We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carley Schwab a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Carley, thanks for joining us today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

I Knead Coffee began as a one woman baing operation out of my parents’ kitchen early in 2020. I named the business with the reach goal of one day opening a cafe, but for the first 1 1/2 years of the business it was just me baking custom cookies, cupcakes, cakes, buns, and honestly any items my customers requested. I spent the years perfecting my recipes and growing a customer base. In 2021, I ran a Go Fund Me campaign to crowd fund an expansion to my business — a mobile coffee cart. My dad, uncle and I did the bulk of renovations to the trailer to get it up and running. At this point, I required more help and relied predominantly on my family to keep things running smoothly. My parents and siblings put in many hours of volunteer work before I was ready to bring on help in an official capacity.

My first paid employees were my best friend and my little cousin. They worked events with me on the coffee trailer for a few months before we moved into our brick and mortar location in July of 2022. When we decided to open the storefront, I knew I was going to have to hire some help to work the coffee bar while I baked! My cousin was in need of a summer job, and I hired another barista also looking for summer work who I had known for years but there was no job listing, interview or any official process for hiring at this point. Both Lea and Aiva still work for me today! I am forever grateful for all their hard work getting the store up and running.

The three of us worked through the summer until they went back to school and it was time for me to make my first real hire. I shared a post through my instagram and made one of the 2 most integral hiring decisions of my career. I met with Angelique and knew instantly that I needed her to join the team. She was hardworking, creative, flexible and willing to go with the flow —
all of this was very necessary int he first few months ! I couldn’t have known it at the time, but Angelique would go on to treat the business as if it were her own. Her commitment to our success showed in every facet of her work and she has since grown to lead our Front of House staff as a supervisor.

At the same time, I brought my sister Mollie on as a barista. It was a hard decision to bring a family member on for more than just a high school summer gig. I would be responsible for my livleihood and theirs. The pressure for the business to succeed in a capacity to support us both was very intimidating, but bringing Mollie on changed the game for me. As the business grow, so did Mollie’s skillset. Whatver I asked of them, they took it on. I trained them to run the grill when our menu expanded to include hot breakfast in addition to coffee and pastries. I taught them to bake when I could no longer keep up with production single handedly. They became an invaluable member of the team — crosstrained in every area and committed to growing the business beyond what I could have imagined.

After the departure of my business partner, our team tripled in size. I knew when I was hiring that I wasn’t just hiring for a set of skills, but for a mindset and mentality that would match Mollie and Angelique. I was looking for people who were willing to work hard and who were invested in the business for reasons beyond just a paycheck. I was looking for people who were looking for a place to stay, and to grow. I wasn’t just hiring a team, I was building a community.

I had to turn away some very qualified candidates who didn’t fit the culture of creativity, acceptance and commitment we had built. Because of this intentional hiring, we have essentially no turnover. We have only lost team members to their full time pursuits as they’ve grown. Most even request to stay on for a weekend shift or cover here and there so they don’t have to leave completely.

I still hire to this day with the same intention and particularity. My staff creates and cultivates the enviroment of the cafe. I would not change my process even if it has left me shorthanded at times. The people who are here day in and day out are as important as the quality of the food and drinks we are producing.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I Knead Coffee is a locally owned and operated cafe in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia. I am the sole owner and acting manager for the location. We serve coffee, homemade pastries and hot breakfast and lunch daily. The cafe has grown to not only serve customers delicious food and drinks, but also to serve as a space where the community can gather to relax and enjoy a slow morning, a coffee date, a catching up with friends or to entertain their little ones in a safe and welcoming environment.

I have cooked and baked my entire life. From when I was a little kid, I loved to host cooking shows for my younger siblings, and always enjoyed learning new recipes and skills from my dad and MomMom. I studied business with a specialization in Entrepreneurship in college and always dreamed I’d have my own coffee shop one day. When I quit my job in the months leading up to the pandemic, I didn’t imagine “one day” would be so soon.

I started baking commercially in 2020, and the business has grown exponentially in the past 5 years. I am in awe of the support my family and community have shown me since day 1 of this venture. I hope that they see the values of community and family in the culture we have created at the cafe and know that it is because of them that my dream is even possible.

I am most proud of creating a business that remains true to our values; that brings people together in a space that is welcoming, inclusive and supportive of all. I want our customers to feel valued and safe when they walk in the door. I want my staff to know I care about them and I am committed to their success. I want our custom clients to know we are committed to making their occasions special, unique and always sweet. I am proud of the care and intention that I put into every aspect of the business so that it is something that not only I can be proud of, but that every person we interact with is proud to be a part of too.

Have you ever had to pivot?

So this is my favorite pivot I have ever has to make! I just had my first baby in November! Her name is Andie, she is 14 weeks old and the best thing to ever happen to me! I am sure all mothers feel the same way, but she is the best, most special girl in the universe! Because she is such a sweet, chill baby and I have lots of help, I am able to keep up with my very demanding job, but when I first learned of my pregnancy, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

Before Andie, I worked 7 days a week, all hours of the day! I was okay with this schedule because I was building a business I hoped would support my family someday in the distant future. My pregnancy was unplanned. I knew I wanted a family eventually, but my work was (is) all consuming. I was going to continue to grind and build the business up and then start my family once the business was settled and I could take a step back. The business is very young. We are growing rapidly and it requires a lot of my time and attention. When I found out I was pregant, there was a very large part of me that didn’t believe I would be able to keep the business open as I started my journey through motherhood.

After a lot of freaking out, long conversations with my partner and the news that my mom would be able to take a sabbatical from work to help with Andie, we decided I could in fact keep the business and have a baby, but things would have to change – drastically. The work started immediately. I had to hire, promote, train and build systems to help the business run while I would need to be away. I had a little over 9 months to get things situated before I’d be forced to take a step back from daily operations and the clock had officially started.

I hired and trained a baker, a line cook and kitchen prep assistants. Promoted a supervisor internally. Trained her on scheduling, inventory, compliance and ordering. Revamped our menu. Booked as many catering events as I possibly could before my due date. I worked every day of my pregnancy up until my due date. My staff was expecting me the day I gave birth, but my water had broken and they were on their own!

I returned to work in a limited capacity almost immediately after giving birth, but I have also been able to enjoy the new born days because of all the changes we made during my pregnancy. It was always my goal to have the business operating without me being so hands on, but I had a hard time pulling away from the day to day work itself to focus on the businesses higher level needs. Because the infrastructure remains, and my staff has risen to the challenge, I was able to return to work by taking on projects that need my attention for the business to continue to grow and evolve.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I value my staff as one of my most important assets. In addition to compensating them fairly, and working to maximize earning potential, I have a few practices that help me keep morale and retention high.

In every circumstance, I do my best to honor requests off. As long as my staff member gives me proper notice, I do everything in my power to give them the time off they requested. I will go so far as to cover the shift myself when possible. This lessens the likelihood of call outs and shows my employees that I value their time and want to to enjoy their lives outside of work. It also ensures employees want to be here while they are working and are not frustrated or resentful to be missing out on something important in their personal life.

I provide adequate training and support for each individual in their role. This helps the business to run smoothly and prevents staff members from feeling overwhelmed or underprepared in situations. Team members should be confident and competent in their own roles so other team members don’t have to pick up the slack.

I also take interest in my team members as people and their life outside of work. I participate in milestone celebrations – big birthdays, engagements, graduations, etc… I also encourage my staff to bring their own interests into the cafe through events like our art shows, vendor fairs, community engagement events and other special occasions.

People are what make the business what it is so I try to show my appreciation and gratitude while also modeling my expectations of them through hardwork, kindness and commitment to the businesses growth and their own.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ikneadcoffee.co
• Instagram: @ikneadcoffee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ikneadcoffee/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carleyschwab/

Image Credits

Gabriela Barrantes Photography
Stacy Schwab Photography