None of my Business S2:E4 Derrick and Danielle Fleck

It is no secret that I adore Dutch Bros. coffee and am one of their loudest supporters. I have had the opportunity to work with Derrick and Danielle Fleck since the day they opened their shop in Ontario in November 2012 and their story is outstanding. From the outside looking in, it’s easy to say that Dutch Bros. franchises are easy to run and are successful right out of the gate. They do such a great job giving consistent, outstanding service that they make it look easy. It’s not easy. Waking up one day with a new business with 12 employees, in an area where you are the new coffee stand in town is an enormous challenge.

We talk about what it was like the first year and the challenges that came in the first year. They actually ran a coupon in the newspaper the first year. What’s a newspaper? They sold coffee at a pig show to get their brand out there. They did the right things to embed their business in their community.

We talk about what makes their culture special. Derrick says that you can buy a cup of coffee anywhere so what can our company do to make it unique. Each employee has a chance to be a part of 200 or more people’s lives every day. They talk about how a simple act of serving someone coffee can make a small difference that person’s life.

We discuss when it was time to expand. This is a tough decision for every business owner who has thoughts of growing. How do you know when the time is right? It’s an incredible expense to all of a sudden be running two businesses instead of one so the decision is a big one.

These are just a few of the topics we cover and I want to thank Derrick and Danielle for sitting down with me and sharing their story. I wish them all the success in the world.