Starting a business, especially in health and wellness, isn’t easy. This difficulty is mainly because of the enormous appeal and the massive amounts of information there is today. More people are looking for healthy alternatives to their unhealthy diets. This is where a juice bar becomes the go-to.
Despite the health industry being tough to crack, the growing demand has made it lucrative. But with all the different juice bars available today, how do you make yours stand out from the crowd. The answer is starting right. How you build your juice bar foundation will influence its overall success.
Here are 11 steps you can use to open a juice bar. But, if you are scared of starting from the ground up, you can always look at juice bar franchise opportunity.
1. Learn the Ins and Outs of a Juice Bar
Before you can open a juice bar, start by learning the ins and outs of the business. You can do this in two ways: from the inside and the outside.
From the outside, look at what your competitors are doing. Study their products, their mode of service, and their techniques. Look at their staffing. Based on the information you gather, you can know what to implement in your business. Also, once you know the outside aspect of the business, you can tie it into the ins of the juice bar business. The ins of the juice bar business will include operations, staffing, and product selection.
2. Choose a Juice Bar Concept and Brand
The brand and concept of your juice bar are some aspects that will help set you apart. Selecting the concept of your business from the very start allows you to set up a roadmap for your business. You get to choose the ingredients, the theme of your juice bar, and your customer service methods while your creativity is still fresh.
Once you have a basic idea of your brand and juice bar concept, you can work on the other aspects of your brand like the logo, menu design, and menu later.
3. Have a Business Plan
The next step in opening your juice bar is writing a business plan. Your business plan should contain every vital business detail in one place. Remember, it is what you will investors will want to see for them to invest in your business. Therefore, ensure you include the following sections:
- Executive summary
- Company description and overview
- Menu and Concept
- Ownership structure
- Staffing
- Competition
- Financial projections
4. Look for Funding
With a business plan, it’s time to make your dream a reality. After all, you do require money to run any business successfully. A business plan helps make knowing the capital you need to start your business easier.
You can then compare your total starting costs to the capital you have on hand. Once you determine the balance, you can look for funding. Some of your funding options can be:
- Traditional loans
- Crowdfunding, among others
5. Choose a Location
With your funding in place, it’s time to choose the correct location. Make sure the area you choose fits with the particular concept you select. For instance, if your juice bar concept is more of green smoothies, then your ideal location should be near a gym. If your juice bar concept is cocktails, you can look for a location near a beach or an outdoor space.
6. Obtain Licenses and Permits
Before officially opening your juice bar, you must obtain permits and licenses to run the business. Some of the licenses you will require include:
- A business license
- Foodservice license
- An employee identification number
7. Obtain the Equipment
You will need equipment and product to create your juice. So, the next step is obtaining the equipment you require. You will require equipment like ice machines, blenders, juicers, bowls, cups, straws, and lids. It would be best if you also looked for a local supplier for fresh fruit, as no customer would want to purchase juice made from frozen fruit.
8. Design the Menu
With your equipment and product supplier in place, it’s time to design the menu. Finding the correct ingredient levels and recipes that will work for your juice bar concept can take some time. So, try out different options before settling for a particular juice.
You can also try creating a signature juice to help your business stand out.
9. Hire Staff
Once you have the menu, it’s time to employ the staff. After all, you will need help running the juice bar. You can use a job search website to look for staff.
10. Advertise
For people to know your business, you need to advertise. For this, build a website, create a blog, and use social media platforms for the best results.
11. Opening
Make your first day of business grand. Invite your family and friends. With them around, you won’t have to feel too anxious about any hiccups you observe.
Starting a juice bar business isn’t easy, but with the steps above, it just got a lot easier.