Dustin Mullis, CEO of Coup Management, LLC, knows what it takes to build a successful business. A former banker, Mullis understood the value of providing a well-structured business plan and financial documentation when seeking funding to launch his own Zaxbys® franchise in Marietta. To ensure his plan was backed by solid data and expert insight, he contacted the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) for support.
Mullis connected with Antonio Barrios, a business consultant at the UGA SBDC office at Kennesaw State University, who helped him develop a pro forma and financials to secure the necessary funding. With Barrios’ assistance, Mullis has opened eight stores, generating millions of dollars in annual revenue and employing more than 300 staffers.
Mullis, a graduate of Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, had long aspired to own a Zaxbys franchise after working at Chick-fil-A from the age of 14 through college. In 2011, he found a location in Marietta he thought would be perfect. He formed Chicken Coup, LLC, to purchase the land and open his first restaurant.
The company needed to borrow significant funds to build out the site and buy equipment. Mullis began working on the required loan documents and heard from another franchisee about the UGA SBDC office at KSU, where he met Barrios.
“I was in private banking a long time and could put together the business plan and pro forma, but having the UGA SBDC support you, having experts like Antonio draw from their experience, it was great to have that resource,” Mullis said. “He offered more support showing the market, demographics and information on where we’d be volumized—or have high sales volume, offering important support in getting my stores open.”
Barrios provided site selection research and helped prepare financial packages for each of the stores Mullis would acquire and build from scratch.
“The franchise must approve potential locations,” Barrios said. “We have access to several databases, so Dustin would send me potential sites, and we’d prepare a location analysis before starting work on the business plan and projections. We can research data on population growth, income and market potential, and provide this essential information to clients looking to expand or open a new location.”
Mullis saw the value of this support and continues working with Barrios.
“Dustin saw the value we added and always appreciated the feedback we were able to provide,” Barrios said. “He knows we have strong industry and banking knowledge and has referred other franchisees to our office.”
After starting with 30 employees at his first location, Mullis increased his team to more than 300 across seven stores. His first store generated $2.5 million in sales, and revenues across all stores would grow tenfold. In a strategic move, Mullis recently sold those seven stores to a private equity business that is now Zaxbys largest franchisee and continues to grow. He has since opened an eighth store.
Mullis’s success has earned him recognition within the Zaxbys franchise community. His stores received an award for operational excellence in 2022 and 2023. He has served on advisory councils for Zaxbys corporate office and was featured in Franchise Times for his innovative development program aimed at cultivating future franchise leaders among his employees.
“Dustin is detail-oriented, knows the industry and likes to build a team he can train,” Barrios said. “He is very good at delegating, has known his operation very well, and understands how important it is to have a strong team to run the operation smoothly. I’m not surprised his is the first business I’ve assisted that has come full circle so successfully, from creation to sale.”
Mullis continues to advocate for the UGA SBDC and frequently refers others to its services.
“I’ve told other franchisees, why would you not connect with the SBDC? They offer great business support and it’s a free resource. You’d be crazy not to use it!”
The UGA SBDC is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
All SBDC services are provided in a nondiscriminatory way to all legal residents and citizens in the United States. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.
The UGA SBDC is an accredited member of America’s SBDC.
The University of Georgia
Small Business Development Center
382 East Broad Street
Athens, GA 30602-5412
P: (706) 542-2762
