Answer these 7 questions before starting a juice business.

Whether you’re starting fresh or bringing your home-grown operation to new heights, these 7 questions will help establish your juice business with your best foot forward.

We recommend getting a journal or notebook to write down your answers so you can keep track of your journey as a business owner. You may be surprised by what you learn when you look back at your answers throughout the years.

Let’s get into it!

1. “Why juice?”

Before you start a juice business, ask yourself “why am I selling juice?” and the reason is simple — you want to succeed! And to thrive in any business, you have to lead with your why.

Knowing your purpose within the community you want to serve will help you establish your goals as a business, share your brand message clearly, and attract the right person for your product. Olive & Co has a great exercise that can help you find your why!

It’s important to never underestimate empathy and community when you’re building any kind of business. This will allow people to find themselves in your message and align with your brand, all while building a relationship with your customers that goes beyond juice!

2. “What is the long-term vision for my juice business?”

As a first-time business owner, it can be intimidating to prioritize the needs of your business. It may seem too big or daunting to know and understand something you might be seeing with fresh eyes. But one thing is sure. You want your money to reach as far as possible while your business is gaining ground (and while it’s growing too!).

Before you start, take the time to answer this question and envision what your dream juice business really looks like. Do you want to have a storefront and deliver juice cleanses near you? Or do you want to own juice trucks that travel all over your state? Having a solid vision of the growth of your business will help you align priorities and plan for them far in advance!

But like James Clear famously says in his book Atomic Habits “You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” Having a strong vision of your future is just one part of the process. The next is building a plan of action that helps you get there!

Red to Green indicator bar with different colored produce overlayed.

3. “How will I measure my success and performance over time?”

Just because we envision success, it doesn’t mean we will achieve it. We’re here to tell you that you CAN bridge that gap!

Once you’ve visualized what your dream business looks like, it’s time to create a plan! How? Take your vision of success and reverse engineer it! Make it as actionable as possible so every facet of your business can work together towards success.

This means breaking down: how many juice bottles you aim to sell per week, how many newsletter subscriptions you want per month, or how many community events you want to host this year in a way that’s realistic and balanced with your goals. Here’s a great resource exploring why measuring your success leads to success.

4. “Where are my ideal customers?”

Location can make-or-break your business whether you’re a brick-and-mortar store or an online subscription service. This is because everyone is fighting for you and your customer’s attention, both in-person and online.

If you’re opening a physical location, you want your ideal customer to find you as easily as possible. This means finding a location that aligns with your business values. If your business is health centered, ask yourself: are there fitness or yoga centers nearby? Any local farmer’s markets you might want to join in the future? Write your answers down and keep them in mind as you’re building your business profile.

For both in-person and online businesses, you want your product to be visible and actively reaching people online. This means finding the right platform to share your message and show your products so you’re top of mind in their headspace. Is your dream customer likely to search for “cold press juice packs” or “juice cleanse”? Are they likely to find you with the hashtag “#juicery”? These are all really important points to consider. It’s harsh but important to realize that no matter how good your product is, it will not sell if people can’t find it. If you want to find your ideal customer but don’t know where to start, answering these 7 questions may help you!

5. “How will my juice get to my customer?”

How your customers “meet” your juice will leave a lasting impression about your product and your brand. This is why brainstorming how your juice will reach your customer is as important as how your customer finds your juice. To put it simply, will you offer shipping or curb-side pickup? Will your juice be sold at your local grocery store or as cleanse packs only? The answer to those questions may impact how your product is received.

Our advice is to enhance your products and services so they highlight your message. If your message is about health and wellness, add recipe cards to your juice cleanses with snacks to pair with your juices. And if your brick-and-mortar is all about fostering your local community, host monthly events that bring people together! Think of the different ways that you can bring value to your customers before you start your juice business. The possibilities are endless, and if you plan for them ahead of time, they will keep your customers coming and your business growing! Your brand can be so much more than just juice.

6 . “How much juice can I make right now?”

Although the ideal answer to this question is “all the juice in the world!,” if you start your business with a home juicer, you’ll quickly find out otherwise! We recommend that you keep track of how much time you’re spending in each step of the juicing process (prepping, washing, setting up your juicer, pressing, bottling, cleaning) as well as the cost of the products you need to make the juice (bottles, labels, consumables).

As you do so, you’ll notice trends in your juicing process that can be tweaked to make it more efficient and cost-effective. It will also help you prepare for your juicing future. If your future goals do not align with your current ability to provide the juice, your business will not meet its full potential. Figure out your maximum production so you can be prepared when it’s time to scale!

By keeping good track of the time and product costs of your juice, you can make plans and goals that will bring your business to new heights.

7. “How will I adapt to changes?”

The only thing that is always constant is change and preparing yourself for when it happens will give your business the chance to act instead of react. How will you decide if it’s time to change juice flavors? How will you manage overhead costs in slow and busy seasons? What marketing strategies will you put in place to keep up with juicing trends? Take a page or two of your journal and try to predict all the changes that may come your way (good and bad!).

The main point of this question is to make change a part of your routine because, whether you plan for it or not, it will inevitably come. We always recommend fostering a work environment that reflects this flexibility and encourages your crew to grow and change with you. They may be in front of your customers all day long and could have great insight to help your juice business flourish! This will help you not waste money or time on short-term answers for long-term problems that will come up again and again (or vice versa).

These 7 questions will come in handy whether you’re new at this or are starting your 5th venture. We hope you learned something new and are inspired to jump into your new business with open arms!

P.S. if you’re looking for more things to keep in mind as you start your juice business, read this article to learn what to avoid!

Juiced Rite Team

Everyone here at Juiced Rite is rooting for you and your team! We are a family too, and love sharing our knowledge. Sometimes we just get so excited, we've gotta share as a whole team!