We were lucky to catch up with Jordan Plummer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jordan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

Amid the journey, the hiring process emerged as the most formidable challenge, a testament to my belief that the team is the heartbeat of the enterprise. Crafting a vibrant culture entails aligning a business’s goals with clear core values and then proceeding to cultivate them on a daily basis. At Shook, we prioritize purpose, community, family, and then business. This hierarchy influences all decisions, especially when it comes to building a team. During interviews, I leaned heavily on this ethos to guide my decisions. The abundance of applicants, more than triple what was needed for the summer months, emphasized the importance of being highly intentional about the team I was building. After many interviews, the final team was comprised entirely of high school students, and I could not have been more pleased with the work environment we continually fostered throughout the summer. They brought lightness, laughter, and a spirit of playfulness, which was vital for the busyness of the summer season. Not only were they incredibly dependable and hardworking, they were equally as patient with me as I learned how to run a small business. They taught me more than they realize, in business and in being. I feel extremely blessed to have had my first experience building a team be as great as it was and will surely follow the same structure when needing to expand my team. Environment truly is everything, and at Shook, we actively contribute to cultivating an adventure-fueled, light-hearted workplace, both inside and out.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

With my first job starting at a health food cafe at 15 years old, the service industry quickly became the optimal avenue for realizing and supporting my newfound aspirations: freedom, quick & lucrative income, and extensive creative development in the realms of food and health. Through the years, I worked my way up to fine dining, working at the W Hotel on Miami Beach and becoming one of the head servers at Emeril Lagasse’s Flagship Restaurant in New Orleans. At 26, I transitioned into independent contracting to work on private yachts, where I further honed my skills in top-tier service and engaged in culinary experimentation with health drinks and easy-to-eat foods. Every day is an adventure while on a yacht, so the food prepared for the guests has to not only be delicious but energizing and nutritionally dense. It was in this environment that I cultivated a deep appreciation for the essence of Shook: Food for the adventurer.

Between professional endeavors, I would take anywhere from 3 months to a year and a half off to travel the globe. I backpacked through South America, traveled Europe and volunteered at hostels, restaurants, and retreat centers around the world. The experiences accumulated in my 20s form the fabric of everything I create. I heard once that creativity is the ability to grasp the essence of one thing and the essence of some very different thing and smash them together to create some entirely new thing. This encapsulates my perspective on my business—a fusion of life’s adventures, challenges, lessons, and diverse experiences interwoven with a passion for indulgence, convenience, and all things food. This collision came to create a menu of quick, uncomplicated, energizing food that supports individuals to go out and do whatever their soul desires.

In brief, Shook is conveniently accessible food that is delicious and tailored for adventurers of all types. The star of the show is the Smoothie Bowl: a blend of frozen fruit, topped with vegan/gluten-free granola, raw organic coconut flakes, and the freshest fruit that the season has to offer. Other popular items include fresh fruit smoothies, vegan protein shakes, poke bowls, and breakfast burritos. We will never use any fruit powders, processed sugars, syrups, etc. The menu is extensive and constantly evolving with seasonal specials and inventive concoctions. Each option is either inherently vegan or features a vegan alternative. While we refrain from categorizing ourselves as a health food restaurant, we assure the use of quality whole foods, predominantly organic, with minimal ingredients and void of highly processed sugars, preservatives, and toxic additives.

I’ve heard is said the most successful businesses fulfill a need, and that’s precisely what Shook is for me and our adventure-packed community.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Shook emerged from a failed attempt to establish an adaptogenic, nootropic tea business. My passion lies in serving others through food and beverages that not only taste great but also leave you feeling energetic and deeply satisfied. In the pursuit of the tea business, my goal was to introduce cold and hot teas to the community, packed with a variety of herbs, roots, and other substances and supplements that we might not typically include in our diets. After dedicating a little over half a year to developing this concept, I stepped back and critically examined what I had created. To my dismay, I discovered that the light and subtle taste of tea was completely overshadowed by the earthy, sometimes pungent flavors of these substances. In simpler terms, everything I created tasted like you were drinking pond water.

Fortunately, I embrace the philosophy of being a ‘strong opinions loosely held’ person, which, when applied to my business, allows me to abandon what isn’t working and wholeheartedly pursue what proves effective. Thus, I accepted defeat with the teas, shifted gears, and Shook was born. Venturing into the blended drink space enables me to deliver all the health benefits I initially envisioned but with a much more extensive and palatable base.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

After three months of running my business while simultaneously running myself into the ground, I hired on a business coach (@SkyBearB on Instagram). I highly recommend having a coach, mentor, or advisor of some sort; it was a game-changer.

The very first thing we addressed was my sleep, or rather, my lack of. I was getting between 5 and 7 hours a night, and we shifted to a strict minimum of 7.5 hours, with the goal of 9. This simple change resolved 70% of my problems—I’m not exaggerating. The impact of consistent sleep on focus, motivation, and stamina is truly miraculous.

Next, my coach recommended that I read “The One Thing,” “Essentialism,” and “The E-Myth.” These three books are must-reads for anyone, not just those starting out in business but anyone engaged in creative pursuits. They provide the tools to efficiently and effectively run a business and manage your life, teaching you how to consistently focus on what’s most important at any given moment.

I’d also recommend books written by Tim Ferris, Seth Godin, and Ryan Holiday. All these authors have podcasts that are a wealth of information, and most of their books and the books I listed are on audible, at your local library or on the Libby app—an excellent digital library resource with books for your phone, Kindle, screen reader, and Audible.

Feel free to reach out with any questions. I’m an avid reader, philosopher, podcast consumer, and a lover of understanding how people function in business, not just the business itself. The best way to contact me is via email at [email protected] or on Instagram @ShookSmoothies.

Contact Info:

• Website: Shooksmoothies.com
• Instagram: @Shooksmoothies
• Facebook: facebook.com/Shooksmoothies
• Twitter: Shooksmoothies
• Youtube: Shooksmoothies
• Yelp: Shooksmoothies