Mike Quilty, CEO at Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co., leads a franchise system that uses an innovative model to apply some of the oldest wisdom in the book: Go where the people are. Wild Bill’s Western-branded soda saloons provide their franchisees with an opportunity to claim a piece of the thriving in-person event industry by offering a crowd-pleasing product without much of the overhead and complexity associated with franchise businesses.
We sat down with Mike to explore what’s unique about Wild Bill’s mobile, event-based franchise model, why the brand continues to build their system around military veterans, and how the brand prioritizes franchisee support with a thoughtfully paced approach to growth.
Tell me a little bit about your business model at Wild Bill’s. How does what you do look different than what people might associate with franchising?
We like to say, “We ain’t Mild Bill’s – it’s Wild Bill’s.” It’s different.
The founder built a mobile one-ton Wild West saloon with kegs on the side and tap handles, and he drove it around to local fairs and festivals, selling these commemorative stainless-steel mugs. The value proposition is that once you buy the mug, you get unlimited refills for the day…