Main Squeeze Juice Co. Owner Opens Second Location in Two Years

After graduating from college and working in the pharmaceutical industry for several years, Spencer Turner wanted to make a change in his life. After deciding to go down the franchising route, he was looking for a brand that would bring something different to Jacksonville. While browsing a franchise magazine, he discovered Main Squeeze Juice Co. and fell in love with the brand’s unique menu, proprietary technology and welcoming environment. 

Around two years ago, Turner opened his first Main Squeeze Juice Co. location. Seeing what a difference he has been able to make in the lives of his community, the 27-year-old is excited to bring the brand’s delicious, healthy products to even more people in Jacksonville. 

1851 Franchise spoke to Turner about his franchising journey with Main Squeeze Juice Co. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Spencer Turner: I'm only 27, so I’m not too far out of college. Before this, I was working for a company where we manufactured pharmaceutical facilities. It was a great job, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do with my life. My family and I have some friends who have been in the franchising world for a long time, and I've always been interested in that. We reached out to them to get some guidance on how this whole thing works. Then we went shopping around and looked for brands that were a little bit smaller, newer and on the cutting edge of a market — like health food. I found Main Squeeze in the back of a franchising magazine that somebody gave me. I reached out and Main Squeeze called me back in about three minutes and said they would love to be in Jacksonville. They didn't have any stores in Florida, so it would be a good start. It took about a year and a half, almost two years, before even signing the paperwork. It was a very long process, but it was very fun. And I’m so glad we did it. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Turner: I kind of knew the basics. I knew that a franchise basically wrote the menu for you. They give you everything you need and you pay them a certain percentage. But I didn’t realize how much it can vary from place to place. Some of them need you to be very hands on, like Main Squeeze. But I liked the idea of it. It was different from what I was used to, which was sitting behind a desk. 

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Turner: I was looking for a brand in a less saturated market. There’s plenty of pizza, burger and taco places, but something that’s healthy and that tastes good is hard to come by — especially in the quick service area. When we reached out to Main Squeeze, we also reached out to some of their direct competitors. And I was not as impressed with the other brands. A lot of brands wanted me to sign without knowing anything about me. Main Squeeze, on the other hand, is picky with their franchisees and got to know me. 

I really like how we are able to offer a good product for a good price, and I'm able to actually take pride in serving it. I also like knowing it helps people. When somebody comes into my store, they could be having some problem that could have, and I can help them feel a little bit better when they leave. And I like the fact that it tastes good. 

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Turner: We have 10 licenses for Jacksonville. We're only opening our second store at this point, and we've had the first one open for almost a year and a half, two years. What I'd like to achieve is to have all 10 stores open in this area, not necessarily just in Jacksonville but in the surrounding counties and bring healthier food at a fast pace and good price to the community.  North Florida has been missing a place like that. I'd like to really try to bring that to the masses. 

Our plan is to open all ten, probably within the next decade or so, within the same area and build a good management team. I like to hire and promote from within.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Turner: I want people to understand that, even though franchising can be a big business, the owner takes pride in owning and operating and all the tiny little details that go into making one of these things work. We are in there and doing it. I know there are some owners that don't; some of us live in different states from our stores. But I want people to understand that, since it's my store, I'm gonna be there, and if you ever had a problem or if I could help out in some way as the owner, I'd do it. 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Turner: I'd say really do a lot of due diligence and a lot of research before you pull the trigger because it's a big decision. If you find a space that you want to be in, talk to every single competitor in the space. Really get to know where you want to put a place and know the clientele that's there. Preferably make it a place that you would want to go to yourself. Especially for the first one, I would try to put it somewhere that's close to you so you can help with management. The learning curve is incredibly high. It doesn't matter your level of business expertise because you're learning a lot right off the bat. 

Hire good staff and never ask them to do anything that you wouldn't do yourself. That's probably one of my biggest pieces of advice, especially now with hiring good staff and keeping staff.