Registered Nurse and Accountant Bring Joy to Wickliffe, OH with BIGGBY® COFFEE Franchise

Brittany Martin and Michael Dues are combining their passions for coffee and real estate by opening their own BIGGBY® COFFEE franchise location in Wickliffe, Ohio. 

Martin is a registered nurse and previously worked as a traveling nurse throughout Ohio and Michigan until she and Dues had a baby nearly two years ago. During her travels, she frequently visited different BIGGBY® COFFEE locations and fell in love with the brand’s joyful mission of supporting their customers’ desires to build a life they love. Although Martin has a passion for providing care to those who need it, she is looking forward to pouring some of her energy into an environment that feels a bit lighter and happier, as nursing can be quite stressful. 

With an entrepreneurial spirit, Dues enjoys dabbling in real estate, along with his career in accounting. In fact, he purchased the commercial property that is now to be the couple’s own BIGGBY® COFFEE franchise. 

They plan to open on December 12, 2023 and look forward to providing customers with a welcoming environment and, of course, lots of coffee.

1851 Franchise spoke with the pair about their journey into franchising and their plans for the future. 

PROFILE QUESTIONS

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Martin: I am actually a registered nurse and have done travel nursing throughout Ohio and Michigan. As I traveled around, I often found myself at a BIGGBY® COFFEE. 

Michael is an accountant, but he is also into entrepreneurship and does real estate. As a part of those passions, he purchased a commercial building to create an avenue for entrepreneurship. Since I visited BIGGBY® so frequently and loved the brand, we decided to visit the location near where we live and look into franchising. 

I love the culture of BIGGBY®, and with me being a nurse and Michael being so busy, we drown ourselves in coffee on a daily basis.

Dues: Being an accountant is my full-time job, but I'm looking to transition and move away from that field and just focus more on our franchise and the real estate industry. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Dues: At first, the process seemed to contain a lot of steps. I thought of it as a little stressful, but it can actually be fun. There is a good training process in place; the beginning of any franchise experience is rough when you’re first getting off the ground because of the financial burden and amount of hurdles, but once you’re past that first stage, it gets pretty exciting. 

Martin: The excitement starts to build when you see things coming together. The good thing about franchising is the support we have from the franchisor. This definitely made it easier for us because we had assistance and resources. The support system is really significant in the process.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Martin: I am looking forward to the change because being a RN can be stressful, and the environment contains a lot of pressure. The culture of BIGGBY® that portrays happiness is a different atmosphere. It’s a lot lighter and more joyful and welcoming. Our mission statement is “we exist to support you in building the life you love,” and I love that mentality. 

Healthcare and taking care of people is still a passion of mine and I still do nursing part time, but this is a welcome shift for me. 

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Martin: We first hope to get it open as soon as we can. 

Dues: Other franchisees have had success with opening up multiple locations after their first takes off, so we hope we have a similar experience. 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Martin: We are proud to be some of the first black franchise owners with BIGGBY® in our area. We are diversifying the representation in the franchise space as minorities, which we think is really important.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Martin: Do your research, and become aware of your financial situation. You need to build the stability to be able to invest both your time and money into the business if you want to set yourself up for success. Michael always says find solutions, not problems, and that is something he is really good at. 

Dues: It takes a lot of patience because there will be setbacks, so just be prepared to be patient. 

About The BIGGBY® COFFEE Franchise

BIGGBY® COFFEE, based in East Lansing, Mich., was started with a single store on March 15, 1995. One year later, and on the cusp of opening a second location, Bob Fish and Michael McFall, on a handshake and $4,000, decided to franchise the concept. The brand’s cultural values of Make Friends, Have Fun, B Yourself and Share Great Coffee help coffee lovers and the coffee-curious alike benefit from a less pretentious and fun approach to the standard gourmet cafe paradigm. Besides connoisseur-worthy drinks with names like Teddy Bear® and Caramel Marvel®, BIGGBY® COFFEE baristas provide a unique experience focused on brightening their customers’ day and supporting them in building a life they love. The “Big ‘B’” on the orange background caught on, and today BIGGBY® COFFEE has 375 cafes across many states, including Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Idaho, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida.