Worksheet 1 Example – Maria

Here is the completed worksheet 1 from Maria’s perspective, showing how a high-volume gourmet coffee shop operates. Maria has answered the three questions for each of the five chapters and completed the Fix-It reflection.

By: Maria | Company: Roasted Bean Coffee (Gourmet Retail)

Chapter 1: The “Invisible Walls” (Internal & External Environments)

  1. Inside the Walls: Our culture is high-energy and “neighborhood-focused,” where we try to remember every regular’s name. My internal team consists of 12 baristas and the owner who started the shop five years ago.
  2. Outside Forces: We are currently facing an Economic Force where the cost of imported coffee beans has gone up significantly. This means we might have to raise our prices, which could frustrate our daily customers.
  3. The Connection: My manager decided to introduce a new “Value Size” for our basic drip coffee to keep the shop affordable for students while raising the price of our complex lattes.

Chapter 2: The Firefighter (Management)

  1. The Plan: For our “Spring Seasonal Launch,” the goal was to sell 500 lavender lattes in the first week. My manager Organized this by setting up a dedicated “syrup station” and scheduling an extra person just to handle mobile orders.
  2. The Human Element: During a morning rush when the espresso machine leaked, my manager stayed out on the floor and kept everyone laughing despite the mess. She used her Human Skills to keep us from feeling defeated by the technical failure.
  3. The Quality Check: We have a “Timer System” where we brew fresh coffee every 30 minutes. This is how I Control the quality to make sure no customer ever gets a burnt or cold cup of coffee.

Chapter 3: The People Puzzle (Human Resources)

  1. The Training: My onboarding focused on the Technical Skill of “dialing in” the espresso grinders and Safety Training regarding steam wand burns. I also learned the importance of “Soft Skills” like active listening when taking complex orders.
  2. The Reward: Our shop offers a “Free Drink & Pastry” per shift and a weekly bag of coffee to take home. This Motivates the baristas to learn our full menu so they can describe the flavors better to customers.
  3. The Fit: My coworker Sam is a perfect fit because he is extremely reliable and has the Soft Skill of being able to multitask while holding a friendly conversation with whoever is at the window.

Chapter 4: The Vibe and the Sale (Marketing)

  1. The Customer: Our Target Market is a mix of remote workers who need a quiet space with Wi-Fi and morning commuters who need high-quality caffeine fast.
  2. The 4 Ps: We introduced a “Honey-Oat Cold Brew” (Product) at a premium Price. We Promote it through a chalkboard sign on the sidewalk and by offering small “tasting samples” to people waiting in line.
  3. The Difference: Our Instagram posts showing the “vibe” of our cozy seating area is the Marketing, but my barista suggesting a double-shot of espresso to a tired student is the Sale.

Chapter 5: The Truth in the Numbers (Accounting)

  1. The Costs: Our two biggest expenses are the Cost of Goods (milk and coffee beans) and the Rent for our prime location right near the college campus.
  2. The Assets: The most important asset I use is our Commercial Espresso Machine, which is a $15,000 piece of equipment that we must maintain carefully to avoid a loss in revenue.
  3. The Bottom Line: If we have a busy month but no profit, it usually means our Operating Expenses (like high utility bills for the refrigerators) ate up all the cash we brought in.

The “Fix-It” Reflection

  • The Issue: We waste a lot of milk because the baristas often over-pour into the steaming pitchers when they are in a hurry.
  • The Fix: I would suggest that management Controls this by providing pitchers with etched “fill lines” inside to ensure we aren’t literally pouring our profits down the drain.