Cairn Holdings
Articles, guides and notes from the team.
From the café
Sam Reyes, roastery manager, on the opening routine at Basecamp Roasters: the roster check, the three stations, the fridge log, and the one rule that stops service when two procedures disagree.
Sam Reyes · Roastery manager, Basecamp Roasters · · 4 min read
Know-how
Most of what a small business knows lives in one person. Cairn Holdings writes it down per business, holds the answer when two versions of a procedure disagree, and makes sure a ruling outlives the person who made it.
Avery Cairn · Owner, Cairn Holdings · · 4 min read
Hiring and training
A café, a podcast, a cabin business and an apparel shop have nothing in common except their owner. Here is how Cairn Holdings hires one good person for each, and trains them without pretending the trades are alike.
Avery Cairn · Owner, Cairn Holdings · · 4 min read
Owner review
Once a month Avery Cairn sits down with all ten businesses at once. Here is the order, the questions asked of each lane, and why the review reads sources rather than summaries.
Avery Cairn · Owner, Cairn Holdings · · 4 min read
Running the ten
Avery Cairn owns ten small businesses and works from one kitchen table. The method is not more hours. It is one inbox per business, one person accountable at each, and a morning that starts with whatever needs a decision.
Avery Cairn · Owner, Cairn Holdings · · 4 min read