Arnika Carter Douglas shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Arnika, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
Most days I check for any online Loaded Juice orders. I may have to go get produce and spend time juicing. Then I will prepare orders to be delivered or shipped. For the remainder of my day, I create and schedule content on social media. I love to end my day with spending time with my husband.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Arnika Carter Douglas. I was recently married to DeVanté Douglas. I own a cold pressed juice business called Loaded Juice. We make all natural juices from fruits and vegetables, adding no processed sugar or preservatives in them. We sell our juices online at www.loadedjuice.store. We ship them nationwide and offer local delivery in Jackson, TN. We also own a juice truck that is currently located at theLOCAL in Downtown Jackson TN at 202 W Lafayette Street. We not only sell our juices on the juice truck, but smoothies, salads, and now matcha lattes! We also offer catering services in the West TN area. We are so excited about the growth of our business and how we can continually help people with healthier food choices.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I never thought about being an entrepreneur and never really wanted to be. My husband saw it in me before I ever did. When I first started experimenting with making cold pressed juice, he suggested that I try selling it. I immediately shut that idea down, which is so ironic now with that fact that I own Loaded Juice. He saw the potential in my products and new that it could be something great. I am so thankful for his push and encouragement.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Being a business owner gives you plenty of opportunities to feel like you want to give up. This summer I decided to not return to my full time job as a teacher and attempt to run my Loaded Juice business full time. There has been plenty of times I have felt like maybe I didn’t make a wise choice and maybe running a juice business full time is not possible. Instead of getting stuck in those negative thoughts, I just remind myself of why I have decided to take a risk on my business and myself. I truly do have the ability and capability of running a successful juice business. Even on the slow days and times I have orders that are slowly coming in, I have to remind myself that this is just the beginning. I can’t get to the success that’s in my future if I quit too soon.
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. Is the public version of you the real you?
I try to be as authentic as I can be. What you see is what you get. I believe my personality and character is what attracts people to my business. I try to be as honest, kind, and as welcoming as I can be. One time I served a customer after my closing time just to be kind. That’s just who I am. I did that just because good customer service matters to me. Not even realizing that customer was a host on a radio station. In turn he gave Loaded Juice a shoutout on live radio and invite us to be on the radio with him twice. Being yourself and being kind to others is so important.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I pray that people will remember me for my kindness and joy. Life is shorter than you realize and if I can have a positive impact on as many people as I possibly can, that’s what I will do. I believe people will remember you better for the good things you do over the bad. I want people to remember me to be the person that would help you before I hurt you. That was satisfy me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.loadedjuice.store/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loadedjuice_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089331537853
