On Tuesday Greg had the opportunity to speak to a group at Sparkspace about creating value in the workplace. I want to say thanks to everyone who came to the presentation. You asked some excellent questions. As I promised, below is the PowerPoint, including the FOR process tactic outline template.
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This past Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday our Crimson Cup team was on the campus of The Ohio State University sampling our products for students and staff. Here’s a video of our team working one of the events:
For those of you who don’t know, OSU has several coffee shops on campus that serve Crimson Cup! In fact, here’s a list of our locations on campus:
Hi Everyone! We are holding a t-shirt design contest! The winner will receive $250 and their t-shirt will be sold in Crimson Cup Coffee House! Here are the rules:
All designs must be submitted by October 1, 2009
Designs must be unisex and must focus on who Crimson Cup is and what it is we do.
Crimson Cup will retain the rights to all designs submitted.
Crimson Cup employees will choose the winning design
The winning t-shirt will be sold in Crimson Cup Coffee House in early November.
To participate in the contest email Steve. Good Luck and Happy Designing!!!
Store Hours:
Monday-Wednesday 6 AM – 8 PM
Thursday & Friday 6 AM – 9 PM
Saturday 7 AM – 9 PM
Sunday 7 AM – 8 PM Location:
4541 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43214 Phone:
614-262-6212
In the last few months Crimson Cup has focused on growing our business in Ohio and it is paying off. Two of our largest customers, Kroger and The Ohio State University, are expanding.
Kroger has taken on a new concept which is our Crimson Cup Express. This unit is an unmanned self-serve kiosk designed to be added to retail environments to increase revenue by offering consumers the unique opportunity to try the coffee they desire prior to purchasing it. Our equipment only delivers coffee brewed to Gold Cup Standards and you can purchase a 12oz cup for just $1.00. The units are currently in Canal Winchester, Whitehall and Hilliard. They will soon be added to the West Henderson Rd. and Sunbury Krogers. This is an exciting an new opportunity we feel can grow rapidly. Teaming with Kroger has been outstanding and is a tremendous way to promote our brand in Ohio.
The Ohio State University has now expanded and has recently added two new coffee houses on campus. The first was The Berry Cafe, in the Thompson Library, and the second was Terra Byte Cafe in the Science and Engineering Library. In 2010 we will be adding another coffee house on campus in the NEW student union. Our partnership with OSU has been outstanding and we are excited to work with such a great university!
Back in May of 2009 Crimson Cup started us on a process called FOR (focus on results). When this was introduced I thought it was the biggest pain in the butt, causing more work for me in my already unbelievably busy schedule. Once we were into this process I started kicking and screaming that it was a huge waste of time. A little further into the process I was so frustrated I was ready to pack my bags. Then it slowly started to creep up on me; “I’m starting to understand what this process is all about”. Amazingly, somehow during this process I transitioned from a salesperson into a businessman. Now I ask myself these questions when working on a task:
How will this help the business be more profitable?
How will this help save money yet not impede the quality of service?
Will this make me or the company more efficient?
Am I working hard or am I focused on achieving results?
I am not quite sure how the transition happened but I am happy that it did. This might have been a painful ride getting to this point but was well worth it. This new way of thinking has spread into other areas of my life that I will take with me forever. Education is a wonderful thing!
Here at Crimson Cup we are actually asked to share any “passion killers” we may be experiencing during our weekly company meetings. At first no one said anything; we just sat there and thought “Are you serious? Share what bugs me in front of the whole company?” Well, finally a few of us started to share some things and it got easier and better for all of us. It’s funny how nice it is to be able to share things like this to your whole company instead of just those one or two people you like to complain with.
Now, I’m sure we all have things about our jobs or in our lives that can be “passion killers.” For example: the phone cord under my desk hangs out a little further from the wall and I am constantly getting my foot caught on it. Dang it, it just happened again! Or how about having to change clothes because your 3 month old just massively spit up all over you? I’m also sure we all have things about our jobs and lives that make us passionate. For example I am very happy to have my own cubicle with a phone and I am passionate about most aspects of my job. I also now have a 3 month old baby girl named Lorelei. I am so happy and passionate about her and my family…even when she spits up all over me and the couch.
Wherever you are, at work or at home, make sure to take the time to think about what makes you happy and passionate. As you keep those things in mind you may notice you experience less “passion killers”. Yes we may all deal with some stress or annoyances, but are they really that bad to kill your passion? No matter how bad I may feel inside or out I can just think about my family or how grateful I am to have such a great place to work and I can keep going on passionately.
Although I’ve been rocking out the Crimson Cup social media strategy for a while, I was a bit nervous about speaking to a group of newbies. I feel like I am still in the process of learning how to make our social media strategy better.
My fellow panelist and Mark, the moderator
Once we got into the discussion my nerves calmed and I think I was able to add some valuable info to the conversation. For those of you who missed the panel, here are the audio files for both sessions. For those of you who don’t have the time to listen to the full audio, here are the top three things that have helped me gain social media success for Crimson Cup:
1. Be authentic.Your followers will appreciate sincerity and transparency more then a sales pitch.The more approachable you are, the more brand fans you will gain.
2. Listen, listen, listen. Listen to what your consumers and customers are saying. These are the people who will guide your social media strategy. Take their ideas and opinions into account and always respond graciously. You can also track what people are saying about you or your company by using google alerts or twitlerts. These two tools have been very helpful to me in the past.
3. Develop a strategy. Once you have your feet wet and you’ve figured out what’s working and what’s not, develop a strategy that works for your business. Each business model is different, and it’s up to you to find out what works best for your organization. If you’ve listened to your followers/brand fans, and you know your company goals this strategy will come naturally.
Thanks again to Mark and the Sparkspace crew for inviting me to participate! I had a great time!
I have a deep love for softball. I have played softball every year (except when I was pregnant) since the age of four. I play on two leagues and both of them are in tournaments right now. My Wednesday team, The Roosters, is full of amazing team mates. Every game I have ever played with them has been fun and exciting. This is not only because they are all awesome at the game, but also because they are all true team players. They encourage me to do my best and when I make a mistake they tell me it was a good try and I will get it next time. They always ask me how things are going outside of the field and when it is time to go home for the evening every single person tells me to have a great night. I also return this courtesy to them as well. I believe that is what makes us such a great team. When we lose we don’t fight or get mad at the other team, we suck it up say better luck next time and congratulate team. When we win we don’t rub it in the other team’s face, and we still let the other team know it was a great game. My favorite thing to do when I am playing in a softball game is to tell the people on the other team “that was a great hit” or “nice catch”. Even though I am not on their team it is nice to be complimented sometimes, especially when you don’t have a team like mine. Isn’t this the kind of team you want to have in your workplace? I know I have this here at Crimson Cup WWHQ. I often hear horror stories about some of the experiences my friends have at their workplaces and I feel bad for them. I enjoy my co-workers, they are wonderful people. I know if I make a mistake I will not be put down. Instead, I will be encouraged to do better next time and reassured that I am doing a good job. This kind of attitude spreads. Try telling someone they are doing wonderful at their position and see what kind of feedback you get. I am telling you, you won’t regret it because it will spark something you never thought possible. Until next time don’t forget to have fun, smile, and laugh until your cheeks hurt!
We need your help! Crimson Cup Coffee House is looking for a few good baristas! Think you have what it takes?
Come to our open house on August 6th at our Roasting Facility in Bexley. Starting at 3 PM, this event will include a tour, as well as some informal interviewing. Please be sure to bring a copy of your resume, a great attitude, and passion for coffee!
If you are interested in becoming one of our talented Crimson Cup Baristas, RSVP for the open house with our Coffee House Manager Steve at sbayless@crimsoncup.com.
Space for the open house is limited, so please RSVP no later than 5 PM on Monday, August 3rd.
Directions, Contact Info, & Store Hours for Crimson Cup Coffee House:
Phone:
614-262-6212
Store Hours:
Monday-Wednesday 6 AM – 8 PM
Thursday & Friday 6 AM – 9 PM
Saturday 7 AM – 9 PM
Sunday 7 AM – 8 PM
Location:
4541 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43214
There are many misconceptions about entrepreneurs, and one of them is that they desire the power of making decisions, and this idea could not be further from the truth. Most entrepreneurs want decisions to be made by their team because practically any other scenario leads to bottle necks, indecision, and lack of progress for ALL company stakeholders. Make no mistake, an entrepreneur needs to make the tough, hard-to-call and extremely important decisions. However, this leaves more than 95% of decision-making to others. So what does that mean to you? . . . Opportunity!
Entrepreneurs and managers CRAVE people who say, “I’ll take care of it.” There is nothing sweeter to my ear than to hear an employee/stakeholder take control of an issue and see it to a conclusion. Do you really want to become a valuable contributor and a trusted team member? If so, here are three simple ways to become an “I’ll take care of it” person” and increase your value:
Say, “Yes, I’ll take care of it!” It takes a lot of guts to stand-up and say, “I’ll take care of it.” Why? Because opportunities involve challenges in which one may not know ‘the answer’. Guess what? Most of the time nobody in the company knows ‘the answer’ either. The difference, a person of true value figures-out the answer.
Present Solutions – not problems or ideas. Ideas are a “dime a dozen”. Presenting more ideas for someone else to implement DOES NOT help. Moreover, it shows that little thought went into the idea. Guess what? Owners and managers LOVE to be presented with a well-thought idea and more specifically, how the idea helps achieve the company goals. If ideas are a dime a dozen, then problems are its ugly cousin. Stay focused on solutions and present challenges only if they are accompanied by possible solutions to overcome challenges.
Be Accountable. Once a verbal or written commitment is given, do it. Often times, other team-mates can assist in the task so that the total “burden” does not fall on the ‘I’ll take care of it’ person.
Entrepreneurs tell me all the time that they are looking for team members who can “get the job done” and “solve problems” without “tons of hand holding”. The demand is there for you to fulfill and for you to be well rewarded for your efforts.
