Nick Bayer - CEO and Founder Saxbys: Apprenticeship and Making Life Better

How can coffee change the world? According to Saxbys CEO and Founder, Nick Bayer, it begins with educating young entrepreneurs. This week Laura and Nick discuss how Saxbys is empowering young people to embrace the humanity of the hospitality industry and build a business that creates an impact.   Here are a few things you’ll learn during this conversation: How Saxbys created an academic experience while building real businesses Why every young entrepreneur needs a course in critical thinking skills for business How to develop your empathy skills Why Saxby’s made B Corp status a priority What you can do to hold your team accountable to your mission and values   During the 24-Hour Influence Challenge, Nick encourages you to respond to all digital communication within 24 hours and evaluate how it impacts trust and relationship building.   Nick Bayer has always been in the business of bringing people together, whether it’s as one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s "Most Admired CEOs" or as a consummate team captain since Little League. So when he created Saxbys in 2005, Nick never really considered it to be a coffee company — instead, it’s a social impact company fueled by amazing food, beverage, and hospitality. Saxbys has since grown from one corner café to a nearly 30-unit, Philadelphia-based business with a singular mission: Make Life Better.   For Nick Bayer, “making life better" began by fostering an O.D.D (outgoing, detail-oriented, and disciplined) team, committed to the betterment of the communities it serves and aligned by their shared entrepreneurial spirit and Saxbys' core values. Today, that team spans over 500 members across the Northeast that represent the change-makers of tomorrow. To that point, Bayer introduced Saxbys’ pioneering Experiential Learning Program (ELP) in 2015 in partnership with Drexel University — the nation’s first entirely student-run cafe where students earn full academic credit and wages through a university cooperative education program.   Bayer’s vision for the program is to embolden the next generation of entrepreneurs, providing undergrad students with tangible experience as a supplement to traditional classroom learning. In five short years, one ELP cafe has blossomed to a dozen, with five more partnerships opening in the Fall of 2021.   Nick is currently the Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, an adjunct professor at Drexel University and the Executive in Residence at Temple University's Fox School of Business.   He serves on the Board of The Franklin Institute, Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region, the Community College of Philadelphia, Drexel University’s Close School of Entrepreneurship and Drexel’s Steinbright Career Development Center, as well as being a Corporate Council Member for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He has been recognized as the "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, EY’s "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" and among the “100 Most Powerful Business Leaders in Philadelphia” by the Philadelphia Business Journal.   He resides in Center City Philadelphia with his wife Haley and son Luke.   You can connect with Nick in the following ways: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbayer6/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsnickbayer/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickbayer Company Website: https://www.saxbyscoffee.com/   To learn more about Dr. Laura Sicola and how mastering influence can impact your success go to https://www.speakingtoinfluence.com/quickstart and download the quick start guide for mastering the three C’s of influence.   You can connect with Laura in the following ways:   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaurasicola LinkedIn Business Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vocal-impact-productions/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VocalImpactProductions Facebook: Vocal Impact Productions Twitter: @Laura Sicola  Instagram: @VocalImpactProductionsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.