Kansas City Coffeehouses



(photo credit: quaycoffee.com)

 

Throughout the course of starting my business, I spent many days working at different coffee houses around Kansas City.  I always felt inspired working at a coffee shop.  I experienced a level of creativity that I did not experience working from my home office.  I could take occasional breaks and observe those around me and listen to other’s stories. 

Entrepreneurs commonly work at coffee houses when they are in the startup phases of their companies.  I found that working at a coffee house not only brought out the creativity in me, but was a networking tool that I utilized every time I sat down to work.  I made it a point to introduce myself to people I saw regularly in a coffee shop because often, they too were entrepreneurs.  I have explored the different coffee houses throughout Kansas City to offer myself new environments, to experience the entrepreneurial community in different ways and to meet as many people as I could to build my network.  I recently came across an article about the coffeehouses in Kansas City and the opening line read, Kansas City, Missouri, has the best U.S. coffee scene you've never heard of.

So, in honor of all the entrepreneurs who set up shop in local coffee houses, here is a list of my favorites in Kansas City. 

Quay Coffee

 

 

ABOUT: Quay Coffee promise is to deliver amazing coffee to you every single time you walk though the door. Our menu is simple, and it is simple for one reason: our coffee is good.

 

 Mildred's Coffeehouse

 



 

 

ABOUT: Mildred's baristas and cooks have fed and caffeinated hordes of folks over the last 18 years. Mildred's Coffeehouse is one of the few remaining family owned and operated coffee and food establishments in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

 


The Roasterie Café

 

 

 

ABOUT: We travel to the ends of the earth to find the best coffee beans on the planet.  We source coffee for the discerning coffee connoisseur and air-roast them to the perfect temperatures to unlock the most exquisite flavor profile each coffee has to offer.  We spend our lives in coffee fields and cafés to learn everything we can about the beverage we love. Explore our website and find out why we're so passionate about coffee.

 

Parisi Artisan Café

 

 

ABOUT: Great coffee is motivational. Inspirational.  Timeless moments are often shared over a cup. So we take our coffee seriously. Selecting, roasting and brewing it right is an art. Parisi Coffee is our proud, passionate homage to our Italian heritage.  It's also our way to share our delicious traditions with you, so you can start your own.

Oddly Correct Coffeehouse

 

 

 ABOUT: Oddly Correct is its punk-rock older brother. Owner Gregory Kolsto learned his craft traveling to Central and South America buying beans for Krispy Kreme's coffee program. But he fled the corporate life to work for a Kansas City roaster before starting his own business out of a friend's garage. The shop now occupies a spot on gentrifying Main Street. Reclaimed wood from old coffee pallets and poured concrete form the counters; DJs pop in on occasion to spin records during the morning rush; and coffees roasted in their facility down the street are sold in bags with funky letterpressed illustrations. The shop serves three new coffees weekly—no sugar or milk allowed—and a selection of espresso drinks made with local whole milk. Watch for innovative experiments like their Hop! Toddi, a cold-brew coffee with hops. 

 

 

 

 

Leaders Eat Last



(photo credit: freshdev4.com)

After hearing Simon Sinek for the first time on TED Talks a few months ago, I knew I had to get his books (Link to his TED Talk below).  I recently read his book, Leaders Eat Last.   In my opinion, Sinek is one of the most astute observers of the human condition today.  This book explores the psychological reasons we exhibit certain behavior, drawing on both biology and psychology. 

Through surveys, scientific research and stories, Sinek describes the pain many suffer in workplaces.  Instead of thriving, we are preoccupied with internal rivalries and distanced from fellow humans by abstraction and scale.  The result is our defense mechanisms kick in, and the chemicals released make us more unhelpful, unhappy and unhealthy.  Understanding that humans biologically evolved to cooperate and that leaders emerged to protect the group, organizations that create environments paralleling those early conditions will bring out the best in us.  

Sinek talks about how to bring the balance back in our workplace so both companies and individuals can thrive side by side in a symbiotic relationship.  And he gives lots of examples such as Barry Wehmiller companies where CEO Bob Chapman is dedicated to ‘building great people who do extraordinary things.  And Charlie Kim, CEO of Next Jump who implemented a policy of lifetime employment. 

Sinek focuses on how the leader plays a role in service to the group, protecting it from external threats.  In short, quoting a Marine Corps general, Leaders Eat Last. 

This book will make you think differently about the business systems that prevail in our society and also give you a way to make the workplace more humane.  I encourage each of you to read this book, because if you are leading a team of people, you’ll be delighted and reinvigorated.

Check out Simon Sinek’s TED Talk here. 

Get a Grip

 

I am quick to admit that I make judgments about people based on how they shake hands.  Guilty as charged.  I have always been annoyed by a weak handshake but became increasingly annoyed after a conversation with some colleagues over dinner. 

A few years ago I worked with a gentleman who may have been the funniest person I have ever known in My. Entire. Life!  One evening at dinner after a day of training, a group of us got on the topic of a weak handshake.  Scott proceeded to impersonate a time when he was greeted with a weak handshake from a gentleman and I thought I was going to lose it, I was laughing so hard at his impersonation.  After the tears of laughter slowed and the evening settled, I began thinking about the power of a handshake.  So, I did a little research on the power of a handshake.  Here is what I found…

Research shows that the handshake matters.  It does in fact contribute to “first impressions.”  Your handshake actually reflects certain personality characteristics.  And the research shows that when it comes to self-promotion, handshake etiquette may be more important for women than for men. 

A handshake speaks volumes.  A handshake that isn’t firm will signal a lack of authority, a lack of confidence.  One that is too firm could make you seem overly aggressive.  According to an article by University of Alabama psychologist William F. Chaplin, a firm handshake corresponded to the measured personality factors and found that it does correlate with factors such as “openness to new experience” and extraversion.  Those who did not have a “firm handshake” were found to score higher on measures of “neuroticism” (which means that they tend to be more prone to anxiety) and to display more “shyness.”  In other words, from your handshake, people can learn whether or not you are shy and anxious, and whether you are “open” and outgoing.  The key points here may seem obvious, but it is worth repeating: people do in fact form impressions based on the quality of your handshake, and those impressions do reflect certain elements of your personality.

 So, for the love of all things holy, if you have a weak handshake…stop it.  Stop it already.  If you aren’t ready to commit to a stronger handshake, then by all means…confuse them with a  fist bump despite its informality…it may leave a better impression.    

I felt the discussion of a handshake is imperative to the life of entrepreneurs because let’s face it, we start with little to nothing when we take the risk of starting our new ventures, but the one thing we do have to sell to all that are paying attention, ourselves.  We sell our personality, our commitment, our strength, our ability to engage people and grow a following…well guess what, this starts with a handshake. 

 

Everyone Has a Story

I am so fascinated to hear other’s stories.  The stories of their childhood, stories of what drives them, stories of failure and success and the path that led them to the very moment they are, at the time we have the opportunity to speak.  Often times, I will stop and ask people I meet in airports or a stranger at a coffee shop, what their story is.  It’s fascinating to watch their faces go from utter confusion to being lit up that someone would be interested in their story.  It may be one of the most fulfilling questions I ask people, because one of two things happens.  Either they are reminded of why they are who they are and what they are fighting for in this one life we are given or it brings them to a quiet place that allows them to reflect on areas of their life they want to change.  This then leads into a conversation that we both benefit from.  I am either encouraged by their story or I am given an opportunity to encourage them.  Either way, it’s an incredible moment to share with people, strangers…I dare you to try it. 

So, what’s your story?  What led you to entrepreneurship?  What drives you?  Think about it.  Sometimes it is thinking about our story that brings us back to where we need to be or to keep us moving ahead.  The last year, I have experienced some pretty incredible trials in life.  I’ve had to make some really tough decisions, I’ve had to get so far out of my comfort zone that I often felt as though I was standing on a tight rope so far from safe ground that one wrong move would send me crashing down.  I have had to be very intentional about focusing on my story and why I started my company in the first place.  Spending some time reflecting on “my story” and the end goal is exactly what I needed to get rebalanced.  I encourage anyone who is struggling as an entrepreneur or anyone who just needs to be reminded to go there.  Go back to your beginning and remember why you are who you are and why you are pursuing your dreams as an entrepreneur.  I promise you won’t be disappointed. 

Relating to entrepreneurship, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in the struggles that accompany starting and growing a business that we lose sight of the fact that every entrepreneur is either dealing with the same or similar struggles or has in the past and has persevered.  Sometimes hearing their story is exactly what we need to hear in that moment.  So, whether it is a stranger in an airport or someone you meet at a networking event, stop and ask them what their story is. 

 

Success

Success

William Arthur Ward

Success is more than arriving – it is also attempting;

More than realizing – it is also reaching.

Happiness comes not from having much to live on but having much to live for.

Success never resides in the world of weak wishes, but in the palace of purposeful plans and prayerful persistence.

Pessimism achieves no success over persistence.

Temporary defeat never spells total failure; one victory never assures permanent success.

A real success is one who makes his mark in life without smearing others.

Excellence without effort is as futile as progress without preparation.

Work can be our friend or foe, or joy or our woe.

Success, like happiness, is more than a destination – it is a venture;

More than an achievement – it is an attitude.

The greatest failure is the failure to try.

Alter your attitude and you will change your life.

Who seeks success, let him prepare.

Improvement is the son of discontent; success is the offspring of preparation.

To emphasize the positive – the affirmative – is to travel the high road of joy.