After Mike Lorrain had a conversation with Scooter’s Coffee’s VP of Marketing to try and propose the coffee chain’s running offers on the mobile application company he worked for, Lorrain felt intrigued.
He liked Scooter’s business model and premise on operationally and the company’s morals.
“Their moral compass on integrity, humility, and just building amazing products and hiring amazing people,” he told What Now. “It caught my attention, and I came back home after my meeting and said we got to look deeper into this.”
Lorrain and his wife Hilary had already been discussing the idea of franchising with family friends Aaron and Mary Joyce. Scooter’s coffee brand seemed the perfect opportunity to build long-term legacies.
“When I presented the idea to Aaron, we both agreed that coffee was just an awesome thing to get into,” Lorrain said. “The market is so large, and the opportunities are so large.”
“Ultimately, it aligns perfectly with what we were trying to accomplish when we wanted to initially invest in a franchise,” he continued.
The Lorrains and Joyces have now signed a three-unit franchise agreement with Scooter’s Coffee to build three kiosk locations. The two couples have since formed JoLo Enterprises.
“What we hope to do is convey the Scooter story to the people in the neighborhood,” Lorrain said. “We want to let people know that it is small business ownership. It’s a locally owned enterprise that we want people to engage and it’s not just another mom-and-pop coffee shop. Those brands are strong in their own right.”
Lorrain said the first location would likely be somewhere on Gallatin Road, East Nashville area. The other two sites have yet to be determined.
He added that East Nashville has good traffic flow and is within the heart of the city.
“Aside that this is our first project, we’re really excited about working with team,” Lorrain said. “Working with the Scooter’s team has been phenomenal. They have a very good perspective on how to manage expectations and how to ease owners into the process of starting their own business.”
