It has been a few months since I have been spit out the other end of my coffee shop franchise – the most painful 5+ years of my life. There are not too many people out there who have lost their entire lifetime earnings plus their inheritance, but when this suffering occurs it creates an instant bond with others who…
Category: Business
Special Cafe People – Part 1
Well, at long last it is time to feature the customers that truly make you wonder whether their parents were asleep at the wheel, or, sadly, whether you yourself are off your rockers. Some of these are your regular customers and you are afraid to ask them directly or the topic is awkward. Others are one-off wack-nuts that come in…
Top Ten Ways to Get Rid of Customers at Closing Time
Everyone who has worked in a cafe for the closing shift knows about one thing all too well – the customers who just don’t seem to understand that you don’t want to stand there and watch them chat after closing. They are usually very well-meaning people but they just don’t ‘get it’. Maybe they haven’t worked in a food and…
Getting Global Wit’ it (bitcoin)
Yuliya Talmazan had previously called me and then published this article featuring myself as one of the retailers accepting bitcoin in Vancouver. I still find it amusing how there are two Taylors in the same article. Then she dropped by during her coverage of bitcoin for her time on the 6 oclock news. I grabbed the file and decided to…
Buying Bitcoin with your Old Gold
Catchy title, isn’t it? Throws some monkey wrenches into the ol’ investment ideas, don’t it? The interesting thing to me – and I’m already a big fan of bitcoin – is that it may be not far away. Check out this article where gold has fallen from grace. One of my favourite quotes was “People own gold because they don’t…
If You Want Dedicated Bike lanes, Then Ticket the Snot Out of Bad Bikers
I like bikes. They look healthy and clean and I remember enjoying them when I was a kid. I’ve also heard they are good for adults. I’ve even considered riding one again, but I don’t have either money or time thanks to a devastating investment I made five years ago… but I digress. I’ve been meaning to write this rant…
What’s this bitcoin stuff? A Layman’s Overview
bitcoin. You’ve heard about it somewhere. Maybe a local restaurant has a sign that says ‘bitcoin accepted here’, or maybe you’ve just read about a Ponzi scheme or drug and firearms deal associated with it. What is sure is that you probably don’t have the full story on it – and you should – it’s revolutionary. To start with, take…
$5.81
Do you like the title of this post? I want that number to be burned in your memory. It’s very important. Yesterday a customer came into my cafe and, for some odd reason, had in his possession an invoice of monies owed to the CRA. The CRA, for those of you who don’t know what it is, is the Canadian…
Ingenuity: A Byproduct of Quality Problem Solving
My mom sent me this link to a recent TED Talk where a gentleman named Wade Davis very eloquently and convincingly talks about how Shell and other industrial giants should pack their bags and get out of Northern BC’s dodge. During the presentation he displays some of the prettiest pictures I’ve ever laid my eyes on and he talks of…
How Honest are Vancouverites – A Series of Social Experiments
Here is a series of ( social_experiments) performed at a downtown coffee shop in Vancouver. These experiments took place between February 21st, 2011 and August 5th, 2011. This was a fun experiment designed to test the integrity of the general public walking by a downtown Vancouver coffee shop on a normal day during daylight hours. Originally posted at www.blenzseymour.com. Special thanks…