The Mountain Mudd business plan, circa 1994? Well, it's a little different.
If you're Brenda Burkhartsmeier, step one is leave your successful sales position. Step two: team up with your sister-in-law, Louise Burkhartsmeier (they hardly knew one another at the time), with the idea of opening a drive-through coffee kiosk. Step three: raise capital. That means sell your five-year old Nissan Sentra. Cash out your 401(k) and your life insurance policy. Step four: build the first kiosk with your husband, Dennis Burkhartsmeier, in a friend's garage and go into operation St. Patrick's Day. Of course, if you love what you do, staff the store 12 hours a day, shop for supplies and service the kiosk seven days a week and do this for the first nine months.
Now fast forward to today. The offbeat company with the non-traditional start is the nation's largest drive-through coffee kiosk retailer. Presently, Mountain Mudd has stores in 21 states and attracts their share of attention. So much attention that many other companies flatter this innovative company by imitation. This innovation, drive, and determination has now launched a National Expansion of a Franchised business model.
See "Own Your Own" for details.
In October of 2006, Mountain Mudd formed a joint venture with CHS Inc., a Fortune 200 company and the nation's most admired company as named by Fortune magazine, to bring this delicious concept to your hometown.
