I’m just back from nearly three weeks in the US and spent considerable time in New York – it is, as ever, just about the most stimulating city on the planet. I saw some amazing retailing and some inspirational restaurants but I have to say the quality of the coffee bars (that I saw anyway)… Read More »
I’m increasingly obsessed with this concept since it applies to such a large extent in so much of our lives. Why does Tiger Woods want to keep getting better at golf for example? What drove Michael Schumacher, despite so many years at the top of Formula One, to still work harder than anyone else and… Read More »
Coming through Edinburgh airport for the second time in as many weeks I was again struck by just how superb a job the West Cornwall Pasty Company do. They have the last stand in a long line of food and coffee operations but their branding and use of great images is so brilliant that you… Read More »
(Sorry – long winded post alert. But please bear with me.) I was passing through Edinburgh last week meeting some new clients and had some time to kill before I took my plane home. As usual my intention was to trot round all the coffee outlets I could find and see what was interesting and… Read More »
“Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test… Read More »
The death of passion and the initial obsession to create a truly outstanding business is a horrible thing to witness. And yet we see it every day of the week. As I was returning home from my holidays we stopped off in a little restaurant that we have used over many years. The food was… Read More »
“You have to be there…” It’s nonsense for so many reasons. But obviously at it’s most simplistic Howard Schulz isn’t there in every Starbucks and they seem to do okay. Every major chain manages to cope without the “owner” being there so why can’t you? But immediately I hear murmurs along the lines of “well,… Read More »
…are: “You have to be there!” These five words were repeated to me by a potential client yesterday and it made me wonder just how many times over the years I had heard that utter rubbish and just how many operators allow their lives to be trapped by their business simply because they still believe… Read More »
It’s one of the most simple and at times irritating pieces of advice. Very often, it’s easy to argue, life just isn’t as simple as “Just do it“. It makes a wonderful catch line for Nike since at heart we all want to be thrusting Michael Jordans or Tiger Woods out there just “doing it”… Read More »
One of the things I preach endlessly to clients is to make a big issue out of stories. To keep the customer educated on the detail of how you do what you do. The glamour of running any coffee business quickly recedes in our minds as we deal with the relentless daily tasks of hiring/firing,… Read More »