From Side Hustle to Small Business: Making it Convenient to Be Healthy

Recently, CEO Leslie Zinn shared how Arden's Garden went from a side hustle to a small business.

After graduating from Georgia Tech, she knew that she wanted to do something that helped people feel better. At the same time, Arden Zinn was making juice in her kitchen for her friends for free. It was then that Leslie realized she could join her mother's side hustle and help people live healthier lives.

She and her brother helped bottle, sell, and deliver the juices to health food stores and hair salons in Buckhead and beyond before opening their first retail space in the early '90s.

"I was doing every job imaginable," Zinn said. "I was a delivery driver. I pressed the juice. I helped the retail customers. It didn't matter. There was no job that was beneath me...and I loved it."

Arden's Garden grew to a small business by opening more retail juice and smoothie bars in the metro Atlanta area and offering more plant-based options to the locals.

"I was definitely a junk food vegan in the beginning," Zinn said. "Over time, I learned more about what was important for me to be putting in my body. We changed our diet, and along the way, changed the offerings that we began producing at Arden's Garden."

Zinn says the retail stores kept Arden's Garden close to its customers by providing direct feedback and being ahead of the trends. New juice flavors are sent to the stores where customers can easily share their opinions, and at the same time, customers can request flavors that Arden's Garden can consider supplying in the future.

With how hard it is to eat healthy in today's environment with the abundance of processed foods, Arden's Garden's goal is to make it convenient for people to prioritize their health.

"It's a lot less expensive to buy a $4 juice than it is to pay for a $100,000 heart attack," Zinn said.

With the recent addition of an in-house HPP machine in the production facility, Arden's Garden can more conveniently provide customers with more nutrient-packed fresh juice.

Outside of the retail stores, cold pressed juices and wellness shots can also be found at grocers like Publix, Kroger, Walmart, and even Costco starting in August 2022.

Employees aren't left out, either. Everyone on the Arden's Garden staff gets a free Grand Slam on every shift, discounts on products, partnerships with fitness studios, and other healthy initiatives.

Zinn says the most important thing is to really enjoy what you do. If your side hustle moves you, then you're going to be willing to go to any lengths to get it off the ground.

"I have never not liked coming to work," Zinn said. "I love the health industry, and I absolutely adore having an impact on my community."  

Thanks to the Hiscox Small Business Insurance channel for this interview.