Two Indiana Couples Team Up to Open New BIGGBY® Coffee Location Late June 2023

For the Sullivans and Echeverrias, business ownership has never been off the table. However, with each couple having three children and all four parents in established positions, the prospect seemed nearly impossible to do alone. After visiting and having a great experience at a BIGGBY® COFFEE location down the road from Mario’s work, Catherine began to consider how the BIGGBY® name could possibly fit into her entrepreneurial journey.

After weighing the options, Catherine decided BIGGBY® Coffee would be the fit for her, and when the Echeverrias said they’d join the team, everything fell into place. Now, the team of four is preparing to open their BIGGBY® Coffee location at 8359 Indianapolis Blvd, Suite 12, Highland, Indiana on June 27, and they all agree the process has been made far more attainable with the help of multiple partners.

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

Rick: I currently work in the investment industry. I was here just to kind of support America’s idea. I worked in banking and finance, so a lot of this made sense to me, and being independent of corporate America is nice. One of the big things about BIGGBY® is that they give back to the community, which is something I like to do. I currently coach softball and baseball, and this will be another way.

America: I work as a secretary at a school. I’ve been there for 15 years, so we really came along with BIGGBY® because of Catherine. I honestly had no idea about the brand, but she kept mentioning opening up this coffee shop. I just thought it’d be a little coffee store where she could bake and make coffee — I didn’t know it was a franchise.

After Rick’s mom had passed away and we were on lockdown, I kind of just had this aha moment. We decided to see if Catherine and Mario wanted to do this coffee thing together. The more information we found, the more we thought, “Sure, why not?” It seemed doable… something we could handle financially. We decided to take a leap of faith and trust Catherine in her dreams.

Catherine: First and foremost, I’m a mother of three and have been married for almost 13 years. I actually went to culinary school and thought that was going to be my career path, but when I ended up getting married and having kids, things changed. I was coaching gymnastics in the meantime, but I never thought that’d be my life’s career. 

Our youngest is almost eight, so I started thinking I’d look into what I wanted to do long-term. We honestly fell into BIGGBY®; my husband worked down the street from one, and we happened to go in one day. We liked it — the atmosphere, the beverages. I looked it up, did some research and came across the franchise opportunity. I thought, “Why not?” So I filled out the application, and someone contacted me. All of this happened around COVID, so we put everything on hold for a while. Rick and America had kind of been talking about different things, but they had never even heard of BIGGBY®. It was really kind of random, but once we talked to everybody at BIGGBY®, it was such a wonderful group of people, the support system was so strong and we fell in love with everything behind the brand.

Mario: As a senior planner of a steel manufacturing company, I manage the movement of automotive material in and out of a steel mill, as well as planning and scheduling.  I am also a Staff Sergeant in the Air National Guard, where I have served 2 deployments in Kuwait.  With our kids being involved in sports, I also started volunteering as a football coach for Pop Warner about 3 years ago. Coaching and sports are something that I have always had a passion for and now, not only am I able to spend that time with my kids, but also support other kids in their love of sport. As far as BIGGBY is concerned, I am here to support my wife in this venture, as I know how committed and excited she is about Biggby. Cate has held down the fort as I pursued the Air Force and my career, and now I am ready to do the same for her so she can start this business.

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?

Rick: I had looked into franchising before — back in college. I don’t think I had a perception per se, but I know now that once you get going, there’s a lot more work than you would expect. That said, it’s very supportive in the sense that the playbook is laid out for you, and you just have to put in the work.

America: I didn't really have an idea of what to expect. Once we got into it, of course, it was a lot of work. We started thinking about how (or if) we could have done it just on our own. As a group, we work really well, and coming together to work as a team really helps.

It does take a lot of time in the beginning, and you also need to have that financial stability. Having each other has really helped overall.

Catherine: My parents opened a Curves Fitness for Women about 20 years ago now, so I kind of saw that process. I saw my mom being a stay-at-home mom to six kids, and that business was something that she got to do for herself. I saw her journey through that and how much it fulfilled her to be able to have her own business and be a part of her community. Outside of that, this is all kind of new to us.

It’s definitely more than we anticipated, but at the same time, you do kind of prepare yourself to take on a lot when you’re opening a business. With the support of BIGGBY® and our area rep, they’ve been so helpful through every step. 

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

Rick: We had all tried BIGGBY® prior to investing. We go to Michigan often, and there’s one BIGGBY® location in particular that we go to. The entry point — the lower initial investment — was also appealing to me.

America: What excited me most was that BIGGBY® is different. People know about it, but I’m excited to show them that we’re not just a regular franchise. We like to get involved with the community, and I’m excited for that part. I’m excited to put our name out there and give back. That’s one thing that I feel like I’ve seen that BIGGBY® talks a lot about, and it’s very important to us.

Catherine: Giving back was a huge selling point for me. Hearing the story of Bob Fish and his wife, and the journey that they’re on, was really inspiring. They have a goal to support coffee farmers, and that goes a little deeper than your local community. That was definitely something that was really cool for me to hear. I look forward to being a part of that and the opportunity to be involved in our local community and beyond.

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

Rick: I’m really excited to get this first one open. Multiple units could be a possibility, but I don’t want to get to the point where we lose sight of the purpose. I think once you get to a certain level of success, you may have more time to partake in local events and give back using your time.

America: We’re taking everything one step at a time, but I really do see us succeeding. I think we’re going to go above and beyond what we expect, and I’m really excited to get the location open.

Catherine: We’re just ready to open this first one. It’s been a journey. We purchased the franchise about two years ago and signed a lease about a year ago. Now, it’s been a full two years, so we’re just excited and ready to open. Personally, I think it’d be cool to have a couple, but we have to see what happens with this one.

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

Rick: I think the four of us coming into this together is a really compelling story. Speaking for myself and America, we didn’t have much growing up. We had large families. I lived in a single-parent household. Not coming from much, this will be a nice success story.

America: The fact that there are four of us and we all come from different backgrounds is pretty cool. You can draw different ethnicities, nationalities and backgrounds from just the four of us. We’re a sort of melting pot, and we bring a lot to the table.

Catherine: We are just two families that are trying to do something bigger than ourselves and hopefully have something for our kids. We’re really just everyday families doing the best we can to support ourselves and the community.

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

America: Be prepared to work hard. That goes for anything; if you want to be successful at whatever you do, you have to give 100%. The more you give back, the more you’ll get in return.

Also, don’t just think that franchising is a money handoff. You have to put in the sweat and tears, too. As long as you’re working hard, you’ll see the return.

Catherine: Make sure that you have the support system. I don’t think we would’ve been able to do this individually, and having the support system of each other is so important.

As far as franchising, BIGGBY® has been really supportive. Our area rep, Tara, and her team, and everyone else we’ve met through BIGGBY®, have been great. Tara has told us many times to trust the process and be patient, and that’s true, but you also need to be ready to put a lot into it.

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 350-plus cafes across many states, including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Idaho, Georgia and Florida.