Some of the great restaurant and food brands in our country have roots here in Louisiana and today’s guest is hoping to continue adding to that legacy. Paul Ballard is the co-owner and co-founder of Ballard Brands, which includes PJ’s Coffee and WOW American Eats. Both brands have experienced monster growth across the country, and we wanted to sit down with Paul to hear his story and learn more about what makes a business so successful.
The story begins at Tulane University, where Paul met his wife, Torry. Their shared love for coffee blossomed into a passion that would eventually lead them to acquire PJ's Coffee, a brand founded by Phyllis Jordan, a pioneer in specialty coffee. They opened location number eight at the time, and the business has grown to more than 180 locations nationally and abroad.
Paul shares insights into the origins of PJ's, the importance of quality control, and the brand's impressive growth. Plus, we discuss the challenges of maintaining product consistency across franchises, the value of optimism in business, and the exciting future plans for PJ's and WOW American Eats.
Here’s some of the key topics we discuss:
☕ PJ’s Coffee Growth Story: From 8 locations to 182+
🏆 Lessons from Scaling a Franchise: Keeping quality high while growing fast
🚀 Entrepreneurial Mindset: The power of optimism & thinking big
🔥 WOW American Eats: How a midnight wing idea turned into a nationwide brand
0:00 - Intro
0:55 – The beginning
5:42 – Explosive growth
9:05 – Maintaining Quality
13:10 – Future plans
17:45 – Core values
22:23 – WOW American Eats
28:42 – Balancing time and energy for all the brands
34:38 – Overruled or Sustained rapid fire
36:15 – Lessons learned
41:29 – Paul’s superpower
43:10 – Favorite books
Injured? Begin the process here:
Scott Vicknair Injury Lawyers: https://www.scottvicknair.com/
Car Accident Lawyer: https://www.scottvicknair.com/new-orleans/car-accident-lawyer/
Truck Accident Lawyer: https://www.scottvicknair.com/new-orleans/truck-accident-lawyer/
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer: https://www.scottvicknair.com/new-orleans/motorcycle-accident-lawyer/
Probate, Succession and Estate Legal Needs?
Visit Scott Law Group – Estate Counsel: https://www.louisianasuccessionattorney.com/
More Resources
Subscribe to the Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvicknairlaw?sub_confirmation=1
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.