust for this shop. I only hope that I can do with it what I think I can.

More later, I have to open in the morning.

Amor y paz