Billy and Kailey Moore wanted to start their own franchise business without having to leave their beloved community of Tomball in Harris County, Texas. Their search for the right fit led them to open an HTeaO, which offers freshly brewed tea hourly and features 22 flavors of the best Texas-style iced tea. Billy and Kailey opened HTeaO Tomball in early 2021 with full in-store and drive-thru service. The location has its own distinct suburban Texas atmosphere, and they take pride in operating a family business that offers an alternative to the typical coffee chain, with all-natural and healthy products. In today’s episode, they offer some insight into their entrepreneurship journey and how it led them to an HTeaO franchise. You’ll also hear what sets them apart from other tea shops, including their focus on community connections and how they give back to their employees. Additionally, we touch on the challenges of starting a business during COVID, the importance of mentorship, Billy and Kailey’s aspirations for expanding their operations, plus so much more! Join us for an engaging and uplifting conversation with Billy and Kailey Moore of HTeaO Tomball!Key Points From This Episode:
- Billy and Kailey share their favorite tea flavors: unsweet peach ginger and coconut chai.
- Why the unsweet teas are just as delicious as their sweet counterparts.
- Kailey shares how she and Billy found their way into entrepreneurship and franchising.
- Find out how Billy and Kailey diverged into HTeaO rather than another franchise.
- Why Kailey believes that it’s not about the register; it’s about community connections.
- Deciding on flavors based on feedback between corporate and individual stores.
- The challenges Billy and Kailey faced when starting a business during COVID.
- Billy and Kailey reflect on some of their best and worst customer stories.
- Kailey’s thoughts on why you should choose HTeaO: “Because we care.”
- How HTeaO Tomball gives back to the community and their employees.
- What Billy means when he says that HTeaO Tomball puts their “aces in their places.”
- Learn more about Billy and Kailey’s aspirations for expansion.
- How to support HTeaO Tomball, starting with following them on social media.
- Some of the supply chain issues that they have had thanks to the pandemic.
Tweetables:
“People come in from out of state, out of country, they come and they drink this tea, and that is the conversation starter; “You’ve got to come see this place!” That’s where our roots are coming from and how we diverged into an HTeaO instead of another franchise.” — Billy Moore [0:08:12]
“It’s not about the register. It’s about community connections. If we’re not making those community connections, then we’re not going to have transactions on the register.” — Kailey Moore [0:09:45]
“We want to, number one, take care of what we have and, as the opportunities present themselves, we want to be the Northwest Houston HTeaO couple.” — Billy Moore [0:30:37]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
