Wednesday, February 13, 2013

AN IDENTIFIABLY UNIQUE CULTURE


As CEO of BIGGBY® COFFEE, it is my responsibility to make sure the culture in our company is well-defined. That definition has to make sense to the consumer, the franchisee, the employees, and to all the other people we effect daily in our great system.

If you follow me on social media, you will often see me talking about our culture with these words: “B happy, have fun, make friends, love people, and drink great coffee.” Although this sounds a little new-age, it is really pretty simple. We are in the retail business, and the idea of being happy and having fun means you are a person who likes to smile and you enjoy life. Making friends? That’s simple! When we meet people, we treat them like friends and because of this, they become our customers. Love people? If you are a grumpy person and do not really enjoy interacting with others, you probably do not belong in retail. And last, drink great coffee goes without saying! You have to truly love and admire the product you are selling. Knowing and communicating our culture has been an intricate part of our success.

I always hear our customers saying, “You have the friendliest people in your stores,” and I could not agree more. However, I think it is important to ask yourself, how does such a “soft” idea, like cultural values, translate into business success? Well, here are a few statistics to help answer that question. Our same-store-sales growth (growth for locations open for more than 13 months) has been positive for 38 consecutive months, with an 8.5 percent average monthly growth rate. These are numbers that exceed the quick service restaurant industry both regionally and nationally. Also, Franchise Business Review has ranked (through franchisee surveys) BIGGBY® COFFEE as a Top 40 Food Franchise once again! Additionally, in their 2013 edition, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked BIGGBY® COFFEE number 201 in their Top 500 Franchise Opportunities, which includes concepts across all industries in the nation. In 2012, on this same list, BIGGBY® COFFEE was ranked number 268, and in 2010, we were ranked number 387. Our customers, our franchisees, and our peers, are all ranking us higher and higher, and acknowledging that we are continuously growing.

BIGGBY® COFFEE is a serious company when it comes to performance and it is all wrapped up in a culture that is identifiably unique. This cultural identity is so strong that we have conquered many competitors, who have never understood why. I can tell you though, it is simple; you just have to B happy, have fun, make friends, love people, and drink great coffee!

7 comments:

Bubba said...

I dig Biggby's culture, Bob. But I don't find it to be 'new-agey' at all; it's just a straight-forward, positive message.

I'm still hoping somebody will open up a Biggby store closer to my house (I live in Westland @ Inkster Rd & Warren), because there are a few empty businesses that would make ideal locations.

(I'd even be willing to manage it if they chose the one on my block!)

Keep up the good work, Bob!

William G. said...

Hi Bob! My name is William and I am a student at K college.

I know this is not the best way to contact you but it's the only one I found.

I found a major flaw on the Bigbby system. I have tried to contact the company through the website but I have not heard anything back yet.
Any chance I could get in touch with you or anyone?

Anonymous said...

I live in defiance Ohio you have a store located there. I love your company
I applyied to work at the defiance branch. The only problems is I have a balance issue that if I work there I would have trouble with my balance. Is therw a chance I can work there doing something at your company that wont effect my balance ( I so have a birth defect called cerebral palsy. I am willing to work for your company I will just need help as far as finding things that don't effect my balance if I work for your company. I hope you have woke advice. Feel free to e-mail me at:jacobschlosser17@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Bob,

Keep up the good work. I have a fantastic marketing idea if you are interested in hearing it. Email me @ meinkeonline@gmail.com

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