Franchisee Voices: Neil Bhakta of Smoothie King

Fifteen years ago when longtime Wichita resident Neil Bhakta was 23, he was ahead of the curve. He blended his passion for health and business into ownership of a Smoothie King location. Being lactose intolerant, Bhakta not only wanted to own a business he was personally passionate about, but also one that offered alternative products that others with similar health restraints could benefit from.

1851 had a chance to catch up with Bhakta to learn more about his background and path to Smoothie King ownership.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

I grew up in the Wichita downtown area and received my bachelors in business administration with an emphasis in management information systems from the University of Kansas. After college, I began working as a database programmer. Eventually, I realized I wanted more flexibility and at the age of 23 I became the youngest franchisee with Smoothie King. Now, 15 years later, my team and I have four locations.

Why did you choose to become a franchisee with Smoothie King?

I was always interested in nutrition and fitness during college. After doing some research on the industry I decided to pay Smoothie King a visit. I wanted to side with a company that had the best product in the industry with a defined vision. Smoothie King is a privately held company and that was important to me.  I didn’t want to be a part of something that was more about the money versus the passion. Our founder, Steve Kuhnau, epitomized that. I learned about the brand during a visit to Tennessee and saw my first Smoothie King on the University of Tennessee campus.

Where did you get most of your advice and do most of your research?
The combination of my education and fatherly advice taught me how to read numbers. After going through public financial information of Smoothie King and trying their product I thought it was a perfect combination to be a part of.

What were your perceptions of franchising before starting the process? 
Didn’t care. They had a product I loved and distribution channels laid out to do business.  I was 23 in my parent’s basement. It was time to live on the ground floor somewhere.

What were the most unexpected challenges of opening your franchise?
Since we introduced Smoothie King to Kansas, getting the word out about a new concept was a little challenging. With a dedicated team, we have been able to establish a presence in the community and have gained the trust of consumers in each community.

What’s next for you and your business? Do you have any development/expansion plans with the brand?

We have a development agreement to bring Smoothie King to Derby and Maize, Kansas in the near future.

In addition, my fourth location is going to be very special for my wife, team, and I. It will be in the historic 1887 train station at Rock Island Depot. While designing the logistics of our fourth location, my wife and I also decided to accompany this new business with a two story swanky Indian restaurant in the heart of the new Union Station District.