Bad Ass of the Month: Richard and Michelle Lee

Families lift each other up. We’re excited to shine the spotlight on some of our franchisors and give them the chance to tell their story about being a Bad Ass.

When the Lees decided to start their own business, they knew that franchising was the way they wanted to go. Both children of entrepreneurs, they wanted the chance to build something that was their own, while gaining the support and mentorship of a franchise family.

Q: When did you get started with Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii?

Richard Lee: We signed the franchise agreement in April 2021. It was kind of a right time, right place situation. Michelle was working as an office manager at a dental office, and her boss was getting ready to retire. I’d actually gotten a mailer from Bad Ass recently – I work in real estate.

Both of our parents were entrepreneurs, and I asked her, ‘Hey Michelle, what do you think about managing something of our own?’ And that kind of spurred the discussion and led to a meeting with Scott and his team.

Q: Why did you decide to go the franchising route instead of starting your own company?

Richard: We have some friends who are local coffee roasters, and they actually asked us the same thing. But we said, ‘No, we don’t want to run a business how our parents did.’ With franchising, if you find the right fit with the people and the culture, you can really leverage their systems and learn from them and grow together. It was that aspect and the sense of community that came with it that won us over. Oh – and the cold brew. Michelle was a big fan!

Q: How many Bad Ass locations do you currently run?

Richard: We signed an agreement to open a minimum of three stores. Once we understood the products and had met with Scott and some of the other team members, we developed this kind of ‘go big or go home’ mindset. We figured if we were going to grow, why not grow together? And so, we might as well scale while we’re at it. We opened our first location in Alexandria, Virginia and are working on opening our second one in Arlington. The third location has yet to be determined.

Q: What is one of your favorite things about franchising with Bad Ass Coffee?

Richard: Hands down, the culture. You hear a lot about the Aloha Spirit and the ohana vibes, but they truly mean it. It’s not just a marketing ploy; it’s something they’ve worked to ingrain into the business from the top down. We feel supported. We feel like if we need to reach out to someone, they’ll respond. It really feels like we’re a part of something.

Michelle: And I’ll add to that, there was an element of humbleness when we first started talking with Scott and the team. They acknowledged that they’re not perfect and were really receptive to feedback. They wanted to encourage owners to feel comfortable speaking out and make suggestions. I’d say with larger companies, bigger franchises, you might not have that flexibility or adaptability.

Q: What about your own stores? What has it been like working with your team and within the community?

Michelle: Well, I’m there almost every day. I handle the front-end operations, and Richard does more of the backend. But I check in with my managers and shift leads every day. I tell them they can always call me if someone is out or if anything happens. One thing we wanted to make sure we did was to instill that same sense of togetherness, of openness that Scott and his team have with us into our own team. That’s a big part of what makes the whole thing work.

As for the community, we get our share of regulars for sure. I know a number of customers on a first name basis. We also have developed relationships with other businesses in the area. For instance, there is a yoga studio right across from us, and I also teach yoga, but we’ve done things like offer free tastings to students and teachers. Last year we partnered with the National Science Foundation, which is also across the street, to come in and give a monthly presentation on a different topic. Just something to bring people together, meet people with common interests.

 Q: Last question – what is your favorite Bad Ass Coffee beverage?

Michelle: Definitely the cold brew!

Richard: 100% Maui Mokka!

Don’t forget to check back in to learn about out next Bad Ass of the Month!