Scaling Excellence Without Losing The Soul of Your Company

In this episode, Jared, Chris, and Charles wrestle with the challenge of scaling excellence while protecting culture. Drawing from a recent leadership offsite, they explore why growth doesn’t dilute a company’s soul—unprotected culture does. The conversation breaks down the role of founder-led vision, repeatable systems, and strong local leadership in turning values into daily behavior, while addressing hiring, pruning, and the real costs of doing things well. At its core, this episode is about choosing intentional growth, aligning people and purpose, and doing the hard work required to scale with integrity.

Chapters:

0:00 – Cold Mornings, Ramen Bars, and Pajama Parties


5:00 – The Core Question: Can You Scale Without Losing Your Soul?


11:30 – Scaling Culture, Not Just Stores


15:30 – Founder-Led Vision and Intentional Obsession


22:30 – Systems Don’t Kill Culture—Neglect Does


29:30 – Hiring and the Cultural Fit


36:30 – Can Excellence Be Scaled at All?


45:00 – Growth as a Choice, Not a Requirement


50:00 – Final Reflections: Protecting the North Star


Links –

Bici Coffee @ Rosewood Hotel https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/sand-hill-menlo-park/dining/bici-coffee

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

In this week’s episode, Jared and Chris explore the difference between creating

procedures people follow and building systems people believe in. They explore New

Zealand’s coffee culture, why team buy-in matters instead of just compliance, and what

happens when employees are asked to adopt systems they didn’t help create. Along the

way, they discuss how strong teams embrace challenges during change — and why

respected long-term employees often become the key stewards of lasting system

improvement.

(00:00) Coffee Culture on the other side of the Planet

(05:00) Kiwi Coffee Organizations

(11:25) Buy-in vs Compliance

(19:25) Employee Ownership of a System They Didn’t Create

(23:00) Teams Embracing Challenge During Change

(34:00) Veteran Employees as System Stewards

🔗 Links –

Brenè Brown - Dare to Lead (2018)

https://brenebrown.com/book/dare-to-lead/

Bob Chapman - Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for you People

Like Family (2015)

https://www.barrywehmiller.com/bobchapman/book

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with

the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created

this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the

coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new

challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions,

and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your

coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes,

give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This week on the podcast we are chatting about what could be in the new year and ultimately touch on a few things that could go a long way to help – Getting away from it all. From things like vacations all the way to just not having your phone on you, especially during a shift behind the bar, there are a lot of things you can do to make sure your perspective is refreshed and ready for what’s next.

Ultimately we are just excited about things to come. This new year has a lot of opportunities for us and we are excited to go into it with the best mindsets. Our heads are clean, clear, and under control.

🔗 Links –

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

In this episode, we explore the collaborative spirit of the coffee industry and why we value sharing knowledge even with our peers and competitors. We discuss how adopting standards and certifications helps us evolve and allows us to better serve large-scale partners. Throughout the conversation, we reflect on the importance of community connection and the unique local culture that defines how we live out our business.

We also address the challenges of "craft under pressure," focusing on how leaders can navigate financial stress and industry disruptions with resilience. We share our thoughts on the necessity of unlearning old habits to adapt to a changing environment and avoid the trap of burnout. Ultimately, we encourage you to approach your career and leadership with intentionality, balancing achievement with a sustainable focus on self-care.

🔗 Links –

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This episode is a wide-ranging conversation about how coffee businesses support people at different stages, from new partners to experienced teams. Marc joins the show to talk about wholesale, training, and why the goal isn’t to force one “right” way of doing things, but to help partners find systems that actually work for their reality.

Along the way, the conversation touches on craft, technology, and hospitality — how simplicity can be more empowering than complexity, why consistency matters more than perfection, and how good tools and thoughtful training help teams take better care of guests. At its core, the episode is about meeting people where they are and building coffee programs that balance quality, accessibility, and real-world execution.

🔗 Links –

Marcs clown nightmare fule:

https://catandcloud.com/pages/podcast-show-notes

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This week is a classic “how did we get here?” episode — starting with the pain of losing a recording, then jumping into what’s been happening in our world, from a surprise New York Times mention to a hospitality-heavy event with Mazzer at Sightglass. We talk about what makes coffee service feel special without getting stuck in inside-baseball language, and how energy, flow, and intention can shape the whole experience.

From there we spiral into specialty coffee in places built for speed, using Downtown Disney as the example: expectations, wait times, identity, and why “special” has to be obvious and deliver fast if it’s going to work in high-volume environments. We close out nerding on espresso size and extraction trends — how coffee’s swung from tiny ristretto culture to modern big shots — and what all of that says about where coffee (and our own work) is headed.

🔗 Links –

New York Times, 5 Podcasts to Help You Savor Coffee:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/arts/podcasts-coffee-cuppings-brewing.html

Reuters, Nestlé explores sale of Blue Bottle Coffee:

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/nestl-explores-sale-blue-bottle-coffee-sources-say-2025-12-01/

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This episode explores how company culture is shaped by the balance between craft and hospitality. We talk about what happens when standards exist without care, and when care exists without standards — and why both extremes create problems for teams and guests alike. Culture, in this sense, becomes the set of signals that tell people how to make the right call in real moments.

At its core, the conversation is about clarity and support. When leaders clearly communicate what matters and back it up through consistent decisions, teams don’t have to guess whether perfection or people come first. The goal isn’t choosing one over the other, but building a culture where craft and hospitality work together to create experiences that feel both thoughtful and human.

🔗 Links –

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is all about culture — what it is, why it matters, and how it actually shows up in the day-to-day. We talk about how culture isn’t a slogan or a vibe; it’s the collection of choices, habits, and behaviors that shape how a team works together. From communication to expectations to how people support each other, culture becomes real through what consistently happens inside the business.

At the core of the conversation is the idea that culture isn’t fixed. It has to be built, protected, and sometimes rebuilt. When leaders set clear examples, hold standards, and create space for honest conversation, culture becomes a tool that helps everyone thrive. When they don’t, it drifts. This episode is a look at how to be intentional about the environment you’re creating — and why that intention makes all the difference.

🔗 Links –

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This week we talk about what it really looks like to think ahead in a business. Instead of getting stuck reacting to today’s problems, we look at how small, intentional planning can make everything smoother — from scheduling and staffing to equipment, goals, and long-term projects. It’s about choosing direction instead of drift.

The big idea is simple: forward thinking isn’t fancy. It’s noticing what keeps tripping you up, fixing it before it becomes a pattern, and giving yourself space to plan for what’s coming. When you do that consistently, the future gets a lot easier to manage.

🔗 Links –

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!

This week we dig into The Predictive Index and how tools like it can help leaders better understand the people on their team. Instead of guessing at strengths, motivations, or communication styles, PI creates a clearer picture of how someone naturally works — and how to set them up for success. We talk about why these insights matter, how they can guide hiring and coaching, and where they fit alongside culture, values, and real-world performance.

At its core, this episode is about using data to support people, not define them. PI isn’t a shortcut or a replacement for good leadership; it’s a way to communicate better, set clearer expectations, and build teams that function with more empathy and alignment. When leaders combine tools like this with strong values and intentional culture, they create workplaces where people actually thrive.

🔗 Links –

The Predictive Index:

https://www.predictiveindex.com/

Cat & Cloud:

Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/

Webstore www.catandcloud.com/

We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.

The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!

Enjoy!