Meet Laila Ghambari

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laila Ghambari a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Laila, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I grew up with a family of entrepreneurs. My father is an immigrant from Iran and he found his place here in hospitality. He was a GM for a company in Seattle called B&O Espresso, one of the first European style cafes to open in Seattle in the late 70’s. He eventually became part owner in a couple locations and turned one of those into his company Cherry Street Coffee House. I use to go to work with my dad often and saw what work looked like as a small business owner. Always being on, stepping in to help, doing the dirty work, and taking so much pride in it everyday. I always prided myself in being a good employee because I knew what was at stake for the people who owned the places I worked for. Now as a small business owner myself, I knew exactly what I was walking into and did so willingly and excited to do it. It is tough work, so much harder than anything I ever did working high level positions for much larger companies but the reward is incomparable.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Coffee is in my blood so it’s no surprise I’ve followed in my families footsteps. I’ve been working in Specialty Coffee for 20 years now and have invested myself fully into this industry. Beyond working in coffee shops, I was elected into the baristas guild council in 2010 and served til 2016, Chairing the Committee in 2014. I stated competing in barista competition in 2009 and won the titles of US Barista Champion in 2014. I went on to grow my career into leadership positions as some of the top coffee roasters in the world, most notably my time leading education and cafes at Stumptown Coffee Roasters. In 2023 I launched my own consulting company and have been supporting companies big and small. In 2024 my partner and I bought a coffee company in Portland Or called Guilder Cafe and Juniors Roasted Coffee. This year, on our 1 year anniversary, we will be brining the company into its next chapter as Guilder Coffee Company with all 3 cafes and roastery under this new brand identity. Guilder is my #1 priority these days but I still continue to work with my consulting clients and hope to find a place where both can thrive as they compliment each other so well. Right now I am laying the foundations for that future.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Confidence, Empathy, and Grace. Let’s address those in reverse. Having grace for myself has been one of the most important personal skills I’ve needed to develop. I am a perfectionist and my own worst critic. As I grew my career, and simultaneously grew my family, I had to start extending myself grace. Being softer on myself as a recognition that I could not possibly be everything i wanted to be all at once. Everything has it’s time and it’s place. There are times where I’m hustling and busy and I order take out and have a messy house and there are times I say no and hit pause and let things slow down, coast, or drop off entirely. Grace is something we all deserve and offering it to myself is my self care. Empathy has been a key to my growth as a leader. In order to grow I think leadership is one of the top skills to learn. Empathy is a leadership superpower. I think vulnerability created connection and connection builds trust and ultimately trust is what I’ve found to be a great motivator. Lastly confidence. As a woman, a POC, I know I am often overlooked, misunderstood, or underestimated. However, I’ve never cared much what other people think about me, maybe to a fault. I know my worth, my talents, and skills, what I offer, and how much more I can do. That is what I lean into. I work side by side with a lot of men and I can go toe to toe if not mop the floor with them in many cases. My internal dialog is my cheerleader. “You’re here in a room full of men, doing the same work, while you’re also growing a human, growing a spinal cord and a brain stem.” “You’re in this room with men doing the same work, and you were up 4 times last night to feed a baby with your body and comfort your other children because you are their safe place.” “This man is explaining coffee to you but you hold a title of US Champion that this man will never.” I say these things in my head to keep my confidence high, offer myself grace when that confidence wavers, and lead with empathy because just like myself we all have life happening and what this life is actually about is connection.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

I started my business backwards to many of the clients I work with. I became an entrepreneur after growing my career in this industry, rather than starting young or new to it, and learning as you go. This gives me the benefit of feeling very confident in my skills and knowledge, saving me from making a lot of mistakes. However it also makes me impatient, restless, and potentially a bit too ambitious for the time being. We bought a profitable business, but are coming into it with very little working capitol, which means time is now our bank. We are required to sit on our hands and let things compound before we can make moves. I am thankful for this life lesson I am being forced into, as it is giving me time to focus on learning new skills, really focusing on the foundation, and leaning into areas of business and growth that don’t require capitol like building relationships, community, and developing our team and systems. I’m sort of sprucing things up in the room I’m “stuck” while I wait for the next doors to open.

Contact Info:

• Website: lailaghambari.com / guildercoffee.com
• Instagram: @lailaghambari
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lailaghambari/