Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in non-alcoholic spirits but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Stuart Shaul, founder of Soul Spirits, located in Toronto, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Soul Spirits is one of the first non-alcoholic subscription and cocktail boxes available in North America. The non-alcoholic spirit space is growing rapidly and amazing new brands are launching all the time.
We've scoured the globe to find the best of these products and then pair them with a variety of premium tonics and mixers as well as instructions on how to prepare amazing drinks at home.
Our customer vary - from those who drink no alcohol to those who want to drink less alcohol - but share the love of relaxing at home or entertaining family and friends while enjoying a great tasting cocktail.
Tell us about yourself
I spent close to 23 years working for a large Telecommunications company and my partner was there for over 30 years. I was always focused recurring revenue businesses with the responsibility to grow and manage those customer bases. After leaving my corporate role, two trends really piqued our interest - the growth in non-alcoholic spirits and the growth in subscription boxes. So we combined these 2 trends and Soul Spirits was born. We launched purely as a subscription box service but have since expanded to also include individual spirit focused boxes - think a Gin Box, a Rum box, etc.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Our business is quite young so I'm hoping that my biggest accomplishment is still to come. Nevertheless, I am really proud of the fact that since our launch we have not had one single customer complaint. Zero. Sure we've had some customers cancel after trying our service, but to date every single order we've received has reached the customer as fast as promised and in pristine condition.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
As a very new small business owner who used to work at large corporation, the hardest part is that everything is now our responsibility. From the largest strategic decisions to updating copy on our website. Make no mistake, it is also one of the best things about running your own business, but sometimes you do miss the support that a larger organization can provide.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First, you need to be patient. If you are launching something new, make sure you've spent the time necessary to have the launch go smoothly. As a small business owner, there is always a rush to get new products to market as fast as possible but taking the extra is worth it.
Second, don't be afraid to pivot. In the months prior to our launch we made several major changes - from who hosted our online store to the markets where we were launching. This definitely slowed us down, but looking back, those decisions were very wise.
Lastly, stay optimistic. As a business owner, you have a lot more skin in the game, especially from a financial standpoint. There will be hard days, days when no one seems to want your product. But you need to know there will days when things go really well. And as your business grows, those days will happen more often than the not so good ones.
Where can people find you and your business?
https://www.instagram.com/soul.spirits/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/soul-spirits/
https://www.facebook.com/SoulSpiritsSubscriptions
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.