The Great Franchisee: Michelle Duncan-Wilson, BIGGBY® COFFEE, Clermont County, OH

Michelle Duncan-Wilson is no stranger to the coffee industry. The former barista and coffee shop manager built a career out of her love for java. Now, she’s leveraging her passion for coffee to open her own coffee shop with BIGGBY® COFFEE, the 10-plus-unit coffee franchise out of Cincinnati.

Duncan-Wilson was introduced to the fast-growing coffee franchise by a friend, a BIGGBY® owner who opened her second location just before the pandemic arrived last year. Duncan-Wilson was impressed with her friend’s success throughout 2020 and she says she saw in BIGGBY® a franchisor that cares about its franchisees and provides a wealth of support and resources when times get tough. So, she decided to become a franchisee herself.

Michelle Duncan-Wilson: I was in the coffee industry for 10 years. I started as a barista at 16; it was one of my first jobs. I eventually managed several different coffee shops in the area before BIGGBY*®* COFFEE came to town.

I stopped working 12 years ago when I started growing my family. Now that my kids are a bit older, I decided to start looking at different careers and investment opportunities. I was familiar with BIGGBY*®* COFFEE and decided to meet up with the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area representative, Shanna Novosel.

Duncan-Wilson: I didn’t look into any other franchise brands. I really wasn’t ever interested in opening a franchise. It was only after seeing my friend’s positive experience that made me want to do it. As for researching BIGGBY*®* COFFEE, I did a lot of online research to get a sense of the brand’s history. Throughout my research, I was really impressed with the company’s values and principles. I spoke with a few other franchise owners briefly, and I could tell that BIGGBY*®* COFFEE really supports their franchisees and cares about its people.

Duncan-Wilson: I felt confident in choosing BIGGBY*®* COFFEE after watching my friend’s success and doing my own research to get a sense of the brand. Everything about BIGGBY*®* COFFEE resonated with me. I’m most excited to start working with people again and start building relationships with customers, baristas and employees. I truly love connecting with people over coffee, and I’m thrilled that I get to provide that service.

Duncan-Wilson: Be sure that you are both mentally and financially prepared. There will be surprises along the way, but if you expect them, they won’t be so intimidating.

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.

BIGGBY® COFFEE’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® 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 more than 240 cafes across many states including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Florida.

In 2018, BIGGBY® launched an Area Representative Program and currently has 8 Area Representatives in 6 states.