We had the good fortune of connecting with Tim Snyder and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tim, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
In the beginning, I had virtually no balance at all. My sister and I dove headfirst into the business. We worked almost every shift ourselves, with only a handful of employees. We were slowly able to transition to delegating more responsibilities onto staff. Although I still function as the General Manager of the shop.

This business is so important to me, it’s difficult to let go and place it in someone else’s hands. And I truly enjoy running the day-to-day operations. I’m making long term plans to hire a GM and have a little more “life” than “work”.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I hear time and time again from our customers that no one else does what we do. I pride myself on offering the highest quality ingredients for our smoothies and juices. It would be easy to cut corners and increase our profit margins when it comes to ingredients, but I’ve never compromised on that.

The most exciting part about this business is seeing the local community respond to what we offer. Each year it seems that more people are learning the importance of nutrition and caring about their health. And each year we’ve grown as a result. It’s really satisfying seeing a regular customer bring in a friend, and they’re so excited to show them our products.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The very first thing we’d do is go for a bike ride on the Riverwalk. It’s a fantastic combination of a peaceful view and a great exercise. We’d certainly go white water rafting on the Chattahoochee as well. The first time I went, I was thrown out of the raft on the biggest rapid. It was exhilarating.

Downtown has some amazing food too. We’d hit Ma Bella’s, 11th & Bay, and Stock Market. We’d finish at Nonic for a nightcap, my favorite bar in town.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that have helped me get to where I am. First and foremost is my sister, Kristi Snyder. She’s a nutritionist and taught me everything I know about health food. We talked for years about opening a juice bar in Atlanta, where we lived. But the market was so saturated there already that we didn’t find it feasible. She made a trip to Columbus in 2015 and told me this is the place we need to be. There were no healthy food options at all!

With the help of Mark and Anita Alexander, we were able to make our juice bar dream come true. Mark played a huge role in giving me the confidence to pull the trigger on the business. He’s definitely my entrepreneurial mentor.

I’m also eternally grateful to Buddy Nelms and Jason McKenzie, who welcomed me into the “Ride On” family and have had my back the entire time, I know that the juice bar wouldn’t be as successful as it is without their help.

Website: www.RideOnSmoothieAndJuiceBar.com

Instagram: @RideOnSmoothies

Facebook: @RideOnSmoothies

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