Don and Linda Eckles faced initial financial hurdles when they couldn't secure a bank loan, leading them to borrow $40,000 from friends and family to establish a coffee kiosk in Omaha, Nebraska. They worked tirelessly for the first four months at their 650-square-foot location, which was a remodeled Chinese restaurant. After reaching a break-even point, they expanded to a second location and later borrowed $150,000 to build two more kiosks at a nearby mall, nearly facing bankruptcy due to high construction costs. In 2001, they began franchising at the request of friends and customers, and over the next 25 years, Scooter's Coffee grew to 912 locations across 32 states. The franchise model proved to be exceptionally profitable, with the company achieving $859 million in sales last year and an estimated 62.5% net margin for the Eckles' holding company. Despite receiving a buyout offer of $1 billion, the Eckles decided to retain ownership of their successful brand.