We caught up with the brilliant and insightful James Rue & Gian Carlos Birriel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi James and Gian, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Once Gian and I had the concept created, the time then came to make it a reality. Since we were creating something new and not going the route of buying into a franchise, there were many steps to get the ball rolling. We had to come up with a name, logo, website, etc. but honestly those were some of the most exciting moments in this journey. Neither of us had owned a restaurant before so we were just enjoying the process.

After figuring out the basics and getting Raw Smoothie Co. filed with the state we then began building the menu and figuring out ways to get our name out there and get noticed. We ultimately decided on becoming a weekly vendor at the Ybor City Saturday market. This turned out to be great for us. It gave us the opportunity to get our product in front of the community. With a menu that started with 2 options and grew to 6, we began selling out weekly. This gave us the confidence in our product and Raw Smoothie Co.

While creating Raw Smoothie Co. we both were still working full time at our places of employment and there was a moment where we had to decide if we really wanted to do this. I think we all know how that moment went!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

So a little about myself. Spent a majority of my life here in Tampa, so I definitely call Tampa home. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mind set, as I knew from a young age i wanted to work for myself. My first business, started at 25, was a mobile detailing business. It was very scary at first but with the support of friends and then strangers, i was given the confidence to keep moving forward. I did this in college (USF) and it gave me the the financial support and and freedom i needed to be successful in school. Once I graduated, I dived into the business full time but knew i was ready for something else.

Health and wellness have always been huge in my life so naturally i would end up in this position. At the end of the day, you only get one body and it’s up to you to take care of it, inside and out. With Raw Smoothie Co. our aim was to be the healthiest and most nutrient dense option available and think we made that happen. When you come to Raw Smoothie Co. you know you’re getting the best quality organic green smoothie or bowl you can get. We cut no corners when it comes to the product we serve. Come check us out and you can see for yourself!

-James

I grew up as an Army brat. I was fortunate enough to live all across the U.S., and Europe before settling in Tampa the summer before 9th grade. After high school I started going to HCC for a couple semesters before joining the Army myself. After my six years in the military I focused on finishing my degree, earning a Business Management degree from USF.

I’ve always been passionate about fitness and landed a great job in an athletic training facility as a trainer and manager. I had a great time! I learned a lot, I worked a lot. As a key member of the management team I was essentially learning to run a business and eventually i built the confidence and resolve to start a business of my own. James and I both committed to partnering up and Raw Smoothie Co. was born.

I believe that everything you do has your signature on it; its a direct representation of yourself. We put every bit of that pride and attention to detail in every green smoothie and bowl we serve. From the beginning, we’ve committed to excellence and quality above all and that’s why our customers come back.

-Gian Carlos

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Honestly, Google and Social Media has been great for us. When it comes to google, it’s the reviews that keep us at the top and get the customers in the door. By focusing on what’s most important, the quality of the food, we allow our customers to be our biggest seller. When a customer comes in a enjoys their meal so much they decide to write a great review, you did something right. As far as social media, instagram is where i believe we have the most reach, support, and interaction. Luckily for us, our products are very aesthetic and people love to share. Overall, the best and most important source for new/potential customers, is current customers and their word of mouth. That seems to hold the most weight as peers tend to respect each others opinions. That word of mouth can travel fast and get the right customers in the store. At the end of the day, just focus on the things you can control, your product and your service. Focus on those things and the rest will work itself out.

-James Rue

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

In 2019 we decided it was time to expand. We were in our peak season (spring/early summer) when we started scouting locations around the South Tampa area. We were intrigued by the untapped potential of the Ballast Point neighborhood-a high per household income with limited local destinations. We eventually settled on a corner unit at a plaza on the corner of MacDill and Interbay, one of the busier intersections in the neighborhood. The unit was fairly priced and we negotiated a few months of free rent in order to initiate and complete the build-out process. We decided to partner up with a local coffee roasting company with the idea of having a collaborative concept featuring coffee + smoothies and bowls. We made arrangements with our contractor to begin the build out which consisted of converting a laundry mat without the proper plumbing to a restaurant/cafe space.

By the time we finally secured the space, we were transitioning into our slower season and money was getting tighter. We were up against the clock, because we hadn’t secured additional funding and our revenue was decreasing as we got later into the year.

Then came the complications…

Our coffee partner decided to pull out of the arrangement. This caused a major delay because we had to find another business to fill the spot as well as redoing the paper work-and our landlord is a very busy man. We reached out to Greg Spadaccini, owner of Spaddy’s coffee in Seminole Heights. Fortunately, he accepted the collaboration rather quickly. The re-signing of the paper work wasn’t nearly as expedient but that crisis had been averted. The second major complication was the contractor timeline. Our contractor had to go out of time for an extended period due to a family emergency, further delaying the opening process. All the while, the clock is ticking, the free build-out time is passing us by, our revenue is decreasing, and Im coming up empty on additional revenue sources.

Our largest opening expense was the contractor. We were approaching the completion of the construction which means soon he would need to get paid. I would describe ,myself as an even keeled, low-anxiety person but with everyday that passed, our financial situation combined with our looming opening costs caused a spike in stress and anxiety that i will remember for my entire life. All I could do was stay positive and assert that everything would work out- and it did! 1 day before the contractor was due to be paid, we secured a business loan through Streetshares, a veteran-friendly business loan company!

In hindsight, we probably weren’t in the ideal financial situation to expand at the moment that we did but we were committed to finding a way. Entrepreneurship is jumping off of a cliff and building a plane on the way down. In this situation, we built the plane ten feet before we hit the pavement-but we got it done.

With all the delays, we opened in October, the beginning of our slow season. We survived by moving money from our original location to keep this one afloat. 6 months later Covid hit. The timing for this expansion couldn’t of been worst but we survived by running as lean as possible and with the help of PPP loans.

We’ve now been at our Ballast Point location for 3 years. We’re no longer two companies in one space. Raw Smoothie Co. and Spaddy’s coffee have officially joined forces to create S.O.G. Cafe offering specialty coffee, green smoothies, bowls, breakfast burritos and baked goods. It was an arduous beginning but the futures looking bright!

-Gian Carlos Birriel

Contact Info:

• Website: rawsmoothieco.com
• Instagram: @rawsmoothieco & @sogcafe

Image Credits
Photo 1- James Rue, Co-Owner Photo 2- Gian Carlos Birriel, Co-Owner Photo 3- 408 N. Howard Location (outside) Photo 4- Noho – Inside Photo 5- Rays Up Green Smoothie, Bucs Blend Packed Bowl, Açaí Dank Bowl Photo 6-overhead view