Jrink Juicery: Retail Manager Danni Hines

(Image Source: jrinkjuicery.com)

I’ve been trying to catchup with the ladies of Jrink Juicery for a while, but they’ve been busy running a successful business, creating new flavors and working toward opening new locations. However, I was able to sit and chat with the fab Danni Hines retail manager for Jrink Juicery. With a background in retail management with Ann Taylor Loft and working as a makeup consultant/educator for brands such as Bobbi Brown, Aveda and Nars cosmetics she offers a lot of know-how on running a business. Meeting at their Washington, D.C cialis generika schweiz preis. 14th Street popup location (currently using this space until August) we sat and chatted about her go-getter take on business management. She offers ideal advice on marketing, tips on running a business and stepping out from behind self doubt.

At the end of the interview I tried five samples: Wake Me Up,  Black Magic, Fuel me Up I, Clean me up II (top seller) and Freshen Me Up. They all were very good, but Black Magic by far was my favorite and everyone else for they were all sold out by the time I wanted to make a purchase.

If you’re ever in the area stop in and say hello they’re very friendly and the “Jrinks” are delicious.

Founders: Shizu Okusa and Jennifer Ngai

Location: Washington, DC

Year Founded: 2010

Education/Background: Finance

Website: http://jrinkjuicery.com

Social media handles: @Jrink (Facebook) | (Twitter) | (Instagram)

If you have an idea and you’re scared of failure and you don’t try, the only thing that you’ve done is halted yourself from any possible results. Fear in entrepreneurship they can’t go together because you have to be willing to do things nobody else would do, or do something that you may have never done before; and be up to try other ways. – Danni Hines

On Jrink Juicery…

“Jrink began when Shizu and & Jen left their Wall Street careers to start their own company. They’re the perfect Yin & Yang and they wanted a quick fix for supplements to help you get through the day. We’re not all eating our greens everyday… like a donut with the Fuel Me Up (contains Kale, Romaine, Pear, Cucumber and Lemon) it’s nothing wrong with that. So, it’s all about balance in your daily life. Cold press juice is filled with nutrients our body needs. We use natural ingredients, fresh products, no preservatives and no sugar in our cold pressed juices. So you know, it kind of started because there was a need for it.”

On three main ingredients to a successful business…

• “You make your own weather; meaning having a positive mindset will always create a positive outcome. You know we answer the phone saying it’s a great day at Jrink. That saying came from me having a not so great day, so I answered the phone to remind myself that I was having a great day and it’s a great way to instill some positivity into the day.
• “Being adaptable and open to change.”
• “Thinking long term rather than just thinking day to day.”

On entrepreneurs marketing their business…

“You know, you really have to know who you’re talking to, who are you marketing to and who do you want to be apart of your business? I think there are a lot of questions that you need to ask before just going out there. For instance, the name of the drink like how Jrink uses the letter “J” instead of a “D” there are just things that you have to sit and ask yourself. How will I stand apart from everyone else? How will this be a sustainable business and not just a splash in the paint? So when you ask yourself these questions and you get good clean visuals you get filled with excitement and make it a personal thing for your business.

On a typical day at Jrink…

“Of course it various day to day, but a typical day usually starts at 6:30am for Jrink, but I’m up before then. Staff comes in at our various locations at 7am to unpack produce that’s delivered (we have our deliveries fresh every morning). I then receive confirmation from all staff members in regards to how many bottles we received and just kinda make sure everything is quality controlled.”

“I go to 14th Street first and then float around and visit all other locations at some point throughout the day. Going around making friends around the neighborhood and introducing the product. You always want to be out there like Social media is great, but there’s nothing like putting a face with a name and getting a feeling of their energy, so just out and about promoting the brand.”

“Checking emails is a daily task and assisting customer with a purchase. These days you’ll find me in the kitchen making Freshen Me Up II which is our newest flavor which just launched two weeks ago; and shopping for furniture and decorations for our new location. It’s all about marketing, branding, decor and making sure our staff is up to snuff with all of our products and being able to identify not just the flavor profile, but with how it can benefit your body.”

On Jrink’s decision to offer a monthly subscription plan…

“If you have a subscription that makes it more of a lifestyle and you know by having a lifestyle that’s going to bring them in. You know someone can come in here and get a drink and that’s it, but when you subscribe that’s residual income- a return on income. That’s a way to basically remain relevant and obtain current royalties. You know there are people in offices that may not have the capabilities to travel and want to go green and we want to promote that healthy lifestyle.”

On Jrink’s delivery service…

“We’ve been delivering for over a year. We deliver using Postmate (an independent application that kinda delivers food anywhere in the area), but we also offer delivery more so for our Reboot, Six Pack or some of our larger items, but if you just want say one or two drinks use Postmates and they’ll deliver for you. Our stores are only in the DC area, but we deliver in the beltway – D.C, Arlington, VA and Bethesda areas”.

On stepping out from behind self doubt and words of encouragement to entrepreneurs…

“The first thing that comes to mind is I’m going to paraphrase here: If you have an idea and you’re scared of failure and you don’t try, the only thing that you’ve done is halted yourself from any possible results. Fear in entrepreneurship they can’t go together because you have to be willing to do things nobody else would do, or do something that you may have never done before; and be up to try other ways. It’s all in your mindset when it comes to entrepreneurship. Try and keep a positive mindset. What’s for your is for you and you have to first do the work and put in the work. Always stay optimistic!”

On productivity tools used to get work done…

“We do use Shopify as our POS (point of service) and it’s helpful. We love TedTalks and always share them with each other via email. We all love Instagram & Pinterest tagging each other for ideas is a great way to show someone a quick visual to say what’s going on or hey look at this.”

On Jrink in the coming years…

“Well we are definitely expanding and we’re always experimenting daily with other ways to consume our drinks. Whether it’s a popsicle or smoothie we’re definitely experimenting; as well as focusing on our new locations.”

Anything else you’d like to add?

“One thing that I will say about Jrink is that we source all our produce locally. The farthest that we go for veggies in the winter is New Jersey. Made fresh daily and know again it’s from the inside out. We promote a healthy lifestyle  and our beverages are meant to be supplements. I’m a girl who doesn’t always eat her vegetables, but I’ll have a Fuel Me Up II or III again with my donut to replace the nutrients that I need. All of the sugars are natural from the fruits with no additives, no preservatives, and no added sugar.

Be sure to check out Jrink Juicery and follow their social media channels.