When Passion and Purpose Collide

When Passion and Purpose Collide by Elizabeth Denham

What is the truly fabulous thing that happens in life when your passion and purpose collide? Fulfillment! This is what Brandi Ackerman has experienced as a Smoothie King franchisee.

“Everybody is put on this Earth to do something. I feel like my purpose is to inspire and encourage people,” Ackerman said. “Smoothie King is a great fit for me because its vision and purpose are the same as mine.” Ackerman believes that as a business owner, you should reflect the brand in your lifestyle and really believe in what you do.

Smoothie King Mission Statement It is our Vision at Smoothie King to become THE healthy alternative to unhealthy food choices by providing a consistent, outstanding guest experience, great tasting nutritional smoothies and the highest-quality nutritional products in a healthy, energetic environment.

“I live it and breathe it. My mission is to help people to live a healthy and active lifestyle. I want everyone to live their best lives for themselves,” she said. “I try to help people have a healthy attitude towards food. When I am at the gym, I try to encourage the person next to me. I want my team at work to have the same ideals, so I try to hire staff who align with that same feeling. We want bright, fun, chipper people with an eye towards health and fitness. When you think of Smoothie King, we want you to think of those qualities.”

“Everybody is put on this Earth to do something. I feel like my purpose is to inspire and encourage people.”

Ackerman’s healthy and active lifestyle even bleeds over into work parties. Each year for the Smoothie King Christmas party, she takes her team to work out at Orange Theory Fitness. “The kids we hire love it,” she said. “And we spend some time together working out, having fun, and building the brand within our team.”

Ackerman wasn’t always so devoted to health and fitness. When she was in high school, she was overweight and did not feel cute at all. She tried college, but found more

purpose in the military. She visited 11 countries in four years, and during her time, she became the aerobics instructor on her ship. After the military, she was regional supervisor for a chain of weight loss centers in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. She became passionate about taking care of herself and that inspired her to encourage others.

After her child was born, she stayed home with him for a while and then did some catering work with local Smoothie King owner, Shannah Stamm. It wasn’t long before they decided to team up. Together, they now run three stores on the Gulf Coast of Alabama in the cities of Daphne and Fairhope. And she has never looked back.

“We have guests of all ages, demographics, backgrounds and cultures,” Ackerman said. “And they all have one thing in common − they want to feel better, look better and live better. So that’s what we speak to.”

That even means helping cancer patients stay healthier during treatment. In 2018, Smoothie King partnered with the American Cancer Society to create a high calorie, nutrient-rich, dairy-free smoothie that tasted great for anyone, especially patients who are challenged meeting their daily caloric and nutritional needs. Brandi’s store (a test store) received potential recipes and had their guests taste test them. Guests provided feedback that helps Smoothie King scientist with the final product. Brandi and her team went above and beyond with the testing for the American Cancer society smoothie, now called the “Daily Warrior.” They even took samples to the local Cancer Centers to have patients sample and give their feedback

“We want to be an integral part of people’s health and fitness journeys,” she said. “And I feel like when you blend a smoothie for someone, you are helping them meet their needs − whatever they are. We make it easier for people to achieve their goals with smoothies that taste good.”

Smoothie King’s new tagline is #RuletheDay, and The Franchise Woman thinks that suits Brandi Ackeman just fine.

Ackerman’s Entrepreneurial Spirit

Brandi Ackerman demonstrated her entrepreneurial spirit early on. When she was staying home with her young child, she did a lot of couponing. She designed an organizational system for the coupons, got a patent, had a mold made and imported them from China. She marketed to trade shows and women’s shows and built a brand to “Live Large on Less.” She still sells her system online at www.mycouponkeeper.com/.