Brooklyn Tea’s Recipe for a Thriving Office: Brewing an Unstoppable Group
Within the bustling streets of Brooklyn, New York, there’s a neighborhood enterprise in Bedford-Stuyvesant that’s brewing up extra than simply nice tea – they’re crafting a recipe for an distinctive office. Brooklyn Tea was based by Alfonso Ali Wright and Jamila Wright, a husband-and-wife duo captivated with creating an area the place each clients and staff really feel valued, heard, and a part of one thing particular.
The story of Brooklyn Tea begins with the couple’s personal journey. Jamila discovered a kindred spirit in Alfonso who comes from a Jamaican household the place tea was a staple morning and night time. All through their relationship, he helped deepen her appreciation for the beverage. “You make these stunning pots and cups of tea with cinnamon sticks on the backside, and it felt so romantic, and it was such an genuine option to get to know one another,” Jamila recollects. “It actually was the beginning of us enthusiastic about how we may replicate this capacity to commune and get to know one another over tea within the type of a enterprise.”
Of their humble one-bedroom condominium in Brooklyn, the couple started brewing up their dream. “We simply knew that it is a enterprise that’s useful for the neighborhood and is fascinating sufficient that we may do it eternally,” says Jamila.
In December 2018, Brooklyn Tea formally opened its doorways on Ocean Avenue, inviting clients to discover the huge and engaging world of tea. However for Jamila and Alfonso, Brooklyn Tea was at all times about fostering a way of neighborhood, each amongst their clients and inside their crew.
Constructing a office rooted in belief and shared duty.
Drawing on Jamila’s expertise as an educator, the couple got down to construct a office rooted in belief, bonding, and a shared sense of duty. They understood that whenever you put money into your folks and create an setting the place everybody feels valued and heard, you lay the muse for an unstoppable crew.
“You’ll have your mission and your marketing strategy, however what’s the plan to actually execute that and make it stay and breathe in truth together with your workers and your crew? And the way would you like your workers to really feel listened to and brought care of,” Jamila explains.
Streamlining operations with Homebase.
About two years into the enterprise, the couple acknowledged the necessity to discover a extra environment friendly option to handle their crew and operations. Like many small enterprise homeowners, they discovered themselves grappling with the challenges of scheduling, payroll, and communication. “
We have been scripting this weekly schedule on a calendar that was smudged and folks’s names would disappear or reappear,” Jamila recollects. “It was actually a really pathetic state of affairs.”
Happily, one in every of their crew members launched Homebase to them. Since then, Brooklyn Tea has been leveraging the the whole lot app to supercharge their day by day duties.
With places in New York and Georgia, Homebase helps the couple talk to maintain the crew in sync and on observe. “Somebody in management sends the crew our priorities for the day, which form of helps them to know what they’re entering into right now. But in addition, every crew member sends an replace after their shift. So we all know precisely what was completed, what wasn’t completed, how the day went if we’re not there,” Jamila explains. “So it simply actually makes positive that every one of us are- cohesive. Cohesive in any respect factors.”
Along with the communication the crew has with one another, the couple are additionally capable of observe how a lot they paid for labor for the day and the way a lot cash the shop made. This has allowed the homeowners to step again and let their crew take extra possession of their roles.
“Homebase has been an enormous assist for our crew to permit for extra work-life stability and adaptability,” shares Jamila. By utilizing Homebase’s scheduling and time-off request options, Brooklyn Tea has given their crew the instruments to handle their very own availability. Their crew can swap shifts within the app and resolve scheduling points with out having to go to a supervisor for assist.”If you’re not caught to that very analog calendar, they’ve extra company they usually have extra empowerment to downside resolve on their very own,” Jamila notes.
But it surely’s not simply in regards to the sensible advantages – it’s about fostering a way of belief and togetherness. “It helps us join. I ship messages by it rather a lot,” Jamila explains. Whether or not it’s a workers assembly reminder or a shout-out for a job nicely completed, Homebase’s built-in messaging retains everybody within the loop and feeling valued.
Making data-driven choices.
The Homebase reporting options have additionally been invaluable. Alfonso notably appreciates the on-time arrival report, which has helped them tackle attendance points in a extra goal, data-driven means. “If you end up in a enterprise, doing 1,000,000 issues, you kinda discover issues, however you don’t have it written down,” he says. “However then we’re doing a check-in and exhibiting your worker, ‘hey, you’re on time 37% of the time, we have to repair this, proper?’ It’s means higher than ‘you’re at all times late.’”
The platform has additionally helped Brooklyn Tea maintain a better eye on their labor prices. “Business requirements for essentially the most half is to maintain your labor at about 30% of gross sales. And earlier than Homebase, we weren’t retaining observe of that by any means,” Jamila admits. Now the couple have a keener eye on how a lot labor is used for various days and what it prices them. “That has actually helped us to make higher choices transferring ahead,” she provides.
Supporting the entire individual.
The couple’s assist for his or her crew goes past supporting their staff’ well-being within the retailer. Jamila and Alfonso make a degree of attending their staff’ performs, artwork exhibits, concert events, and open mics, and even showcasing their crew’s artwork within the retailer.
“What you’ll see at Brooklyn Tea is that persons are extra goal-oriented versus task-oriented. It’s not nearly punching out and in the clock, it’s about how we are able to actually make our neighborhood really feel seen, really feel dignified. They’re actually purchased into what we’re making an attempt to perform as a result of they know the care will not be solely on the receiving aspect for the client, nevertheless it’s additionally behind the bar.”
Jamila and Alfonso beam with delight once they hear from their clients who rave about their crew.
“We get emails, texts, evaluations on a regular basis of people who find themselves simply enamored with our crew, who simply love them to loss of life, and who ask about them,” Alfonso explains.
“It makes me actually blissful that we, nicely Jamila, selected the fitting folks and that our neighborhood loves the people who we’ve chosen to serve them.”
“We love when our crew feels motivated and empowered to make these shifts, with out the be aware, pun meant. And I believe that’s what we’re actually happy with is what they do when nobody’s watching,” Jamila provides.
Brewing up success, one cup at a time.
At present, Brooklyn Tea has expanded to incorporate a second location in Atlanta, a thriving on-line retail presence, and a rising wholesale enterprise. Regardless of this progress, Jamila and Alfonso stay dedicated to the values which have guided them from the beginning – a ardour for neighborhood, a curiosity for the huge world of tea, and a deep appreciation for the ability of human connection.
With Homebase, they’ve been capable of streamline their operations, make data-driven choices, and foster a tradition of belief, flexibility, and possession. “Homebase permits you to shortly do a factor that you just’re in all probability not nice at. Scheduling and communication as a pacesetter is at all times one of many hardest elements and this makes it slightly simpler,” Jamila shares. “So you may get again to mixing your tea or making your muffins or no matter it’s you do in enterprise.”
As they proceed to brew up success, one cup at a time, Brooklyn Tea is proof that with a shared imaginative and prescient, numerous experiences, and a dedication to placing folks first, even essentially the most humble beginnings can result in a rare office.
