Restaurants Reinvented - Episode 6
Jen Kern: [00:00:00] Hi everyone. This is Jen Kern. Welcome to the show. And thanks for joining us. Today I'll be talking with Jessica Smith, the Director of Marketing at Groundwork Coffee. Hey, Jessica.
[00:00:35] Jessica Smith: [00:00:35] Hello. How are you today?
[00:00:37] Jen Kern: [00:00:37] I'm great. How are you?
[00:00:39] Jessica Smith: [00:00:39] I'm doing really well. It's a beautiful day in Los Angeles and it's Friday afternoon. So you can't complain.
[00:00:45] Jen Kern: [00:00:45] Exactly. I love this. It's a bi-coastal podcast. I'm over here on the East coast in Bethesda, Maryland, and you're in LA.
[00:00:52] Jessica Smith: [00:00:52] you're closer to the weekend. So I'm a little envious of you.
[00:00:55] Jen Kern: [00:00:55] That's true. That's so true. Well you came highly referred from our friend Justin Bartek, who was my first podcast cast guest. The very brave one.
[00:01:07] Jessica Smith: [00:01:07] Justin's very brave. He's great. I love Justin. He's wonderful. A wonderful family. Yeah, he's great. You guys worked together at Veggie Grill.
[00:01:15] We did. Yeah. That was a really fun time at Veggie Gril. Like it was, I feel like a very special time. We had such a strong team there. I'm still in touch with pretty much everyone I worked with.
[00:01:24] So yeah, I love that moment in time. So I think back on it, very fondly.
[00:01:29] Jen Kern: [00:01:29] Oh, nice. Nice. this podcast is all about helping other marketers see what their journey could be right in the profession. Why don't you talk to us about how you got into marketing and how you found your way into the restaurant business. And what led you to where you are today as the head of marketing at Groundwork Coffee?
[00:01:49] Jessica Smith: [00:01:49] Yeah, it's I'm sure with most people's stories it's not what you ever expected it to be. Like I started out in art history, in college. So not anything related to marketing or food, but, when I think about even before college, even before high school, like I was thinking about it, I'm like, you know what?
[00:02:05] I was actually really. Around the restaurant industry a lot, without even knowing it. My grandma on my mom's side, owned a bar and grill and I spent a lot of time there as a kid. Like at one point we actually lived in an apartment above the bar and grill, and my mom worked there all the time and I came down and helped with washing dishes and stuff and for quarters.
[00:02:28] So I could play pool, or play the video games or whatever. And then my other grandma, actually, when I was a kid worked at Dunkin Donuts. So like munchkins, anytime we had to grandma's munchkins were there. So really like I was reflecting on it. I'm like, I think I just always, maybe subconsciously recognize the hustle in restaurant, like it was around me, all the women in my life.
[00:02:50] My mom waited tables until I was like a junior in high school when she got a degree in nursing. So I never personally worked in it. Early on, but it was definitely surrounding me. What I was doing was really, like I said, I was interested in art and I, that was my degree. But then, when I was looking for jobs and moving around a lot, I ended up working for promotional products company. And then I ended up working for a marketing services company. And these were really lucky opportunities that I got from like recommendations or friends in the industry. And, I remember when I was in the marketing services company, it's a company called Valassis and they're really known for the freestanding inserts and direct mailers.
[00:03:30] And then I was a project manager at the time. And I just remember like talking to the brand managers. And like working on their projects. And I was like, I want to do what they're doing. I want to be the one who's working on the brand and making the decisions for the brand. And after I worked for that company for I think four and a half, almost five years, like it was really my first experience in marketing and like in the professional world.
[00:03:54] And I left there and I was moving around, and ended up in Los Angeles. And at that point, I, like knew two things. One. I want to be on the brand side. And two, I really want to work for a company that has strong values and a strong mission, and that I can feel good about working for them. So that's really what led me to work for Veggie Grill.
[00:04:15] And Veggie Grill was my restaurant bootcamp as I call it. Cause when I came in there, they were still. And they still are, but at the time, especially like really in growth mode. I think at the time I started had like maybe 12 locations and when I left, they had 30 locations. So we opened tons of locations.
[00:04:34] We launched an app, we launched a program for, seasonal menus. We did like eight large scale menu relaunches. And then I guess the key project that really led me to my next steps in my career was we did a brand refresh, like a full positioning, look and feel a refresh. And that project was so cool.
[00:04:55] I just loved it. And the people I worked on it with that I was like a brand like, this is really what I want to work on. I spent two years there and learned a ton, definitely about restaurant and operations and like what it's like to actually be in the cafes, in the restaurants and having to interact with guests and make the food.
[00:05:15] And, but at that point I was like ready to move on. And that's where I, found Arista, which is a global bakery company based in, uh, the U S operations at the time were based in Los Angeles. And they've some really cool brands that have a lot of heritage. One is, Otis Spunkmeyer, which is a cookie brand.
[00:05:33] And then Libre Bakery, which is...really an institution in Los Angeles and really the brand that brought artisan bread to the U S and I got to work on both of those during my time there. And, also a great experience. And then, just, I think at that point in my career, I was like, I don't care what I do, but food and beverage has gotta be it.
[00:05:52] Cause it's, I feel like such a strong connection, to food and beverage and just how people. Connect emotionally to it. And I feel somehow I've worked in like categories that are like super emotional, like coffee, bread, cookies, like these are things that people like use every day as like comfort, when I worked at Arista and I worked on the Libre Bakery and, Otis Spunkmeyer was really, they are also multichannel, but, there was some restaurant acts aspect, but, I kind of, wasn't fully engaged in like a restaurant marketing mindset until, I moved into Groundwork Coffee about a year ago.
[00:06:28] And now back to that, it's also a multichannel business, but it has a very strong cafe footprint. So.
[00:06:36] Jen Kern: [00:06:36] Yeah. Wow. What a journey. What a journey. Thank you.
[00:06:39] I don't
[00:06:39] Jessica Smith: [00:06:39] I how I got here, but I'm here.
[00:06:41] Jen Kern: [00:06:41] It's so cool. I mean, I was speaking last week to our guest, Rachel Layton, and she said this quote, hospitality is either in your blood or it's not. And it's so interesting because so many people are nostalgic when they think about their journey, through hospitality. And like you it's like when you think back, it's like, wow. You know, from my grandmother and my mother and I've been around it a long time and yeah. Uh, like you, I, I started working in a snack bar at the pool when I was 12, burning soft pretzels. it's just, that's a cool journey you've had.
[00:07:13] and so now you're at Groundwork Coffee,
[00:07:15] Jessica Smith: [00:07:15] Yes.
[00:07:16] Jen Kern: [00:07:16] Which I ordered on Amazon, as I told you and it's delicious,
[00:07:19] Jessica Smith: [00:07:19] I'd love to hear it
[00:07:20] Jen Kern: [00:07:20] and it's all organic. So there's nothing not to love about the brand. but for our listeners who might not be familiar because you are mostly a west coast brand right now, tell me a little bit about the brand.
[00:07:30] What makes you different? What makes you unique and where you really focus from a brand perspective?
[00:07:36] Jessica Smith: [00:07:36] Yeah, of course. so Groundwork, I guess the first thing I'll say is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, which is, yeah, we're very excited. And grateful, to be around for 30 years. It's I think a great achievement. We're an organic coffee roaster based in Los Angeles. We have also a roasting facility in Portland and a cafe up there as well.
[00:07:56] In Los Angeles we have around 12 locations, you know, it's kind of an interesting time right now. So some are. Not currently open, but the majority of them are. and we also have our, roasting facility here in Los Angeles, as well as a brewery for our cold brew. All of our coffee's organic certified organic that's really important to us.
[00:08:14] that's like the main thing that we, standby is our organic certification. but I think the other thing that really sets us apart is our commitment to our communities in which you know, where we have our cafes and where we serve our coffee. We do a lot of work with local organizations, to help support like communities in and around our cafes.
[00:08:37] Support is really a strong word for us. We look at that word a lot because we really want to be supportive of the local communities. But we also are very supportive of the communities at origin, where coffee is grown. We do a ton of work at origin with the farmers to help them transition to organic and also pay premiums to support other programs for them as well.
[00:09:02] and then, yeah, here at home, like just as an organization, we do everything we can do to support our teammates or team members in the organization as a whole. I'm really proud to work for a company that's got it's head in the right place.
[00:09:15] Jen Kern: [00:09:15] And speaking about supporting those local. And when you talked about the farmers that you support, let's talk about some of the things you're doing over there because I've gotten a little sneak preview and you told me a little bit last time we talked, but some pretty cool stuff.
[00:09:30] Jessica Smith: [00:09:30] Yeah. Yeah, we it's been an interesting time just obviously, and I'm sure we'll get into the Covid world maybe, or maybe not. We can also ignore it if you want, which I'm fine with, but, this year I've been at Groundwork for a year. And when I first came on, the first project we did was really establishing the mission and vision of the company.
[00:09:50] And since then, like everything that we've been doing has really been centered around living that and making sure that we're communicating that, one project that we did this year, that I'm personally really proud of is. We launched three limited reserve coffees. and they were launched as a trio.
[00:10:10] The trio is called three organic stories. This again goes back to our mission. In terms of organics. Each coffee has a very special story and really, shows these farmers being pioneers in organics. One is from Peru and it's the first coffee to champion in the cup of excellence competition.
[00:10:32] First organic coffee. Another one is from a female led and owned co-op in Columbia. We do our chief coffee guy, Jeff. Goes every year and does a, quality of road, quality award program with them. And, we took two of the coffees that won an award last year and blended them together. So that's one of the coffees and, the third one is a coffee from Kenya.
[00:10:56] And what I've learned is that, there are very few organic farms in Kenya and the farms that do have organic coffee, they haven't been able to produce really quality, high level, great tasting coffees yet. And this was one of the first that our coffee department had encountered. That was just absolutely fantastic.
[00:11:14] So we launched each of these coffees, individually, and then we joined them together in a, a trio that. Is hopefully still available when this podcast comes out. But yeah, so that was a really great project. We also worked with, tying back in the local community. We worked with a local artist to design the packaging for that.
[00:11:33] Jen Kern: [00:11:33] Oh, that's so cool. Great. And what's your favorite coffee?
[00:11:37] Jessica Smith: [00:11:37] I really love our Ethiopia heirloom blend. It is absolutely fantastic. That's probably what I drink the most. However, usually what I'm drinking is whatever. We have two rotating programs. We have a reserve program, a limited reserve, and then we also have a seasonal select, which has the best of the season.
[00:11:58] And so normally I'm just, trying, whatever's the kind of the new thing that we're we have out. But if I had to go back to a classic that we always have available, it would be the Ethiopia. Definitely.
[00:12:09] Jen Kern: [00:12:09] Yum sounds delicious. I'm forbidden to drink coffee after noon, so, but, um,
[00:12:18] Jessica Smith: [00:12:18] We had a coffee tasting yesterday, for some cold brew innovation we're working on and it was at one o'clock and I was like, okay. Yeah. So much I can drink.
[00:12:28] Jen Kern: [00:12:28] Cold brew is the best - it is my favorite. I love cold brew.
[00:12:31] Jessica Smith: [00:12:31] Yeah, we're working on a product right now and I'm, before this comes out, I imagine we'll launch it. We're planning on launching it next week. It's a cold brew blend. So our cold brew's, beloved, like people love our classic cold brew, but with the changing landscape that we're experiencing right now, and people brewing more at home and this DIY culture that's happening right now, we are offering the coffee that we use to make our cold brew as a ground coffee that you can buy and make it home yourself. So that's launching, next week. So it's exciting for us. You can make your own cold brew at home. You
[00:13:10] Jen Kern: [00:13:10] That's so cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Spending a lot of money, but I'm, you know, Um, I'm, I'm liking it. It's important money to spend. Let's talk about Covid a little bit. We, we It's been a challenging time and, I think you had told me when we talked that you were one of the only coffee shops in LA that didn't close down during COVID.
[00:13:33] and I know that you did some pretty significant pivots and open up some of your channels. Let's talk about some of the things that you were able to do to keep business coming in and driving sales.
[00:13:44] Jessica Smith: [00:13:44] Yeah. Initially we were one of the few, I think some slowly opened after the fact, but, we did stay open and really, I just credit our teams, our operation and teams of the cafes for just. Just really taking ownership and also making sure that everything we could possibly do to make sure that our locations were safe and set up for like safe interaction.
[00:14:08] I definitely applaud them for that. We can't in the marketing team take credit for that. But what we did on the marketing side, it is we had already planned on launching an app for order ahead and delivery. And we were planning on launching it in a couple of months, but this definitely accelerated the timeline for like, we need to get this out now, you know, so a lot of what we did was just pushing that forward and not only making sure that.
[00:14:34] Coffee and in our menu was available, but also looking at what are the needs of people right now who are quarantining at home? Like especially local people. So we were able to get things like our coffee bags up on there. People could order, even like merchandise, you know, whatever it is.
[00:14:53] Like we tried to look at the, our app is like a, almost like an online ordering platform, as well as using our retail locations. It's like a local place to pick up like other items you may need other than just ready to eat and drink, items. So, um, that really proved to be powerful for us.
[00:15:10] And not only like staying open, but just like being there for our guests. I definitely. Was proud at the time because, we were challenged with staying open because we got some negative feedback. Because I think at the time it was like closing was the right thing to do. But then on the flip side, we were getting notifications from people that they were so thankful that we were there for them.
[00:15:33] It's I felt really good about that at the time. And, we're still continuing to work on our app and like adding more things to that from the ecomm perspective, we've seen a huge growth in home brewing and like purchases of Chemex and Hario v60s these like the equipment to brew at home. So we definitely want to be able to get that stuff up on the app for ordering as well in the future.
[00:16:03] Jen Kern: [00:16:03] So I'm surprised that there's, that many people brewing at home. And I guess it's not a big shock. It's a little overwhelming when I start thinking about having a cold brew factory in my kitchen.
[00:16:13] Jessica Smith: [00:16:13] That's the same thing that's going on with bread right now. I mean, I don't know if you've heard that trend, but
[00:16:18] Jen Kern: [00:16:18] Yeah.
[00:16:18] Jessica Smith: [00:16:18] people are learning how to make sourdough bread at home. It's like a huge Covid thing, which is fascinating to me, but, yeah, it's kinda cool. And we've been trying to pivot in that direction and just be supportive of where the consumption is moving for our guests.
[00:16:32] Jen Kern: [00:16:32] And you also offer your coffee at other coffee shops and restaurants. Is that right?
[00:16:37] Jessica Smith: [00:16:37] Yeah, we have, we are multichannel business and a huge portion of our revenue, is wholesale and food service. So if you live in and around Los Angeles or even up and down the West coast, As far east as the Rocky mountains, like you may have had Groundwork in a cafe. So we work with a lot of like small mom and pop shop cafes, but we also work with hotels and hospitals, universities.
[00:17:07] So you can find our coffee in a lot of different places. In addition to our cafes in Los Angeles.
[00:17:13] Jen Kern: [00:17:13] That's great. And so how's business going for, are you back to pre COVID levels? Are you 50%? If a, can you share with us how you're doing?
[00:17:22] Jessica Smith: [00:17:22] We're not quite there yet, but we've been seeing, creeping up like slow improvement. Unfortunately here in Los Angeles, we are experiencing like a second lockdown, we reopened at the beginning of June late May and now we are back to delivery and pickup only, or outdoor dining only.
[00:17:41] So in June, like looking at the financials, we're really, optimistic about the direction we're heading in. but. We're still very cautious at the same time. and we have been able to offset some of the losses that we've experienced with some growth that we've seen in our grocery channel, as well as e-commerce.
[00:18:00] So we're just trying to look at what business we can shift until that piece of the business, but the wholesale food service and our cafes, has the opportunity to fully open again.
[00:18:12] Jen Kern: [00:18:12] And so from a marketing perspective, where are you really focused around? Keeping that business humming. What strategies are you employing with your team?
[00:18:22] Jessica Smith: [00:18:22] So we're really, again, like the app is really a huge focus for us and making sure that people realize there is a way to interact with our brand, that doesn't involve going into the cafes. but. Also like we really want to build loyalty right now. We know we have a strong base. And so we're looking at ways to reengage with people who are coming to the cafes.
[00:18:47] We have data available of like visits, like who's coming in. Who's not, we can extract those email addresses and send messaging. we definitely use, social ads to target around our cafes. we also are just making sure to constantly communicate like the efforts that we're putting forth to make sure that it is a safe environment.
[00:19:08] and then also just really looking at like the time and what's really resonating. It's cold brew season here. we have a cold brew happy hour. yeah. So you can get discounted cold brew in the afternoon. and then definitely we. One thing we've done internally that I think has been really powerful is having really frequent updates with our baristas and our cafe managers.
[00:19:32] They are dealing with a ton. Like I give them so much credit, like the stories I'm hearing about what they're encountering every day. Like just with people being uncomfortable or people refusing to follow procedures or wear a mask, or there's so much going on that they are on the front lines every day.
[00:19:52] So what we're doing to try and support that is have those conversations and trying to understand from a marketing perspective, what we can do to try to help create signage or like communication in store that helps direct people on what's going on, you know, masks are required and like here's the path that you should be walking through.
[00:20:10] And here's where you should wait to pick up and stuff like that. Just to make sure that we're alleviating some of the stress that is currently taking place at the cafes.
[00:20:20] Jen Kern: [00:20:20] You know, You bring up an interesting point because it's really like, there's been a paradigm shift, right? Pre COVID the consumer just could do whatever they want. Almost. They could walk in the store and. Your employees and team members were there to serve them. And that was pretty much the relationship, Service, and purchasing. And now there's so much more in the mix where they almost, I can understand that feeling some angst, because they're almost like in an enforcement role. But the laws are so different and changing all the time and it puts, I imagine, cause I've seen this in places where I've been, dining.
[00:20:59] Yeah. It puts them in an awkward position. So I think that's fantastic. It's like that you're stepping in from a marketing perspective. I mean, we are the communicators. And helping you out from a communication standpoint and we've talked here at Qu about, guidelines and processes and making that as clear as possible for your guests.
[00:21:15] So when they get there, they're not confused and they know what to expect. That's fantastic. That's fantastic. So good work there,
[00:21:23] Jessica Smith: [00:21:23] Yeah, we're trying, and we have a great team. There's like a lot of great collaboration going on, so
[00:21:29] Jen Kern: [00:21:29] Speaking of collaboration too, I'd love to get your, take a thing that keeps coming up. As I talk to folks is the convergence of marketing technology and operations. And I'd love to understand like how you handle that and your role as the head of marketing within the executive team and how you work to really bridge and bring together the operations.
[00:21:51] I mean, you gave an example just now, but the operations, the technology, and then when you're doing a marketing, what's that look like for you?
[00:21:58] Jessica Smith: [00:21:58] The first thing that pops in my head is our POS and the system, right now we actually have a meeting next week to talk about this. And really understand how the integrations work. So we can gather that information and utilize it in the marketing department to send like relevant information.
[00:22:18] It's very challenging. I've found like I dealt with this Veggie Grill too. The integration of data to me is one of the biggest challenges that we have in restaurants. Especially in multichannel organization, because if you have an eCommerce arm and then you have, the cafes. And then you have multi-channels.
[00:22:35] You have people coming in from all places and you have different information from each of them and trying to pairing them together. And have one pool of guests is like extremely challenging. So I would say that's one of the things we're challenged with right now is even with our app, as I mentioned, it's a huge focus for us, but it doesn't talk to our POS.
[00:22:56] We have a rewards program. That is built in the backend of our POS, but people don't earn points if they order through the app. So how can we push the app to people if they're not going to get the points? That they would be getting if they order up front. So we're working through a lot of challenges right now with that, to understand like how all these pieces can connect together.
[00:23:24] That's to me the biggest challenge with technology, we're also just looking at upgrading some of the equipment. We, so we have right now, just in some locations displays that face our baristas without displays that face the guest. Some places we have that, and we've been able to utilize that, you know, to send messaging one of the challenges I found in any experience I have in restaurant is like the first thing people go to is signage. We need signage. What happens is you end up with 15 cardboard stands, stand ups, like all over the counter. So it's like what tools that we can use it already. Things that we use every day. and so this has been a strong tool for us to actually have a message that's digital that faces the guest as they're checking out as they're typing in their information, or like approving their credit card transaction and having it like right there in front of them.
[00:24:19] So stuff like that. Another, technology piece. And it also plays in the operations is we've had a lot of requests for with COVID specifically like menu changes. Cause we started first with a limited menu in some locations has limited menu and some had the full menu and then every day, like they're having to change and react and like to get that communication from them and to constantly be updating and printing paper menus is like very hard
[00:24:47] to do. And we're starting to look at like how we can use technology to alleviate that process. I went to a restaurant once the COVID experience while we opened up and they had QR codes, that. Directly linked to the menu. So everyone it's contactless, you just scan the QR code, you have the menu on your phone.
[00:25:09] You're able to see what's available. We could easily update it without having to print reprint ship deliver. So we're looking at options like that as well.
[00:25:19] Jen Kern: [00:25:19] That's great. Yeah. Well, you're not alone in all of that, right? I mean, the data is it's. I mean, every single guest I've had on here has mentioned how important it is and how difficult and challenging it is to get and getting that full picture of the guest. So working on those integrations and getting that one view.
[00:25:38] So important that as marketers, we keep pushing for that so that we can understand our buyers right. And have more data and information on them.
[00:25:47] Jessica Smith: [00:25:47] Exactly. Cause we don't have like a really good way right now because we, I would say we do really well with our email marketing and we keep enhancing that, but we're not able to speak directly yet to our cafe visitors, it feels very e-commerce focused and email. And I would really like to get to a place where we're able to speak directly, not only to people who are visiting cafes, but almost like in their communities, like speaking directly to people in Venice or in North Hollywood, would be fantastic.
[00:26:18] Jen Kern: [00:26:18] Yeah, absolutely. So what is your team composition? What does that look like?
[00:26:24] Jessica Smith: [00:26:24] We are a very small lean team, but, I can't say enough about the team. They're all super talented individuals. It's basically just me. I'm the director of marketing. And then we have a digital marketing manager, a lead designer, and a project manager. That's basically all we have and, yeah, the team has definitely been transitioning a little bit during this time and with kind of the shift of priority of channels, like we're looking at how it will grow in the future, but we, everyone at Groundwork has just the roll up your sleeves, make it happen type that's really who thrives there. And, I feel really lucky. Like my team makes me look good, great every day. Like I'm very thankful to them, but we're hoping to grow more, as Groundwork it's been around for 30 years and. Unlike other brands who have this really quick, like growth spurt Groundwork. on the flip side has had this like slow, but like positive growth over time. And we're still continuing that. And I see marketing as being a huge piece of that, especially right now, because I think I mentioned to you when we talked before we are in the middle of a brand refresh, that we're hoping to launch in Q1 of 2021.
[00:27:42] Very exciting.
[00:27:42] Jen Kern: [00:27:42] It's super
[00:27:44] Jessica Smith: [00:27:44] yeah,
[00:27:44] Jen Kern: [00:27:44] Can you give us a little window into what the brand will will be evolving into?
[00:27:50] Jessica Smith: [00:27:50] Yeah. So when I came to Groundwork, I have to say like the company already knew who it was, like the values haven't changed. Like it's a company really based in strong values, but I don't know that..it had figured it out yet how to fully communicate that and not just in like social or like PR, but I'm talking like specifically in like product packaging. I am very excited because I feel like we've partnered with a really great agency and they've really been able to develop this new look and feel that really visually tells a story of our brand without any words.
[00:28:32] Jen Kern: [00:28:32] Oh, nice.
[00:28:33] Jessica Smith: [00:28:33] Yeah. So it's a very exciting project. I think, we're still in the middle of it, but I predict that it will be one of the most exciting projects that I've worked on once we get it out there.
[00:28:45] But yeah, all of our whole bean, as well as our cold brew, as well as our cold brew portfolio will be fully updated new logo. everything will be changing website. All of our marketing assets, it's going to be huge undertaking, but I think it's going to make a really huge impact as well.
[00:29:04] Jen Kern: [00:29:04] That sounds exciting. I'll be looking forward to seeing that. Let's do a quick little lightening round. What'd ya say
[00:29:12] Jessica Smith: [00:29:12] okay. Let's do it.
[00:29:13] Yeah.
[00:29:15] Jen Kern: [00:29:15] challenge facing marketers today.
[00:29:19] Jessica Smith: [00:29:19] the changing landscape of the industry.
[00:29:22] Jen Kern: [00:29:22] Yeah.
[00:29:23] Jessica Smith: [00:29:23] Just every day, waking up and realizing that the plans you made don't matter anymore. And you have to figure out what today holds.
[00:29:30] Let's see.
[00:29:31] Jen Kern: [00:29:31] The biggest opportunity for marketers today?
[00:29:35] Jessica Smith: [00:29:35] The chair. I don't want to say the same answer, but I think, again, it's the change because there's new opportunities and new channels that we didn't consider before, just because we were stuck in our old ways. And some of the things that we've been able to do during this time and develop new partnerships and develop new products and response has been really exciting.
[00:29:57] So I think being open to those changes and seeing how you fit into them, is a huge opportunity.
[00:30:05] Jen Kern: [00:30:05] Yeah. Your greatest professional accomplishment.
[00:30:10] Jessica Smith: [00:30:10] This is a hard one. It's hard to pick one. I think if I don't even know if it would be like a certain project specifically. I think the greatest accomplishment for me personally, as a marketer has just been evolving. And like pinpointing something that I feel really connected to and figuring out how I can work more on that.
[00:30:33] And And then just developing and understand like where my skills are and like trying to apply those and like finding the right fit for me. I feel really proud of the brands that I've worked on in the work that I've done as a whole. And I think I really give credit to just like being reflective and like figure out the path.
[00:30:52] But yeah, individual projects, like they're all, I'm proud of so many of them. I think I'm almost more proud of like the people, I guess, that I've partnered with on them. And the work that we've collaborated on together
[00:31:04] Jen Kern: [00:31:04] a failure that you learned a lot from.
[00:31:09] Jessica Smith: [00:31:09] It's so funny, like a very simple one, but it happened a long time ago. I feel like in the beginning of my career, I had a lot of anxiety about like mistakes, especially in marketing, you're always proofing and reading things and like the details, especially when it comes to food, there's a lot of legalities.
[00:31:28] You have to make sure that certain words are used and nutrition panels and all that stuff. And I just remember one very specific situation where we printed. It was Veggie Grill. We printed a menu. And we placed a gluten free label on an item that wasn't gluten free and we all proofed it.
[00:31:49] Like everybody, everyone in marketing everywhere and operations on, and I just remember the day. So clearly that. We identified the issue. And I remember our CEO at the time came in and he walked by my desk and I was probably sweating. I was so stressed out. I was like, we don't print it, everything it was in stores.
[00:32:06] This is like a medical issue. Like someone's going to have, you know, eat this and it's not gonna be gluten free. And I just remember he said something like, are you having fun yet? And I feel like that just really set the tone going forward. Like it's very serious and we take it seriously, but like mistakes happen, And I've learned so much for that moment, from that one moment, and I try to give that same feeling to my team, wow. we made a mistake. That's sucks, but let's keep going. Just keep moving forward.
[00:32:39] Jen Kern: [00:32:39] Yeah. Embracing the imperfection. Yeah. Yes. I remember learning that. it's a constant learning.
[00:32:47] Jessica Smith: [00:32:47] Yeah,
[00:32:48] definitely.
[00:32:49] Jen Kern: [00:32:49] Yeah, it's good. It's good stuff. What advice do you have for marketers today?
[00:32:56] Jessica Smith: [00:32:56] Let's see. I would say. The first thing I've been thinking about this a lot personally, but, the first thing I would say is just, don't get too caught up in what everybody else is doing. Like it's really important to know your industry, know your category, know your customer and know your competitors.
[00:33:16] But if you spend all day just like worrying about what everyone else is doing, you're never going to get to the heart of who you are. And when I say you, I mean your brand. I think like my advice is really get to know the brand and get to know the values of the brand and like how the brand would behave.
[00:33:31] And that's really the guideposts on how you should behave. And that's been like something I think about every day in this like current climate with everything that's going on. Cause it's like, people are like, well look what so-and-so's doing in response, like with so, and so's doing the response and I'm like, Okay.
[00:33:49] What are we going to do based on who we are. Yeah. You know, so that would be my first thing. And the second thing I would say is try your best to say yes, more than you say no, we're so busy. And we also, I think as marketers have a plan, and then when people come to you and they're like, we should do blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You're just like, no, we're doing this. This is what we planned and we're going to do, but, at least being open minded and asking the right questions to understand the nature of the request can sometimes lead to things you never even considered, especially working with like restaurant and cafe operators.
[00:34:27] Like they're really the people who know the challenges that are going on in the restaurants, they come to me and they're like, we need a sign again, all the signs, you know, I'm like anti all the signs, but it's like, we need a sign. I'm like, what do you, why do you need that?
[00:34:42] They're like, when people come in, they're confused. And like just asking those questions to get to the bottom of the issue. Not starting with no starting with yes. And then talking through the issue.
[00:34:53] And then I think last, and I think everyone feels this way in marketing is just being more comfortable with risk is really important.
[00:34:59] Jen Kern: [00:34:59] right.
[00:35:00] Jessica Smith: [00:35:00] I think that really comes with experience because I definitely didn't have it early on in my career. But I feel like the longer I've worked in marketing the risk, the comfort with risk has gotten better.
[00:35:13] Jen Kern: [00:35:13] Yeah. Yeah. That's great advice. I love it. Those are three really valuable things. I remember your friend Justin was talking about, don't just look at Chipotle and try to beat Chipotle. Be yourself. And be true to yourself and true to your brand. And I love that. That's such, it's such a great reminder for all of us, do what you do and do it, you do best.
[00:35:32] And just, yeah. Got, gotta keep track of your competitors and what's trending embark market, but right now, like anything. Yeah. It seems yeah. It's really great advice. Where do you go for like inspiration, like when you're feeling tapped out or, maybe just to get ideas, do you have certain resources or people or, online gurus that you listen to podcasts?
[00:35:52] Jessica Smith: [00:35:52] To be honest. Like I think that my inspiration comes from things that are completely separate from marketing and in the industry. I feel like the more I can separate and be calm and I love reading. I spend a lot of time and I like to read fiction, there's a part of me that thinks I should be reading all of these, books about marketing, and I do want to do that, but there's something like that I get from fiction specifically. I love Sci-fi. that is so creative and inventive and forward-looking that like almost provides more inspiration to me then reading something from a marketer doing like what we're doing today, like reading something that's so outlandish and forward thinking like it pushes me more forward.
[00:36:36] I definitely also listen to podcasts, but again, I think that they're more relaxing, or funny, things that make me laugh or I can just listen to in the background when I'm cleaning or, hanging out at home. So
[00:36:48] Jen Kern: [00:36:48] Yeah. it's so true. I mean, getting lost in another world, right? Your brain can turn off, but then it can recharge. So it sounds like you're doing that with scifi. What are you reading?
[00:36:59] Jessica Smith: [00:36:59] right now I'm like actually reading a graphic novel, called saga. I, yeah, it's Yeah. I don't even know what to say about it. It's like kind of a fantastical, like probably more connected to a star Wars audience would be interested in it. Yeah. But I was also reading a book that I'm like halfway through called bone clocks and that's like another scifi has to do with time travel and it's crazy.
[00:37:27] Yeah.
[00:37:29] Jen Kern: [00:37:29] Cool. So what's next for Jessica? What do you want to do next? What are some of your bucket list items?
[00:37:35] Jessica Smith: [00:37:35] I'm really excited about the work we're doing that Groundwork right now. So that's really a huge focus for me, especially into next year. We have so many things that we want to achieve. There's always this little, like, itch that I have to like, do something, develop something on my own, but I've never really gotten to that point yet.
[00:37:56] But I think the thing I always just go back to from a professional perspective is I want to work in industries that are doing something really interesting, but are also really considering the world around us, just like the condition of the earth, the environment, and also people, so I, as much as I want to stay in food and beverage, that's really what I'm drawn to the most is just like organizations that are forward thinking and really trying to do the best, for people.
[00:38:25] Jen Kern: [00:38:25] Yeah. Well, it sounds like you guys are doing a lot of great giving back initiatives and some great community work as well. So getting it all in there now. It's cool.
[00:38:35] Jessica Smith: [00:38:35] Definitely. Yeah.
[00:38:36] Jen Kern: [00:38:36] Well, as we close, I'd like to give my guests a little infomercial time at the end. Is there anything you'd like to promote in terms of where people can find your coffee, where people can get to you or the organizations that you're supporting locally or overseas?
[00:38:52] Jessica Smith: [00:38:52] Yeah, so it's pretty easy to find us, we're on all the major social platforms, and Groundwork Coffee search us. Check us out on our website, groundworkcoffee.com. We have a lot of great product rollouts happening. As I mentioned, we have the three organic stories trio available on our website.
[00:39:10] We have the cold brew blend that we're launching next week. We are distributed. starting all the way West is California, all the way East to the Rocky mountains. Even further in some cases with some grocers, but you can find us at grocery. If you want to try us out, you could order on our website or an Amazon.
[00:39:30] We partner with an organization called art share, which we have local artists, display their art in all of our cafes. And we have a rotation going on that we work closely with the downtown women's center here in LA. And yeah, we, we love collaboration.
[00:39:45] We love working with organizations that have similar values and missions as us. So I would definitely encourage anyone, reach out. You can find me on LinkedIn and I'd love to talk about how we can work together.
[00:39:55] Jen Kern: [00:39:55] Awesome. thanks so much for your time today, Jessica. All
[00:39:58] Jessica Smith: [00:39:58] Yeah, of course. You too.
[00:40:00] Jen Kern: [00:40:00] it.
[00:40:01] Jessica Smith: [00:40:01] Yeah,
[00:40:02] Jen Kern: [00:40:02] Have a great day.
[00:40:03] Jessica Smith: [00:40:03] You too. Bye.