DeSario Turner did not have the basic take-this-job-and-shove-it second — no dramatic resignation, no sudden enterprise closure. The truth is, she had a profitable, steady profession at Harley-Davidson, the place she held a management position managing on-line ecommerce operations throughout the U.S. and Canada. She might have comfortably stayed within the company world indefinitely.
However Turner had different plans. She needed possession, autonomy and the prospect to construct one thing significant in her hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. So, in 2023, she opened a Smoothie King franchise and hit the bottom working. “I knew that if I needed the liberty and the life that I need, only a paycheck wasn’t sufficient for me,” she says.
Picture Credit score: DeSario Turner | Smoothie King
Bikes to blenders
Turner spent practically 18 years at Harley-Davidson, serving in numerous customer-facing roles that ranged from dealership assist to managing North American ecommerce. Throughout that point, she additionally explored a number of side hustles — from rental properties to merchandising machines — as half of a bigger imaginative and prescient for long-term monetary independence.
Turner needed to go all-in on a enterprise that aligned together with her values and supplied a product she believed in. When she found Smoothie King, the idea clicked. It mixed well being and wellness, neighborhood influence and a scalable franchise mannequin — all issues she felt captivated with bringing to her hometown.
After deciding on the model, she started the franchise application process in late 2021 whereas nonetheless working full-time and juggled each tasks for practically two years. “That is when it actually kicked off; it was undoubtedly a busy time,” she recollects. “However I needed to make it occur.”
Associated: She Was a Lawyer with No Restaurant Experience. Now, She’s Reviving an Iconic Restaurant Chain.
Document-breaking opening
Turner’s Smoothie King location in Racine shattered expectations proper out of the gate, breaking the franchise’s document for first-week gross sales when it opened in 2023. Regardless of being in a market unfamiliar with the model, her retailer generated greater than $38,000 in its opening week and rapidly turned a go-to vacation spot for health-conscious locals.
Along with constructing a thriving business, Turner made it a precedence to provide again. She commonly companions with native faculties, gyms and youth applications and donates smoothies for occasions, helps fundraisers and presents healthful catering choices for student-athletes.
“She believed in herself, did the work and selected a location that gave her enterprise the very best probability to thrive,” says Katherine Meariman, VP of coaching and schooling at Smoothie King. “She understood from the beginning that there isn’t any higher solution to introduce Smoothie King to a brand new neighborhood than via genuine connection.”
By the top of her first yr, Turner’s location had already crossed $1 million in internet gross sales — a milestone that positioned her retailer within the high 50 out of greater than 1,200 places within the system.
Associated: 70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025
Constructing for the longer term
Now, Turner has a watch on the longer term. Her 19-year-old daughter has stepped right into a key management position on the retailer, managing day-to-day operations and studying each facet of the enterprise firsthand. However this is not only a job — it is a long-term funding in her future. Turner is deliberately mentoring her daughter to sooner or later take full possession, passing down not only a enterprise however a blueprint for independence, duty and generational wealth. “Finally, that is her enterprise,” she says. “I am exhibiting her all the pieces now so she understands what it takes — as a result of it is for her future.”
And the imaginative and prescient would not cease there. With plans to increase and a second location already within the works, Turner is simply getting began. Her recommendation to others contemplating the bounce into business ownership like she did is easy. “Make investments that present and vitality into your self and construct one thing for you and your loved ones sooner or later,” she says. “Go for it.”
Associated: I Walked Away From a Corporate Career to Start My Own Small Business — Here’s Why You Should Do the Same
DeSario Turner did not have the basic take-this-job-and-shove-it second — no dramatic resignation, no sudden enterprise closure. The truth is, she had a profitable, steady profession at Harley-Davidson, the place she held a management position managing on-line ecommerce operations throughout the U.S. and Canada. She might have comfortably stayed within the company world indefinitely.
However Turner had different plans. She needed possession, autonomy and the prospect to construct one thing significant in her hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. So, in 2023, she opened a Smoothie King franchise and hit the bottom working. “I knew that if I needed the liberty and the life that I need, only a paycheck wasn’t sufficient for me,” she says.
The remainder of this text is locked.
Be a part of Entrepreneur+ right this moment for entry.
