If you’re thinking about starting a juice bar there are a few important things to consider before getting started. By putting these simple tips into practice you are going to save yourself a lot of headache in the long run.
#1 Keep it simple
I have seen people complicate things many times in my experience helping people to start their juice business. The number one way people do this is with their menus. A few months after opening my first juice bar I actually had to cut my menu in half for this reason. Our tendency is to try to appeal to everyone with so many options, but this can actually have a negative effect.
With too many options customers might get confused or overwhelmed and this is not we want. Additionally, having more things on the menu complicates the training process for your staff and can even lead to a slowdown in the production process. Beyond this, spoilage becomes a really large issue, since you will not be using each ingredient as often due to the fact that with a large menu you usually have a large inventory.
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#2 Invest in Your Staff
Your staff is one of the most important parts of your business. I have seen people far too many times skimp on the quality of their staff and pay the price in the long run. The more you invest in them, the more they are going to invest in you, and ultimately in your business.
Investing in your staff most obviously means paying them a reasonable wage that will motivate them to be inspired at work, but also extends to investing your time and emotional attention.
As human beings, we are social creatures. The more your staff members feel that they are working in an environment that values them as people and not simply employees the more inspired they will be to contribute their full attention to the mission at hand.
#3 Know Your Role
Within any business it is important to know where your time and attention are most valuable. This means you need to be able to distinguish what is worth your time, and what you can delegate to your employees. Practice empowering your team by giving them more responsibility as they become more invested and capable of handling responsibilities within the business.
Your business is an extension of you, so if you are tired, overworked and stressed in your life, that will reflect in your business. It is important to take time for yourself so that you are charged and ready to motivate the troops, so to speak. You need to act as a source of energy and inspiration for everyone in your business.
#4 Name your drinks by their effect and taste
Often times I have witnessed people trying to get too creative with their drink names. The last thing you want is confused, customers. The best way, in my experience, to name your drinks is a combination of the effect of the drink and the flavor. A good example is a drink that would be called “spicy liver flush”. It’s obvious to your customer what this drink is all about.
Nowadays people are drinking juice not just for taste, but for health benefits as well. You want to make it easy for people who are less educated about these things to choose the effects they’re looking for such as juices for skin health, digestion or kidney function.
#5 Make sure you have more than one juicer
The reality is that even if you invested in a $20,000 hydraulic press, it might break. It actually happened to me and I had to learn this lesson the hard way. We couldn’t make juice for a week and we lost a lot of sales. My suggestion is to have a backup machine, even if it means getting a less expensive centrifugal juicer. This will allow you to continue to make juice for your customers while your primary juice is being repaired.
By putting these five tips into practice you are going to be well on your way to having a highly successful juice business. Please reach out to [email protected] if you need support, we are here to help.