From Airport Book to 23 Starbucks Stores

A chance airport read changed the course of JJ O’Hara’s career, founder of OCO, one of the UK’s largest Starbucks operators. After discovering franchising through Behind the Arches in 1998, he went on to build a 23-store Starbucks business, weather a near-disastrous property deal and emerge with a simple philosophy: persistence, people and high standards. Here, he shares the lessons behind his journey. Entrepreneur UK finds out more…

What inspired you to start your business?
It all started with a book!  Back in 1998, I picked up Behind the Arches by John F. Love at an airport. I didn’t know much about franchising at the time, but it completely opened my eyes to what was possible and genuinely changed the direction of my life. I went into franchising, initially with Pizza Hut in 2001, and eventually opened my first Starbucks store in Dumfries in 2013. Today we have 23 stores and will open another six stores by the end of 2027. What excites me today is the same thing that attracted me then: building great businesses, developing great teams and constantly trying to get better every day.

What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
Near the beginning of my journey, I almost lost everything. I became caught up in a property deal where people tried to take advantage of me, and there was a real possibility I could lose the business before it had properly begun. It was an incredibly difficult period and ultimately went through the courts. It cost me a lot of money, but I persevered and eventually won. That allowed me to open my first Pizza Hut store, which went on to become the highest-performing Pizza Hut in the UK.

How did you secure your initial funding? 
Recognised brands can often raise 70% of the required funding from banks as long as the franchisee can invest 30% up front. To this day we operate on the same basis with our bank HSBC. As our operations have grown so too has the strength of our relationship. Access to capital can often be the difference between success and failure.

How do you handle failure or setbacks?
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. There will always be setbacks and there will always be people who doubt you, but I don’t spend long dwelling on what has gone wrong. You take responsibility, learn and keep moving forward. A lot of that comes from my rugby days. You learn to compete, work as part of a team, take responsibility and keep going when things are difficult. Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my business career. We have had plenty of difficult moments. Reopening after Covid and realising that the business was going to be all right was one of the best moments of my career because we had come through such an uncertain period together.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
Surround yourself with great people and don’t expect everything to go to plan. I learned very early that building a business is never a straight line. You have to be prepared to take responsibility when things go wrong, learn quickly and keep going. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast!” You can have a brilliant business idea, but ultimately it is people who deliver it. Invest in them, give them opportunities to develop and create an environment where they feel safe and want to do their best work.

How do you stay motivated during tough times?
I’m naturally competitive. I love trying to make the business better than it was yesterday, and I get a huge amount of motivation from building teams and seeing people develop. During difficult periods, I try to focus on what we can control and keep moving forward. Seeing somebody develop, take on more responsibility and build a career within our business is incredibly rewarding. That is a big part of what motivates me today: not simply growing the number of stores, but building a business where people can see a future for themselves. Hospitality can be a great career. 

Share your tips for achieving success…
For me, it comes down to persistence, people and standards. Persistence because almost every business will go through difficult periods and you need the resilience to keep going. People because ultimately they are the business. Hire great people, invest in them, empower them and create opportunities for them to progress. We were so proud to get recognition for that recently by being named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026. And standards because success comes from doing the basics, consistently. Whether that is how you treat your team, how you welcome a customer or the quality of the product you serve, consistency of the basics builds trust with your customers. And trust is triple platinum!