IN this week’s SME Focus we hear from a young entrepreneur who went into the juice-making business after belatedly discovering that fruit and vegetables could be good for her.

Name:

Alison Macleod.

Age:

28.

What is your business called?

Juicy-Ness.

Where is it based?

Inverness. I juggle my business with family life as I work in my kitchen. I live with my partner Stuart, his son Riley, eight, and my daughter Ellie, seven.

What does it produce, what services does it offer?

Juicy-Ness is a juice diet business. Clients mainly order a three or five-day detox programs– which incorporate either four juices or a combination of juice and soups. I make the juices and soups fresh each morning, using only whole, locally produced ingredients. All my products are naturally gluten free.

I get up before 5.30am each week day morning and go downstairs to my kitchen. From the moment I get to work, I juice solidly, preparing individual client orders, ready for pick up or delivery.

The kitchen is then switched back to a family kitchen for 7.30am and we have breakfast with the children. When they leave for school, I can then begin doing my deliveries for local orders or post my frozen orders out to clients.

My business concept is simple, and I believe that’s the key to its success so far. It offers people the chance to incorporate healthy clean eating into their lifestyle – conveniently. I deliver my produce frozen to clients who are further afield. Those who live in the Inverness vicinity can collect from my house on the way to work, or I can deliver to their house or workplace between 9.30 and 10.30am each morning. People are naturally more aware of what they are eating, but often due to work or family commitments, find it difficult to incorporate juicing into their lifestyle. My diets help people get on the right track to a healthy lifestyle.

I have recently celebrated my business’s first anniversary by launching a new product, which is an alternative to a traditional espresso. My healthy ‘ginger shots’ are made with raw ginger and lemon and the zesty combination of flavours wakes the body up naturally.

Whom does it sell to?

I have a range of clients across Scotland, from those in their early twenties – my eldest client so far was in her 60s. I have delivered my detox diets to as far north as Wick and even past the Borders.

Because juicing has been made popular by celebrities such as Michelle Mone, my main clientele tends to be women. I do have men on my books as well though and my partner and I both incorporate it into our lifestyles.

What is its turnover?

£40,000.

How many employees?

One – myself.

When was it formed?

June 2014.

Why did you take the plunge?

I almost stumbled upon the business idea, after embarking on a juicing diet two years ago.

Before my first juice detox, I ate what my old self would describe as a ‘normal’ diet: Processed food, wine, takeaways and junk food. Fruit and veggies featured sparingly and my water intake was almost non-existent.

I can’t remember what made me detox that first time, but what I do remember is feeling so good afterwards. It was hard, but by day five I was full of energy, I’d lost almost 8lbs, and best of all my anxiety and insomnia issues had all but disappeared. I felt so good that going back to normal wasn’t an option. I now incorporate juice into my daily diet and detox every six to eight weeks. I am almost 34lbs lighter than I used to be.

I would admit after the first detox I embarked on I became a self-confessed juicing ‘geek’.

I watched every documentary and studied everything there was about juicing. I really embraced a whole new way of living and eating, for my family and myself.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

I was running my own child minding business. I have always wanted to be my own boss in some form.

How did you raise the start-up funding?

My business wasn’t started in the traditional sense, with a shop or office to pay for.

I took full advantage of social media – and launched my entire business concept on Facebook. I was extremely careful about waste, and still am. I only ordered exactly the amount of ingredients I needed to produce juices and soups to for fill my orders. At first my profit was very marginal, but I believed in the business concept and I believe in starting small, to grow organically.

In the beginning I only used Facebook and Instagram to promote my produce, and quite frankly I was amazed at the feedback and interest I got.

As demand grew, I set up my own website, so I could advertise the range of products and diets I have on offer and the price lists.

I still manage my entire business from my Smartphone to this day.

What was your biggest break?

When demand for my produce was so great, I could give up my child minding business and focus entirely on Juicy-Ness and being short-listed as a finalist in the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards this year.

What was your worst moment?

In my first month in the business, demand was so high that I burnt out four domestic juicers before finally buying a commercial juicer. I now have three machines.

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

I love to see my clients get great results.

What do you least enjoy?

I used to struggle getting up before 5am every morning, however my body clock has completed adjusted.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

I want to keep growing my business organically. I have ambitions to have bigger premises and hire an additional member of staff. Those plans are currently being put into place.

What are your five top priorities?

Family; health; my business; fitness; happiness.

What could the Westminster and/or Scottish governments do that would help?

I think the Scottish Government could make it easier for small businesses or entrepreneurs to expand their businesses by offering low rate loans and make it easy to understand things like tax and the facts about hiring employees.

What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?

If you have a vision, don’t be afraid to go for it! Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

How do you relax?

I love spending time with my family and taking our dog for long walks in the woods and on beaches. We are so lucky having such stunning landscape around Inverness, like Loch Ness, which is one of my favourite places to visit.