So this is the real finale. If you have been following Coffee Talk with a Barista, you may have noticed I ‘kinda’ finished the series in Part Five. My hope was to have a chat with the owner.
Jen is the owner. She has owned Moxie Java for 9 years. She has an interesting start. She and her husband were making coffee for their Youth Group in Idaho. No aspirations in starting any kind of business. When they moved with their first child to Fort Collins, they thought it might be a good idea to open a Moxie Java. You see Moxie is based in Idaho. Just a bit of a connection.
Then she said some things that were funny, ironic and so real. She is a singer. Yeah, a music major – can you believe it? I absolutely can. I am an Art major and we are both entrepreneurs. That is the funny part. The irony was that her husband is a business guy. His focus is international business. He would be the one with all the ideas, right? She stated “We cannot agree on anything.” By the way, only with regard the business, they do like each other (now with three kiddos). She also stated they came to middle ground on many things, but it is Jen who runs it. She feels of the two, she is more of the entrepreneur, he likes it safe. Here what is so real, while she did not start with any business connections or background, she runs the business based on her background of hard work, doing the right thing and having a heart to share great service.
Can we start right there? Does a business degree make you great at retail or customer service? How about making you an effective leader, communicator or visionary of a company culture? I have worked with clients where the person in charge with that austere graduation parchment was the worst leader and communicator. And while they knew what they wanted to achieve, they had no clue as how to transform theory into behavior. They were academic. To them the greatest asset was the widget, not their people. They may have voiced the customer matters, but they never worked with them in the trenches. They never learned the customer-facing improvisational nature of sales and service. I am on a passionate rant, sorry.
The first official question was “What was your best year and why?” She thought for a second or two and elaborated that it had to be these last two years. Why? “I know what I doing. I am much smarter and wiser.” I believe that would be a universal response as any of us learn something. I am better at snowboarding now then in 1993 when I fell so hard I tore my cornea. Long story. She clarified that she started with a store manager who knew the business. She learned from this person, but the same person ended taking advantage of her. After a series of managers, she has Tia (Part One). They work well together. “All the girls know my heart.” This speaks to the big lesson from this question. It is not the trial and error which comes naturally. It is the ability to clarify the culture of the business, specifically by identifying the core values expected every day with every customer. Have you ever been told to do something, but not told how? Jen has established a base of behavioral action to support the vision and objectives of the business. More on the impact of this next.
What are the strengths of your organization? She was quick to point out customer service. She is right. I wholeheartedly agree. When I speak or train, regardless of where I am or the audience (typically a retailer), I will in some ways draw upon a story or point of reference about what the Moxie girls do that a majority of retailers do not. The easiest example of comparison is usually another coffee company. I will not say their name. That would be unfair. So draw your own inference. Here is the nugget. Why is it customer service, what causes that answer? “The girls have the freedom to make the customer happy.” That is called empowerment. Huge! This is incredibly important in the generation now coming into the work force. Let me share something with you. Empowerment is impossible without three things: Clarity of Behavior, Support and Boundaries. Remember the last question, Jen established what she expected (culture and behaviors), how she would support them (training and open environment) and then shared situations they will face and what they can and cannot do. You cannot create empowerment without that kind of structure. I asked if you have ever been asked to do, something but not told how (or why or to what extent)? Yeah, ask for empowerment without the structure – let me know how that turns out.
The next was about the opportunities in the business. Simply, maintenance of customer service. She added because she has great employee retention, her fear is that the team will get too comfortable. For example, the team is too buddy-buddy, so they may miss the customer needs. The wardrobe may get a bit lax. In her view it is not just the customer service, it is the level of professionalism that causes it. Some organizations focus so much on the professionalism, it becomes less fun. Now it is fun at Moxie and the girls are very close, so the balance is maintaining that with the professionalism needed in running a customer service retail business. She is on it and doing well.
By the way, Tia just walked in. I gave her a wave.
The final question as any advice she would give someone thinking of starting a business; particularly regarding the people in the work force today. I was afraid of her answer, because I knew what it would be. “Hire people like you and me with a great work ethic.” I took a moment to point out, what she was suggesting was just like hitting your head against a brick wall and thinking the wall would somehow get softer. Here is the problem with her response. She and I are GenX-ers and we are wired differently due to our environmental circumstances. The current workforce generation, referred to as Nexters, Millenials and GenY, is wired differently. My argument to owners and managers is stop saying they don’t have a work ethic. They do. It’s just not yours. You have to change your management and leadership styles and consider the environment you must create to engage these employees. I cannot tell you how much I teach and speak on generational awareness. In some ways, it is my benchmark. Now to the beauty moment, her last comment on this was “I have not found a formula, so I have narrowed it down to I can train coffee, so only I hire for personality.” I almost ‘teared’ up. Almost, because the personality thing can be problematic, but I get what she means. Organizations work so hard finding the perfect employee with a grocery list of needs and behaviors. Frustration, table for two. Keep your expectations simple, but only if you have a training culture in place to support them. I have only two things I look for.
No answer for you. Not in a blog. I am sad to end this series officially. It has been fun. I hope you have enjoyed it. I will be working on a new series at the start of the year. Look out for my next blog on “friendly versus efficient”. Have a Happy New Year. Cheers.