Timothy was inspired to help others live healthier lives when he started his own journey towards better living. While working at a gym, Timothy noticed he had fallen significantly out of shape.
He looked at his surroundings and decided to take up body building and a healthier diet. “I went and did some research and hopped on the juice cleanse for about three, four days and I felt
great afterwards,” he explained.
Timothy worked hard and soon reached his first body building competition. Everyone wanted to know how he did it, asking, “What did you do? What did you eat?” “I told them juices definitely played their part. People would give me a rebuttal saying, I would love to do that type of thing but I just don’t have the time or the money,” explains Timothy.
From there, Timothy decided to play his part to make it easier for people to get healthier options into their busy schedules – through juices!
After spending two years to fine-tuning his idea, Juzy hit the local Houston famer’s market in 2019. His juice cleanses were quickly a success. “I was having consistent days where I would just completely sell out of everything within two, three hours,” says Timothy.
When the 2020 pandemic closed down farmer’s markets due to social distancing restrictions, Timothy saw it as an opportunity. He decided it was time for a more permanent storefront.
The Juzy Smoothie & Juice Bar opened in June of 2021, strategically located inside of an LA Fitness gym to be closer to clients. Timothy offered cold-pressed juices made from locally sourced ingredients as well as smoothies and smoothie bowls made with organic and non-GMO ingredients.
However, right after opening, he lost a critical component of his business – his refrigerator broke down. “Since I had just opened up the business, like about a month prior, taking out a few thousand to buy myself a brand-new fridge was definitely going to be a hit.”
Timothy had originally bootstrapped Juzy, purchasing supplies with money he saved from his 9-to-5 job. This time around, Timothy heard about LiftFund through his SCORE program mentor. The LiftFund team walked him through every step of the lending process.
“LiftFund definitely helped me out, saved me a ton of trouble… Stephanie was so thorough, so friendly and made the application process silky smooth…I loved working with her.”
With Juzy’s success back on track, Timothy is looking towards the future. He says he’d like to open more locations in other gyms and even incorporate more technology.
“There’s a company that I heard of that’s already creating a robot kiosk that makes smoothies for you… it’s completely hands-free. That’s definitely something I aim to do with my business and just have it be just 100% autonomous,” says Timothy.
Wherever he takes Juzy next, Timothy says he’s motivated by helping others reach their goals.
“The fact that I’m able to provide quality smoothies with quality ingredients and having it done quick, fast and in a hurry… That way my customers don’t have to completely put their day on pause just to have a healthy option. That’s what really makes me happy.”
