Creating
Fanatics
What
is a coffee fanatic?
A coffee fanatic is the one who’s first thought in the
morning is “I got to have my coffee”
Entrepreneurs are the backbone of our economy and our country. Entrepreneurs are the propagators and protectors of
freedom. Entrepreneurs are the builders of communities. In times of uncertainty
true entrepreneurs take calculated risks with decisiveness and certainty that they will
succeed. When everyone steps on the breaks waiting for things to get better,
entrepreneurs step on the gas and go. Meet Charles
Solano, the owner of a new Biggby Coffee in town. His store is located on
1125 E Michigan Ave, Battle Creek, MI 49014. Charles went from a corporate employee to an
entrepreneur who knows that the greatest risk of all is not to taking a
risk. He took his life savings to become the owner and operator of a Biggby
coffee store in our community. When talking with Charles you can see the fire in him and the
determination of his spirit. As a coffee drinker, I know that coffee can do
that to you; besides the fact that entrepreneurship and coffee go hand in hand.
Charles invited me for a cup of coffee, a delicious latte, at his new store and what a great
experience that was. The coffee was amazing and the conversation with him
equally stimulating. Here is what Charles had to say about his business and his
immaculate store.
The
Biggby mission is to create one new coffee fanatic per day per store who will
actively promote us to others. Here is
how we do it a Biggby:
1. Company
History. Biggby Coffee is a Michigan
based company that started in E. Lansing Michigan back in 1995. Biggby Coffee
is the dominant gourmet coffee in Michigan, and is also currently in 9 other
states.
2.
The culture.
Be Happy, Have Fun, Make Friends, Love People, & Drink Great Coffee.
3. The
Business. Operating Philosophy (summarize
by the acronym PERC)
a. Perception by customers that we respect their time and move them
as quickly as possible
b. Every Customer leaves the store in a better mood than when
the customer arrived
c. Recognize each customer as an individual
d. Consistently produce a high quality beverage.
4. The Store. Biggby Coffee – Store 476, Battle Creek, E. Michigan
Ave. I truly believe in the system & operating philosophy at Biggby! If you
follow it, I am confident that it will prove successful! The product is great and the high energy
& friendliness of the barista’s is what always caught my attention in
stores! I would like my store to follow
suit in this philosophy and give the customer’s a high caliber VIP experience
upon every visit!
5. The
Products. Biggby Coffee offers six
special coffees daily. All beans are
100% Arabic and vigilantly roasted at Paramount Coffee in Lansing, MI. Biggby Coffee is much more than just
coffee. We also offer excellent frozen
smoothies, tea lattes, and several flavors hot chocolates. Any of our famous lattes, teas, and hot
chocolates are available hot, iced, or frozen.
Biggby Coffee also offers several varieties of bagels and muffins. Our bagel sandwiches are toasted bagels with
cheddar, Havarti, or Swiss cheeses with turkey or ham and crème cheese. They are delicious!
6. The
community. Community involvement is a
big part of Biggby Coffee, and a big part of my store! So far we have sponsored
local churches; local youth baseball, the Battle Creek Police Department, the
Battle Creek Community Foundation, local school events, and we are always
looking for more!
7. The
Development of People. A big part of
the reason for being an entrepreneur that is important & exciting to me is
getting a chance to develop the younger generation just getting started in
life, or early in their young adulthood.
Many of our customer’s here at Biggby Coffee are professionals within
the community, and encourage our baristas to actively engage in conversation
with our customers. I encourage our
baristas to learn our regular’s names, learn where they work, and jump at any
opportunity to network with our customers.
I would be sad to see any of them go, but life is about networking,
meeting new people, and developing skills throughout life.
If
you have not been on his store, go and you will have an amazing experience. You
will be greeted with a smile that can make your day, let alone the coffee jolt
you will have along with that irresistible bagel!
Please share with others; our community will
be a better place because you did it.
Thank
you for reading and reflecting on today’s story.
Be blessed and be a
blessing to others
Carlos Fontana
Author of the book Priceless, Co-author of the
book Follow to Lead
"The future
belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are
obvious."
"Those that take
swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust."
