Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cecilia Corujo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cecilia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

The business had employees from day one as I began the Instagram and ads for hiring 4 months prior to grand opening, and I brought them on for a few hours each week, learning about coffee, tea, service and recipes so that when we opened, there would be staff ready and trained and connected as a team. I worked with an HR service who helped me formulate questions that would yield hires who were a good fit. I wanted people who could remember a lot of things at once and respond to a multi-tasking situation with competence. Of course, that is difficult to ask or assess in a sit-down interview. So, the HR service helped me craft a question that would allow me to somewhat assess. I did a scenario question where I include 7 facts and details in the scenario and asked how they would handle the situation and prioritize the needed tasks. If a candidate had to have me repeat the question, or forgot an item when responding, it was an indicator that memory or ability to multi-task a challenging situation that can arise in a cafe, may be difficult for that applicant.

What is unconventional about my team building and training process is that I spend about 50% of my time on the staff – in terms of energy, intentionality, consideration and effort. I do huddles every 3 weeks, and in those I hand out awards and provide dinner, as well as communicate with the team members. I offer free drinks on/off shift, and free food on shift – versus a discount. Staff love this job perk and it communicates that I value them. We do a Star Staff member once a month and I give out compliments and $100 bonus to that team member, and their picture is put up for customers to see. I host Wellness workshops on finance, nutrition, dream boards, etc. as a free benefit to our team members. We celebrate their birthdays. I go to performances of my staff if I can – a ballet, etc. I buy art that a staff member has for sale. I take them hiking or to a pool party and it’s paid work time (optional but paid if they come) – as part of a quarterly team outing. I give them off 95% of the days they ask for – to provide work flexibility, which I know is valuable to them. I make touch points with each member talking to them every week or so about their life, showing I care and am invested. It is a lot of effort, but in the end, I think it makes me a better leader, makes our staff generally happy to be at work, feeling cared about and valued. In turn, they provide better service and often have a great job experience, making friends and enjoying the job as much as is possible for work.

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 traveled around the world in the military and with various church trips. In that travel I enjoyed high quality coffee, juices, teas and food of all sorts. I wanted to bring the most exceptional items from around the world, to our local Virgnia spot. So, one can enjoy a cappuccino like you would have in Italy, or a London Fog Tea like you would have in England. We make croissants like you’d experience in Paris and green tea, like you would have in Japan. When I see customers from the Middle East or Germany come in and comment on the quality of our coffee, I know I’ve hit the mark – because they’ve had amazing coffee and in America, it is very easy to get a bad cup of coffee.

I’m proud that we have kept high quality coffee as a mainstay in our business. I’m thankful when I see parents enjoying their quiet time or connection time because their children are playing nearby in peace in our play area. I get a sense of joy when I see a mom taking a load off, enjoying her latte, while typing on a computer because her little Suzy is happy pushing a baby cart around in our cafe.

It’s why I opened, to be that place for children, parents, coffee-enthusiasts.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I use instincts to grow and scale and respond and connect with customers. Examples – I put a sign out on the main road that said “Gourmet Coffee $2” and this road gets 45,000 cars each day. I got threatened with a city fine but it was worth it because business picked up 20% that week – I don’t know how many new customers came out of that effort (BTW – I did not know the sign was against city regulations).

I spend at least 2 hours a week talking to customers personally, hearing them out, letting them hear me and my heart for them in the cafe – a mom who is concerned if her child is wandering around the cafe with a baby cart – I tell her “it’s fine. that’s exactly the kind of place I want to be where kids feel at home and moms can not worry they are irritating another patron if their child is just being a child”. I remember that people respond when they feel something. I strive to make customers “FEEL” seen, heard, cared for in my business. All staff know to give free beverages out if there’s a poor service and to make customers feel they have a friend at the register. So, parents talk, happy customers talk, and this grows my business.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I learned I have to be patient and wait to refine, add, grow in certain areas. At times, I will jump ahead financially, committing to something that ends up being more expensive for the business than what I’m really ready for. Example – I bought an icecream stand to put inside the cafe – it cost $1500, money I didn’t really have to spend there. It was a flop – I just didn’t have the time/marketing to ensure that rolled out well, and so it was wasted money.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://persnicketycranecafe.com
• Instagram: persnicketycranecafe
• Facebook: persnicketycranecafe

Image Credits
Cely MacDonald Joy Mills Jonathan Rodgers