Smashin' Supreme, Blue Thriller, and Say it Ain't Soy. Though they could easily be confused for a playlist on someone's i-Pod, these three names are just the beginning of the colorful and delicious menu of smoothies (or as they call them, "stirs") at MixStirs, one of the nation's newest, rapidly growing smoothie franchise chains. Currently spread across 17 locations in 5 states, the business has proven to be a successful one both on the east coast (in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), as well as much further west, in Henderson, Nevada. Regardless of location, flavors like Chocolate Nirvana and Peanut Butter Blast have proven only to add to an original and worthwhile business plan that sets this smoothie outfit apart from the dozens of others.

The MixStirs Difference

In a world of ever-increasing numbers of smoothie companies, what sets MixStirs apart is their site selection. While the average smoothie outlet chooses an independent building as the place to set up shop, making active customers come to them, MixStirs has decided that the best way to run a smoothie business is to take their stirs to where their active customers are: namely, gyms and fitness centers.

According to MixStirs president, Michael Greenberg, "We have taken advantage of the captured audience venues and have geared our franchise toward the fitness center. Most of these members are looking to get something either before they workout or after, even if it is just a bottle of water." And if instead of that bottle of water, there just happens to be a thick, ice-cold smoothie available, no one with a spare dollar is going to pass up the choice.

But the sites available to MixStirs franchises are not limited to gyms. The standard 400-800 square-foot kiosk is designed also to be built in malls, transportation centers, and sporting venues: anywhere that active people tend to congregate. The benefits of this creative plan are at least twofold. First, convenience spurs business, so more people are more likely to come by and purchase a stir, which produces a greater income. Second, because the space rental is so small (compared to a traditional retail shop) overhead is far less than the competitions. This combination of high income and low expenditure makes the take-home higher and stress levels lower, which is a great combination for any franchise business owner.

Life as a Franchisee

"The best aspect of owning a franchise," Greenberg says, "is that there is a system built for you. You don't have to figure out how to do things as they have been figured out for you." With a MixStirs franchise opportunity, that is entirely true. From the moment a franchisee spends the initial franchise fee of $25,000, the franchisor is actively involved in making the new business work most effectively.

At the outset, the franchisee is not required to have any previous experience in restaurant ownership or management; everything is taught to him from professionals in the industry. Marketing, operations, and management training is all provided from the get-go, as well as "mock" training at an existing location and "hands-on" training at the franchisee's new location. The franchisor even helps with site selection, demographic analyses, traffic studies, and visibility checks. Or, if the new franchisee is so inclined, he can opt to pursue his MixStirs franchise in a location that the franchisor has already built and prepped to be taken over by a franchisee. Any way you look at it, Greenberg's pet phrase is true of MixStirs: "When you own a franchise, you are in business for yourself, not by yourself."

Fair Warning

No matter how conducive to business success owning a franchise can be, it is still business, and business is always hard work. So says Greenberg, "The biggest surprise I have seen is that many franchisees think that by buying a franchise they won't have to do anything and will just automatically get rich. Regardless of whether you are a franchisee or not, you need to work if you want to be successful."

Despite the vast potential success that a MixStirs franchise can attain, there will always be costs to pay and challenges to overcome in getting there. Currently, the great challenge that Greenberg is seeing before his franchisees is the state of the economy: "With money as tight as it is, there is only so much to go around. And with the restaurant industry continuing to grow, it makes it tougher and tougher to get people into your store."

To some people, that may seem like a setback or obstacle to get around, but for the right entrepreneur, it's only a challenge to press through to the other side. And with 5% of gross income going to royalty fees and ½% going to corporate advertising, franchisees can be certain that they aren't pressing through on their own, but with the steady support of the franchisor. A strong business model, a good franchisor, a steady franchisee, and constant corporate development all thrown together have proven so far to be enough to get MixStirs further and further ahead in the industry, and in the future, that is only likely to continue.

Mix it up

This is definitely a different spin on the classic smoothie, and if one of MixStirs' business opportunities sounds like the way to go for you, dig around and find out more about them. They are more than willing to send you information to help you decide if MixStirs is the perfect fit for you.