Lessons in entrepreneurship from a DC-based founder who scored a big investment

Take-Away with Sam Oches

Nation's Restaurant News

Business, Entrepreneurship

2.5 • 15 Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2024

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Amir Mostafavi, founder and CEO of South Block, a Washington, D.C.-based juice, smoothie, and bowl concept with 17 locations. Amir has been grinding as an entrepreneur for 20 years, and earlier this year his hustle paid off, as South Block secured an investment with Savory Fund to expand initially on the East Coast. He joined the podcast to share his entrepreneurial journey, how he’s tackled the many challenges along the way, and why people on the proverbial “block” are so important to the brand’s success.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

You should get involved in activities where your guest is involved
Sometimes the simplest rules are the most important
Being a little bit naïve can be great for your business
Your ability to quickly adopt new items can trend-proof your business
Your culture will never be 100% perfect, but you can work on improving it 100% of the time
It’s important to celebrate all of your brand’s wins

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, welcome to Takeaway with Sam Ocas, a podcast from Nation's Restaurant News.
0:05.1	I am Sam Ocas, editor-in-chief here at NRN, and this is the show where I give you an all-access pass,
0:10.7	the restaurant industry's most influential decision-makers.
0:14.4	This week, I'm talking with Amir Mostafavi, the founder and CEO of South Block, a Washington, D.C.-based juice, smoothie, and bowl
0:23.6	concept with 17 locations. Amir is an incredible entrepreneur who has been grinding for 20
0:30.1	years to build multiple businesses. And earlier this year, South Block secured an investment
0:35.5	with Savory Fund to expand initially on the East Coast.
0:40.8	Amir was inspired by his father's video rental business to become an entrepreneur, and his
0:46.2	first juice bar, Campus Fresh, opened in 2004 on the second floor of a gym at George Washington
0:53.8	University.
0:55.1	Despite that unique location, the business thrived and eventually Amir expanded to a new business in South Block.
1:02.5	The brand is committed to high quality ingredients and an intense focus on taking care of its communities,
1:10.1	which includes serving fresh fruits and
1:12.5	vegetables to food banks and schools. Amir joined the podcast to share his entrepreneurial journey,
1:18.8	how he has tackled the many challenges along the way, and why people on the proverbial
1:23.4	block are so important to the brand's success. In this interview, you will learn more about why sometimes the simplest rules are the most
1:31.9	important, why being a little bit naive can be great for your business, and why it's important
1:37.4	to celebrate all of your brand's wins.
1:40.4	Jumping now into my interview with South Blocks, Amir Mostafavi.
1:53.0	Also, don't forget to stick around after the interview as I will share my six takeaways from this discussion, actionable insights that you can take with you on the go. Okay, I'm sitting down with Amir Mostafavi, the CEO and founder of South Block out of Washington, D.C. Amir, thanks for joining me today.
2:03.8	Yeah, absolutely. Thanks so much for having me on. So Amir, we're going to talk about South Block,
2:09.2	what this brand is all about. And I know that, you know, this story goes back over 20 years.
	...

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