DetroitSpartans Business Series: Bob Fish, Founder and CEO of Biggby Coffee
Welcome to the premiere of our DetroitSpartans Business Series. Join Bob Fish and the DetroitSpartans Community for some light snacks, conversation, and networking.
About Bob Fish
Bob Fish has created a successful coffee franchise. Bob paid for college by working at a local restaurant, and developed his love for the food service industry. Bob, who often goes by Biggby Bob now, started the first cafe in 1995, at 270 W. Grand River Ave in East Lan
Bob will share some of the stories and the innovative strategies he has implemented for Biggby. http://www.biggbybob.com/ About Bob:
My notes and thoughts:
- German born - traveled between Europe and Detroit in his youth
- Earned his degree in Hospitality Business from MSU
- Worked at a restaurant to help pay for school
- Opened satellite restaurant with help of owners
- Sold it and drove south, thinking
- Decided Specialty Coffee was his thing
- Drove to Seattle and studied all things coffee
- Business Plan - used local resources (studied at B&N Bookstore, sitting on the floor reading and taking notes, returning home to type up the plan)
- Each time he went to a bank with his plan, he took their feedback, revised the plan, and tried another bank
- Finally, "I don't understand this but I believe that you can do it." - The okay to move forward
- 1995 - doors opened at 270 W. Grand River Ave., East Lansing, MI
- a very very slow start - 4 customers an hour
- with hard work, positive attitude, and civic engagement business picked up within a few months
- 6 moths in, opened 2nd location in downtown Lansing
- 1998 Franchising started, sought guidance from Mary Ellen Sheets (who started '2 Men and a Truck')
- "You can do this" - she gave him permission to move forward
- 1999 first 2 franchises opened (a customer and an employee)
- the rest is history - now there are over 130 locations and by the end of 2011 there will be 158
- Biggby provided 2,000 jobs
- Also contributes to the economy in support of transportating goods, milk consumption, advertising, etc...
- Biggby is growing. while the average growth rate for similar businesses in MI is .5%, Biggby locations open for more than 13 months grow at 10.75% and the company wide average is greater still at 19.3% annual growth
Core Values that are evident to everyone that visits:
- Simplicity Through Systems - systems are teachable and work like glue to hold everything together, if you go to Biggby in Allen Park or Dallas, the coffee will be made via the same procedures. In order to grow, EVERYTHING must be systemitized.
- Top Line Driven - when you focus on the customer, they're more likely to come more often and to tell their friends. Raising prices and adding on can only go so far - customer service drives growth.
- Energy, Excitement, and Enthuiasm = Essential Entreprenurial Traits - energy includes stamina, intensity, and drive will a little something extra; excitement means that franchisers are animated, dramatic, and have hulabaloo; enthuiastic people believe in what they're doing and their enthuiasm is contagious
- Faith, Confidence, Courage ALWAYS - always be faithful, hold onto truth, assurance, and belief; self reliance with spirit and certainity is evidence of confidence - confidence is a choice that only you can make, its all up to you; courage means that you'll do something, move forward even if you're afraid, ignore your fears to move forward
- Long Term Sustainibility Through Profitibility - choose to be profitible, set aside profit as if it were personal savings BEFORE spending on bills, etc then cut corners as needed to fit within the budget - don't compromise the profit (set reasonable amounts)
- Engage Community - when the going gets tough, the tough get going - go out into the community and participate in volunteering opportunities, clubs, merchant meetings, churches, sports, etc... when you live and play in the community they know and become familiar with you and your brand. when you invest in the community, the return is ten-fold
- Dedication, Dependibility, Desire - desire is wanting to have something or to improve what you have but desire alone doesn't get anything done; dedication is desire in action - single minded, inherent committment to show up and be there no matter what; dependibility across the board means that you're there for family, consumers, staff, vendors, etc... These 3-Ds must run deep and be purposeful in order to achieve success
Have fun, B Happy, Make Friends, Love People, Drink Great Coffee
Lauren
Stephanie & my sister
my thoughts:
My friends Stephanie and Lauren introduced me to Beaners (now Biggby) (Haggadorn and Grand River location) for my very first cup up coffee (Tall Sugar Bear) during the first week of Freshman year at Michigan State in 2001. I fell hard and fast in love at first sip. The service was great, I remember making small talk with the baristas and felling all warm and fuzzy inside. Throughout my college career at MSU, I frequently studied at the various locations around campus. The three of us began keeping our cups and labeling them with the date and drink of choice on the bottom. I remember that we stacked them in our window as part of the decor. My love for coffee grew so much that Junior year, I began hosting "coffee nite" in my dorm room (McDonel Residence Hall) Tuesdays from 6-10pm and won an "Outstanding Resident" award from Student Life. Senior year I studied abroad in Egypt and craved good coffee. I found something close (kinda) that sufficed until I returned home. I was super excited when Biggby opened in Brighton (at the time I worked overnight logistics at Target and would stop at Biggby on my way home from work) again excited when the WSU location opened I was more than overjoyed and walked there from work (College for Creative Studies) frequently for lunch. Now I'm waiting for a location to open in New Center :D
Lauren
Stephanie & my sisterMy friends Stephanie and Lauren introduced me to Beaners (now Biggby) (Haggadorn and Grand River location) for my very first cup up coffee (Tall Sugar Bear) during the first week of Freshman year at Michigan State in 2001. I fell hard and fast in love at first sip. The service was great, I remember making small talk with the baristas and felling all warm and fuzzy inside. Throughout my college career at MSU, I frequently studied at the various locations around campus. The three of us began keeping our cups and labeling them with the date and drink of choice on the bottom. I remember that we stacked them in our window as part of the decor. My love for coffee grew so much that Junior year, I began hosting "coffee nite" in my dorm room (McDonel Residence Hall) Tuesdays from 6-10pm and won an "Outstanding Resident" award from Student Life. Senior year I studied abroad in Egypt and craved good coffee. I found something close (kinda) that sufficed until I returned home. I was super excited when Biggby opened in Brighton (at the time I worked overnight logistics at Target and would stop at Biggby on my way home from work) again excited when the WSU location opened I was more than overjoyed and walked there from work (College for Creative Studies) frequently for lunch. Now I'm waiting for a location to open in New Center :D
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