DASH Cakes owner transforms first jobs for young hospitality workers
Carmen Connell built a thriving cafe by offering her young team personal development training instead of just shift work.
Carmen Connell left the corporate world to start DASH Cakes in the NSW Border region. She turned the cafe into one of the area's trendiest businesses.
With more than 20 staff across two locations, she made staff development a priority, especially for young women in hospitality. Unlike typical cafe jobs where workers clock in and out, Connell's team gets regular training and goal-setting sessions.
Many of her young staff had never done goal-setting work before. She redefines what young people can expect from a first job.
Connell draws on her own start at age 14 in a Tocumwal bakery making five dollars an hour. She will speak at TEDxAlbury in November about her approach, titled "They didn't come for the coffee", explaining why investment in people makes her business stand out.
- 20+ across 2 locations
- Staff across locations
- Five dollars an hour
- Connell's first job wage
- NSW Border region
- Location
- November
- TEDxAlbury speech timing
Why it mattersHer model shows hospitality businesses can attract and keep young workers by treating their first job as a stepping stone, not a dead end.
AustraliaIn a region where hospitality operators struggle to retain staff, Connell's approach offers a practical alternative to high turnover and training costs.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
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