Mike Bacile, The Daily Java & King’s Coffee Company — How “Failing Fast” Built a Coffee Empire
Mike Bacile is a Texas-born serial entrepreneur and the CEO behind The Daily Java (wholesale café solutions) and King’s Coffee Company (in-house specialty roasting). Since 1995, he’s helped churches and independent cafés launch and scale with a practical “franchise-like” system—without the franchise fees. From early missteps to landing national equipment deals, Mike’s story is a masterclass in choosing the right opportunities and executing with consistency.
5 Key Takeaways from this Episode:
Failure ≠ Final: Mike treats failure as feedback—“the wrong bus” to step off—so you can board the one that gets you where you want to go.
Differentiate or disappear: His coupon-book venture won by becoming the biggest at SMU, UNT, TCU, and UT Arlington—proof that a clear differentiator beats “me too” every time.
Quality over callbacks: Early on, cheap espresso machines created costly service headaches; switching to top-tier equipment led to a 13-year run supplying Maggiano’s, Macaroni Grill, and Corner Bakery nationwide.
A franchise feel—without the franchise: The Daily Java pairs equipment packages with a “25 Steps to Success” program, install, and training—especially powerful for church cafés and high-throughput layouts.
Build tribe, know your numbers: After crossing seven figures, joining Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) gave Mike accountability, global peers, and the push to price correctly—crucial in shifting markets.
Memorable Quote:
“Failure is just a frame of mind—an opportunity.”