Jen Maness shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Jen, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Not exactly sure what “normal” means…I feel like I have very few of those kind of days! No two days are alike – that is for sure. Typically, I start my day our Kirkwood location. We run our juicing operation out of that location and most days we have deliveries for our wholesale accounts. Then from there, I might have a meeting or two in the morning, then I head to our Grove location. We also have a kitchen space where we cook for our meal prep side of things. In the afternoons we deliver those meals to our wholesale accounts. Sometimes in a rush at the cafe I might have to help out behind the bar! It’s always changing and I love it!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Jen Maness. I am the owner of Hello Juice & Smoothie in St. Louis. We opened our first brick and mortar location in August of 2018 (7 years this month!!) then 4 years later we opened our second location in Kirkwood.
The most important thing for us at Hello Juice is that we want healthy food to be accessible to the communities we serve. Eating healthy can be hard at times. We meet our customers where they are.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
My dad. My dad had an incredible work ethic. He would work nights on the dock at the St. Louis Post Dispatch. HE would get off work at like 4am – come homes take care of his family, take me to school – get a few hours sleep and do it all over again. My mom was also in those days in the early stages of MS. But, he NEVER quit!
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
That this too shall pass. Pain and suffering will happen at some point in all our lives – a death, loss of a job, divorce.
My biggest lessons in life have come out pain and suffering. Walking through it to get to the other side teaches you some of life’s greatest lessons.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
That there is something greater than us. I don’t care what you call it – Jesus, God, Universe, Divine Power. Something bigger than us is at play – can’t prove it.- I just believe it.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would start saying no more to things that don’t serve me, my family or my business. I would spend that time do things that I want to do – spending time with my husband, friends, family, my DOGS! I could spend that time growing and learning how to become a better person, leader and friend.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hellojuiceandsmoothie.com
- Instagram: @hellojuicestl
- Linkedin: Jennifer_Maness
