Join the BIGGBY® Team! Check out current job postings!

The How of Business: The Entrepreneurship Journey with Mike McFall

Posted on August 1, 2022

Mike shares his tips and advice for starting and growing a small business, based on his over 23 years of entrepreneurship experience and co-founding BIGGBY Coffee.

Michael J. McFallis the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Biggby Coffee – a fast-growing $200-million-dollar coffee franchise with 300+ locations across the Midwest – and the author of “Grind: A No-BS Approach to Take Your Business from Concept to Cash Flow”.

Mike also teaches the “Finding Your Vision” class at the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship.

If Mike’s business philosophy can be distilled down to its essence, it would be this: Be brave. Be humble. Be thoughtful. Be aware of others. And be yourself. Mike lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

 

The Entrepreneurship Journey with Mike McFall:

Mike shares his journey at Biggby Coffee. Mike began his journey with Biggby Coffee as a minimum-wage barista at the original store in East Lansing in 1996. Over the span of 23 years, with business partner Bob Fish, he has helped create one of the great specialty coffee brands in America.
When did you know you wanted to be your own boss? Who were early entrepreneurial influences?
 
Why are you a business owner? What does it provide you?
 
Why did you write the book “Grind” and who is it for?
 
Due Diligence (“I want people to do hundreds of hours of due diligence.”) – How do you know when you have done enough due diligence?
 
What do you mean by “doing due diligence on yourself”?
 
What is the best advertisement money can’t buy?
 
Navigating The Great Resignation. Please explain how investing in employees can boost retention, and share the key ways to attract and retain top talent in your small business.
 
What are some of the characteristics of successful franchise small business owners. 
 
Episode Host: Henry Lopez is a serial entrepreneur, small business coach, and the host of this episode of The How of Business podcast show – dedicated to helping you start, run and grow your small business.

 

 

Previous Next

Recent posts

Letter From Mike McFall

Posted on November 26, 2025

It’s an honor that you’re considering joining the BIGGBY® family as a franchise owner. When I speak with potential franchise owners, there’s one quality that matters more than anything else to me: a people‑first orientation. In plain terms… do people genuinely bring you joy? If you look at our most successful franchise owners, they’ll all tell you the same thing: their favorite part of the business is the people. It’s the...

Read More

BIGGBY COFFEE named No 2 Best Coffee Chain in Nation by USA Today

Posted on November 12, 2025

BIGGBY® COFFEE Named No. 2 Best Coffee Chain in the Nation by USA Today The people have spoken — BIGGBY® COFFEE tops Starbucks, Dunkin’, Dutch Bros and Caribou in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. EAST LANSING, Mich. — BIGGBY® COFFEE, the 450-plus unit high-energy coffee franchise,  has officially been named the No. 2 Best Coffee Chain in the United States by USA Today’s10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The brand ranked...

Tags: ,

Read More