312 : How to Choose the Right Machine for Your Shop w/ Chad little of La Marzocco

Making a decision on an espresso machine can come with a lot of stress and uncertainty. With so many different options, configurations, styles, and promises made by manufactures it is hard to know that you will be happy with what you end up with. On top of that, will it be able to serve the needs of the business? Really it boils down to wants, needs, and the balance of the two. Today we are going to be exploring some very important mindsets to help you make the right decision for your situation with our guest, Chad Little of La Marzocco! Chad Little handles sales and business development in the midwest for La Marzocco USA. In the coffee world Chad has worn many of hats from technician and educator with Counter Culture Coffee, business developer and manager at Ipsento, along with a host of other roles in the world of fine dining and other coffee outfits since the late 90's. For five years Chad was also an owner/operator of an audacious restaurant called Arbor in Logan Square. Professionally Chad enjoys helping people bridge the gap between knowing what they like and knowing what they want; and beyond that helping connect the dots for people who want to make a difference or be part of a solution, but don't know how or where to start. In addition, he uses these skills as an advisory board member for a workforce development and entrepreneurship organization for disadvantaged young people based in Chicago, called Workforce High and Meta 24. In this episode we cover: Early career and finding his guiding values Prioritizing people Serving people through the user experience Listening to the community Common misconceptions of espresso machines Learning the right things to consider Balancing wants and needs Being decisive and a decision matrix Over and under estimation Humility's role and growing intelligently Links: www.lamarzoccousa.com chad@lamarzzoco.com Related episodes: 089 : La Marzocco USA General Manager, Andrew Daday : Leadership, Innovation, service, heritage 042 : Supplying and Selecting Equipment w/ Steve Rhinehart: Prima Coffee 128 : Terry's Top 10 w/ Terry Ziniewicz : Best practices for how not to kill your espresso machine 240 : What to do before your Build your Bar Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.prima-coffee.com/keys www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com