Opening of JavaKAVA Coffee House
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The greatest experience for me was the grand opening of the JavaKAVA Coffee House. It was a dream come true. The dream began as a little girl when I would sit with my dad while he sipped coffee. We visited every out-of-the-way coffee shop up the Washington Coast. As I got older, I started a file full of ideas for the day when I would open up my own shop. And that day came. What an amazing amount of work! I had to oversee the entire construction crew as the building was being renovated, and keep them in line. As a manager my job was to keep them inspired and working at a good pace so we could meet our deadline. I accomplished this by regular visits to the site, and persistent and sporadic phone calls to check the crew's progress.
After careful market research I chose the menu and the hours of operation. Then I went on to hire the staff. After four full days of interviews I had the perfect team. There were eight great young people, a cook and a baker.
I put together an employee training manual and began to train the staff on everything from running the main espresso machine, to managing daily duties, food safe, and especially customer service. I organized all the schedules so that each staff member was pleased because I know that a content staff member can serve the company and the customer better. And when something needed doing, I demonstrated that management was also part of the team and pitched right in to the task at hand.
In order to become known in the small tourist community I got the local fine art school and the two local universities involved. We had contests going and participated in all the community events and parades. My nickname was Energy.
I believe the most important thing in being a manager is treating employees as equal partners in the business. Take into consideration their aspirations and dreams. Look for their strengths and give them opportunity to use their talents within the business.
Also keep educating the staff via conferences, workshops or trade shows. Continue to remind them of the company's goal and missions and reward them for their contribution.
