Lisa Guerrero knew she was ready to get back into the business world. She just wasn’t sure how to go about it. After taking a break from full-time work to dedicate herself to raising her son, she found herself itching to get back in the game. Lisa’s journey ultimately led her to Scooter’s Coffee®. Now she’s bringing the first Scooter’s Coffee location to the Houston, Texas, area.
“That’s what makes this story interesting,” she says.
The Dallas native moved to Houston with her husband when they were both in their mid-20s to pursue new career opportunities. She transferred to Houston as a sales manager before taking on a district manager role with one of her largest customers. Her success quickly led to her being recruited by a competitor. It was with this employer that Lisa says she got her first taste of how to successfully open new businesses. Guerrero opened 11 stores before deciding her family needed to be her top priority.
“I left a big career, and I went through an identity crisis,” she says. “Going from a busy career woman to a stay-at-home mom overnight was very hard. It was a big transition. My grandmother always told me that you need to raise your own kids. It always stuck in my head. It’s the hardest job I ever had.”
Lisa wasn’t content to let a string of nannies raise her child while she missed out on precious moments like his first steps.
“I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for the last 12 years. I was still in the salon industry, and I found myself not being able to experience all his firsts. I waited until I was 37 years old to have this child, and I’m missing everything.”
Once her child hit his teenage years, Lisa knew she was ready to get back into the workforce. The first thing she did was focus on what she loved.
“I asked myself, ‘What can I do?’ I asked myself, ‘What do I enjoy doing?’ she says. “I love going and having coffee and meeting my friends and love to socialize and love that atmosphere.”
After deciding her region was in a position to support a new coffee franchise, Lisa began her research. She says that the personal attention she received from Scooter’s Coffee played a big part in her decision.
“I called a few places, and I ended up speaking to people that weren’t with the franchise. You’d look up the franchise and call the people and you’d get a consultant that’s not even affiliated with the organization,” she says.
“When I called Scooter’s, I left a message and I got a call back directly from Scooter’s.”
She found herself impressed during the call by the selectiveness and care shown by Scooter’s Coffee.
“They wanted to vet me, and that impressed me,” says Lisa. “I don’t want just any Joe Schmo to be able to open up a store around me. We’re all the same company to the customer. If they have a bad experience at another store it’s going to reflect on me.”
Lisa says another deciding factor was falling in love with the quality of the amazing products at Scooter’s Coffee.
“I had never tasted their coffee before I went there,” says Lisa. “They roast everything there at the corporate office, and it’s just incredible quality. I hope that when we open up that our customers will be able to tell instantly what goes into this.”
For Scooter’s Coffee, Lisa went beyond the ideal example of the passion and perseverance they look for in a franchisee.
Lisa also aligned perfectly with the company’s values. As its first Hispanic franchisee, Lisa is a reflection of Scooter’s commitment to diversity.
“Scooter’s told me that my husband and I will be their first Hispanic franchisees. They want to diversify,” she says. “I’m from Dallas born and raised, my husband also. My husband’s family is from Monterrey, Mexico, and he’s a first-generation American. My family is a little more diverse than his. My grandmother is from Cuba, and my grandfather was the consul before Castro when she met him there. People say she’s the first Cuban who ever moved to Texas, because she came here before Castro.”
As the first Scooter’s Coffee location in the Houston metro area, Lisa says that she sees a need for drive-thru coffee and that she is looking to fill that void. For Lisa, starting a Scooter’s Coffee franchise was about much more than a business decision, it was about starting a new chapter.
“I’m not choosing Scooter’s just for the money,” she says. “I’m choosing it because I want to change my lifestyle.”
