Young owner grows health business franchise
In the next few weeks, franchisee Eric Gibbs will open his second Smoothie King in Shreveport-Bossier City.
At 30, Gibbs said he is becoming quite successful with his now two Smoothie King locations.
“I grew up on Smoothie King,” Gibbs said. “I’ve loved the product ever since high school.” Gibbs, who moved around a lot in his life, enjoyed the fact that no matter what city he lived in, there was a Smoothie King readily available. He wanted to bring that same option to first Bossier City, and now Shreveport.
Smoothie King Franchises Inc. is a privately held, New Orleans-area-based franchise company with more than 700 units worldwide. Locally, Shreveport and Bossier City now have four locations combined, including Gibbs’s two locations. Gibbs first franchise location is located at 2650 Beene Blvd. in Bossier City. The new location will be located on Mansfield Road in Shreveport, just south of Interstate 31/32.
“It’s something that part of town really needs, because there’s nothing like Smoothie King in that area now,” Gibbs said. “We’re meeting a demand there.”
Gibbs has always invested in a health and fitness lifestyle.
“What really attracted me to Smoothie King is the fact that I hate fast food,” Gibbs said. “I don’t believe in fast food and there aren’t a lot of other options in this area of town. That’s what prompted me to start these franchises [and] give people an alternative.”
Smoothie King offers a number of health retail products, including sports beverages, energy bars, vitamins, supplements and more.
Also, for Mardi Gras, Shreveport and Bossier City locations offer a king cake flavored smoothie through Feb. 9.
Aside from all the unique flavor options Gibbs said he loves his career.
“I’ve been doing this for two and a half years and I still don’t feel like I even go to work every day. It doesn’t even feel like a job.”
Gibbs said most of Smoothie King’s customers are health-conscious.
“We always have 20 meal replacement smoothies that are high protein and under 400 calories,” Gibbs said. “For people in the new year that are looking to lose weight, those are the smoothies they need to choose that will help them accomplish those goals.”
Gibbs said the key to meal replacement smoothies is to actually replace a meal with a shake. “The smoothie will give them the nutrients, protein and vitamins they need as a replacement,” Gibbs said. Some of the most popular smoothies in this category are the Gladiator, Lean One and Greek Yogurt.
Gibbs personal favorite smoothie is the chocolate high-protein shake, a delicious meal replacement choice. “Personally, I’m always looking for a lot of protein, so this one is perfect for me,” Gibbs said. “It has 35 grams of protein and no added sugar. It’s one for the fitness enthusiast. And, of course, it tastes great.”
While Gibbs loves helping people meet their goals for fitness, weight loss and health, he’s been surprised at what has become his most favorite part of his job.
“Working with my team is simply the best,” Gibbs said.
He hires high school and college students, and for many of them, it’s their first job.
“I love being able to make an impact on them and teach them,” Gibbs said. “I can show them skills in the workplace and teach them how to be good employees and prepare them for the future.”
He’s so appreciative of his team because he knows they’re the face of the business. “They run the place,” Gibbs said. “Most of the time, they’re the ones my customers interact with regularly and build relationships with.”
He said his family is also a big contributor to his success. “My wife Lauren helped me open my first franchise, and she’ll be involved in this new one, too,” Gibbs said. “She’s an integral part of what I do. We have two kids, and my 3-year-old is always at the store with me, helping make his own smoothies.”
–Betsy St. Amant
LEARN MORE:
Gibbs is hiring for his new location in Shreveport. Interested applicants can apply by emailing smoothieking2650@gmail.com. For more information about Smoothie King, go to www. smoothieking.com or find them on Facebook at www.facebook. com/SmoothieKing.
