I’ve always cared about the people I work with a LOT, and back when the pandemic happened, I started to feel the need to ask our team this question more than ever.

It’s so important to show how much you care for the people you employ, the people you are responsible for, and the people you love. Remember, we as leaders cannot assume that everything is ok.

We cannot assume when a team member clocks in for work, that individual is ready to give it one hundred percent. It’s our responsibility to communicate with them, to check in, to make sure they feel supported.

So one of the things me and my two brothers, Ed and Sam, decided at the beginning of this pandemic, was to remain consistent in showing our appreciation.

Although it sounds simple, we felt it was something we needed to show more through our actions than our words. Simple, yes… but not always easy.

One of the first actions we took was setting forth clear expectations by conducting one on one coaching sessions with our employees. These coaching sessions helped us identify key team members looking for growth within our company. Empowering them to reach those goals is part of our mission and our culture. These conversations have also helped us get to know our team on a more personal level, and has even led to breakthroughs for some in their personal life.

Being consistent has been an essential ingredient in the growth of 8th & Roast. We love doing things like treating our team members to lunch for a job well done, partnering with a local Yoga studio for a team building yoga class, getting cupcakes in recognition of a barista’s birthday, sending key team members on specialty coffee conference trips for coffee education or random gift card giveaways in recognition of excellence.

The result of our consistent efforts to support our team in all areas, professional and personal, is a major part of our success because investing in people, and truly caring about them, creates a consistent and vibrant culture with a real mission. This in turn leads to consistency in other areas, because we’re all showing up in a more elevated manner. This is the “secret” to the consistency of our product.

Always asking “How Is Everyone Doing?” means we simply care and as a result, our team cares!

“Good morning!” my mother would say.

When she walked in the kitchen she would ask, “How Is Everyone Doing?”

It seems like coffee has always been lingering in the shadows of significant moments, essential conversations, and the drink of choice when brainstorming through the creative process.

I can still see myself as a kid growing up in Memphis, watching my mom take that first sip or my grandfather brewing that first pot on this old coffee maker that seemed to last for decades. That aroma that traveled through the entire house, I can still smell it. That smell of chocolate and apricots, in its own way, was some sort of an alarm for me to start thinking about my day as I prepared for school.

“Good morning!” my mother would say when she walked in the kitchen she would ask, “How Is Everyone Doing?”

My mother’s care was always consistent and as a result, I wanted to attack the day with my best effort.

8th & Roast has made a concentrated effort recently developing partnerships via wholesale coffee. We feel our product has a unique quality that exhibits the diversity of coffee through our global relationships with farmers. A great way to grow our business is to partner with restaurants, hotels, and other small businesses. “Sourced Globally, Roasted Locally” is our slogan, but if you dive into this much deeper, that first sip of coffee from us is all about a feeling of appreciation.

Let me explain…..

We recently did a cupping class with one of our wholesale clients. Cupping classes are cool because it not only gives the customer the opportunity to curate their own coffee profile, but it gives the 8th & Roast team the opportunity to really connect with our customers.

Ben Cureton, who is the Head of Our Training and Quality control, started the class off with the first question, “How Is Everyone Doing?” I stood to the side and smiled. I knew at that very moment how much he cares, not only for his job but all that encompasses within the responsibility of his job including the care for our customers.

As clients began to take their first sip of coffee, you could tell by the look in their eyes, they knew we are passionate about what we do and we were all in the presence of gratitude. Just like back home in Memphis, the aroma, the atmosphere, and the culture around coffee all comes down to creating a beautiful moment… and doing it consistently.

Finally, I wanted to share one more story. I am a huge fan of supporting other local small businesses in the Nashville community.

A few weeks ago, en route to a brainstorming meeting, I decided to grab a couple of breakfast tacos at this local taco shop a few miles from our flagship store on 8th avenue. I admittedly was dragging along that day and needed some food to boost my energy. The night before, I stayed up way past my bedtime reading a novel by Bob Spitz. This novel is the story of one of the greatest Rock & Roll bands of all time, Led Zeppelin.

I have grown over the years to really appreciate the body of work of Led Zeppelin, before I met Sam Reed, my business partner, in the early days of our teenage years, I only listened to classic soul, hip hop and R&B. Sam made a concerted effort to include Led Zeppelin in the soundtrack of our high school years. If we were in a car, a local café eating breakfast and sipping a cup of coffee (yes we drank coffee in high school), or hanging out at a friend’s house, Sam would find a way to include Zeppelin in our rotation.

As I approached the counter at this local taco shop, I ordered two bacon and egg tacos to go. As I began to pay, I looked to my left and saw Robert Plant sitting at a table with friends drinking a cup of coffee.

I was completely in awe.

How could this be?! All the memories of my teenage years, riding around with my best friend with Houses of The Holy playing in the background, and the night before I’m literally reading about the early years of Led Zeppelin. Robert Plant is now 10 steps away from me!

I decided to approach his table. As I walked up, Mr.Plant took a sip of his coffee and looked up at me. I asked, “How Is Everyone Doing?”

For the next minute, I told everyone at the table how grateful I was for his work including his later music with Alison Krauss. He graciously said thank you, and shook my hand. And after so many years, decades, of being in the public eye, he actually showed gratitude and caring to me, a person he had never met before, among countless millions of people who absolutely cherish his musical gifts.

This is what it’s all about: creating a culture of gratitude and appreciation, with every person you run across.

I got in my truck that day, with my breakfast tacos, and drove to work, feeling great. And I couldn’t help but wonder if Robert Plant had milk in his coffee…