{"id":171230,"date":"2025-06-09T21:13:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T21:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/171230\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T21:13:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T21:13:11","slug":"she-quit-her-job-now-she-makes-1-million-selling-smoothies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/171230\/","title":{"rendered":"She Quit Her Job. Now She Makes $1 Million Selling Smoothies."},"content":{"rendered":"

DeSario Turner didn’t have the classic take-this-job-and-shove-it moment \u2014 no dramatic resignation<\/a>, no sudden business closure. In fact, she had a successful, stable career at Harley-Davidson, where she held a leadership role managing online ecommerce operations across the U.S. and Canada. She could have comfortably stayed in the corporate world indefinitely.<\/p>\n

But Turner had other plans. She wanted ownership, autonomy and the chance to build something meaningful in her hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. So, in 2023, she opened a Smoothie King<\/a> franchise and hit the ground running. “I knew that if I wanted the freedom and the life that I desire, just a paycheck wasn’t enough for me,” she says.<\/p>\n

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/b><\/p>\n

Image Credit: DeSario Turner | Smoothie King<\/p>\n

Bikes to blenders<\/p>\n

Turner spent nearly 18 years at Harley-Davidson, serving in various customer-facing roles that ranged from dealership support to managing North American ecommerce<\/a>. During that time, she also explored several side hustles<\/a> \u2014 from rental properties to vending machines \u2014 as part of a larger vision for long-term financial independence.<\/p>\n

Turner wanted to go all-in on a business that aligned with her values and offered a product she believed in. When she discovered Smoothie King<\/a>, the concept clicked. It combined health and wellness, community impact and a scalable franchise model \u2014 all things she felt passionate about bringing to her hometown.<\/p>\n

After settling on the brand, she began the franchise application process<\/a> in late 2021 while still working full-time and juggled both responsibilities for nearly two years. “That’s when it really kicked off; it was definitely a busy time,” she recalls. “But I had to make it happen.”<\/p>\n

Related: She Was a Lawyer with No Restaurant Experience. Now, She’s Reviving an Iconic Restaurant Chain.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Record-breaking opening<\/p>\n

Turner’s Smoothie King location in Racine shattered expectations right out of the gate, breaking the franchise’s<\/a> record for first-week sales when it opened in 2023. Despite being in a market unfamiliar with the brand, her store generated more than $38,000 in its opening week and quickly became a go-to destination for health-conscious locals.<\/p>\n

In addition to building a thriving business<\/a>, Turner made it a priority to give back. She regularly partners with local schools, gyms and youth programs and donates smoothies for events, supports fundraisers and offers healthful catering options for student-athletes.<\/p>\n

“She believed in herself, did the work and chose a location that gave her business the best chance to thrive,” says Katherine Meariman, VP of training and education at Smoothie King. “She understood from the start that there’s no better way to introduce Smoothie King to a new community than through authentic connection.”<\/p>\n

By the end of her first year, Turner’s location had already crossed $1 million in net sales \u2014 a milestone that placed her store in the top 50 out of more than 1,200 locations in the system.<\/p>\n

Related: 70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Building for the future<\/p>\n

Now, Turner has an eye on the future. Her 19-year-old daughter has stepped into a key leadership role at the store, managing day-to-day operations and learning every aspect of the business firsthand. But this isn’t just a job \u2014 it’s a long-term investment in her future. Turner is intentionally mentoring her daughter to one day take full ownership, passing down not just a business but a blueprint for independence, responsibility and generational<\/a> wealth. “Ultimately, this is her business,” she says. “I’m showing her everything now so she understands what it takes \u2014 because it’s for her future.”<\/p>\n

And the vision doesn’t stop there. With plans to expand and a second location already in the works, Turner is just getting started. Her advice to others considering the jump into business ownership<\/a> like she did is simple. “Invest that current and energy into yourself and build something for you and your family in the future,” she says. “Go for it.”<\/p>\n

Related: I Walked Away From a Corporate Career to Start My Own Small Business \u2014 Here’s Why You Should Do the Same<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

\"0425_Franchise_Article <\/a><\/p>\n

DeSario Turner didn’t have the classic take-this-job-and-shove-it moment \u2014 no dramatic resignation<\/a>, no sudden business closure. In fact, she had a successful, stable career at Harley-Davidson, where she held a leadership role managing online ecommerce operations across the U.S. and Canada. She could have comfortably stayed in the corporate world indefinitely.<\/p>\n

But Turner had other plans. She wanted ownership, autonomy and the chance to build something meaningful in her hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. So, in 2023, she opened a Smoothie King<\/a> franchise and hit the ground running. “I knew that if I wanted the freedom and the life that I desire, just a paycheck wasn’t enough for me,” she says.<\/p>\n

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

\n The rest of this article is locked.\n <\/p>\n

\n Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DeSario Turner didn’t have the classic take-this-job-and-shove-it moment \u2014 no dramatic resignation, no sudden business closure. In fact,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171231,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3094],"tags":[51,3134,16991,1197,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-171230","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-entrepreneurship","10":"tag-franchise","11":"tag-investment","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114655475170181534","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}