Coffee rock star, Steven Lim, was just interviewed for the Minuteman.
Steven Lim Intent on Espresso
It’s a great interview. Here are a few excerpts.
Can you break down what it’s like being at the Latte Art World Championship?
It’s really intense. There are three every year – in Chicago, Seattle and New York – and the New York one is always the most extreme because there are so many people from all over the world participating.
The actual competition is a lot like those cooking competition shows you see on television. We are set up in a bracket and go head to head with other baristas and the winner advances, while the other one is out of the tournament.
Each round, the baristas have three minutes to make as many drinks as they want, but have to deliver their drink to the judges, and if you drop it or spill it, it doesn’t matter. You still have to get it to the chef.
Thursday location: Seven | 7:50 am – 10:05 pm
Found in Seven Cycles’ Recycling Bin; Poignant
- Consulting: I’ve been working with Urban Hero Sports a bit and they’re working on some new designs that are bike specific. I’m trying to connect them with some industry people that would be well suited to help UHS. Sometimes ideas are too far ahead and not well accepted by the bicycle industrial complex. We will find out soon.
- Visual Project: Working on a video project at Seven Cycles. We’ve done a few of these in the past but this is a bit different. And more complicated. Details to follow soon.
- Feedback: Working with Matt O. on Q2 employee project plans for Seven Cycles. So many projects, so many plans. Lots of great work happening this season and it’s not even quite here, yet.
- Time Marker: I’m getting way too many, “Earth to Rob” emails right now. I wonder why that might be?
Post title: A Poem, a Photo, and a Speech
Wednesday location: Seven | 7:40 am – 9:40 pm
- Consulting: Met today with someone I’ve been talking with a bit over the past six months. Had a great long talk about the pros and cons of in-house manufacturing vs. subcontracting. This company’s challenge is complex because as some point they’ll be having their bikes manufactured overseas. But they’ve got a big gap to get through until then. We ran some numbers on costs and labor that it would take to build the quantity of bikes they’re looking to do in the next few years. More on this soon. F.
- Company Meeting: Held Seven Cycles’ biweekly company meeting today; one day late. Too much good work happening right now. Couldn’t cover it all. And a few issues on which we’re working. To much to recount just now.
- Work: A ton of carpentry and remodeling work going on at the Ride Studio. It’s taking a bit of time but will be well worth it. I was working around planks of wood this past weekend to do a fitting. Customers are very forgiving.
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Even Snow Needs a Rest Sometimes
Tuesday location: Seven | 7:55 am – 8:05 pm
- Project Management: Seven Cycles is reorganizing some of the sales territories for the impending season. I always find it energizing to dig into accounts from a new perspective. Way too many opportunities without the hours to support it all.
- Work: Seven Cycles has already exceeded the March target so we’ve exceeded our Q1 sales goal. Production is close behind. And we’re well ahead of last year at this point. Momentum to continue.
- Product: The average cost of a foot of titanium for Seven Cycles is about $38. Some of our tubing is more than $70 per food.
- Note: Why does my email spam arrive in sets of threes?
Post title: Fight Club
Monday location: Seven | 7:45 am – 9:35 pm
- Other: We have a student coming in this week for a three day job shadow. We’ve done job shadowing a few times of the years but it’s rare. This is interesting in part because of the duration and the distance The student is coming from Maine.
- Product Development: We’re working on a number of titanium projects right now. One of bigger projects includes developing a new material standard for the mill. I was looking back through some of the original work that Seven did 16-years ago. I have a terrible memory but I was surprised at how much of the ASTM B338 titanium tubing standard I still remembered. We don’t even use much of it anymore. While we did base Seven’s tube specification on the B338, much of it has changed – become more stringent, tighter, and more finicky over time.
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Sunday location: Studio || 8:00 am – 5:50 pm
Saturday location: Airplane to Seven | 3:50 pm – 6:20 pm
