Juiceman

Larry Sidoti

Juice It Up!

Founded in 1995
Irvine, Calif.
Revenue: $19.1 million
www.juiceitup.com

Fruit Frenzy
A former adman, Sidoti used to make fruit smoothies in his kitchen. They became the recipes for Juice It Up, now a chain of 88 smoothie and juice bars in California, Arizona, and Washington. Last year sales were up 42%, and the company plans to add 55 new locations by the end of the year.

One thing he would do differently:
"If I had one thing to do over again it would be to grow smarter. We had a lot of success early on and as a result got a bit careless with where and how we grew. We would buy into a real estate broker's or developer's vision rather than stick with what was working. We spread our stores out into markets that were not conducive for this business and allowed affiliated parties to influence our decisions. We learned a valuable lesson and since then have concentrated growth in states with moderate climates like California, Arizona, and Florida. In fact, since working out the kinks, Juice It Up! is ramping up for its biggest explosion in growth yet."