Kristen Williams-Haseotes bought a “Bad Ass” coffee and made it the brand's top performing spot. It is now on track to bring in at least $1.8 million in revenue by 2024. How? She knew nothing about the coffee business, but she understood the importance of communityand how it gives meaning to places.
Haseotes used to run a home for ex-offenders re-entering the community and then worked in community development at a bank. In 2019, while living in Naples, Florida, she was a regular at the bar Bad Hawaiian coffeeMe, because she loved the sense of community there: “It's where everyone came and sat together and had a cup of coffee,” she says—from local electricians and landscapers to millionaires and billionaires. But the location was difficult, with an income of only $430,000 a year. So she bought it. Here's what she did next.
Related: Why you should buy a franchise instead of starting your own
1. Promote from within.
Haseotes hired some new staff, but also got to know existing team members and looked for outstanding potential. One bartender in particular, Daniel Guimond, seemed ready for a big promotion—so she made him a manager. “That made all the difference. My advice is to look around and see who does the work and exceeds expectations. That's who deserves a shot.”
2. See the biggest opportunity.
Haseotes had a chance to expand into the adjacent space. This made little financial sense – twice the rent, but no ability to expand the menu (due to a parking and zoning issue). But for Haseotes, her shop wasn't really about coffee. It was about the community – and the new space can host music, lectures and more.
3. Always promote links.
Haseotes had to close for shop renovations, but during that time she offered free coffee to customers outside. And after a hurricane, she took free coffee to first responders. “We didn't want people to go somewhere else. It's about routine,” she says. “I paid the staff. But with the tip, we gave that money to charity. When people gave, they gave generously.”
Advice from the Franchisor
Don't let the big changes distract you business basicssays Bad Ass Coffee by Hawaii CEO Scott Snyder. For example, the franchise was purchased the same year Haseotes bought the Naples location — and the new owner launched a total redesign of the brand soon after. But Haseotes knew she had to iron out the basics before the aesthetics.
She was laser-focused on “inventory, having equipment that works and following the guidelines that we were setting,” Snyder says. And it worked. “She nearly doubled the size of the store in the first year without making any major design changes.”