Meet Shannon Peter | Franchisor Owner and Operator, Store Owner and Operator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shannon Peter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have always wanted to own my own business. When I started looking at something, my husband said that there were coffee shops on every corner and you have to sell a lot of coffee to make any money. He then visited the Longmont Inta Juice during lunch and realized this would fit into our lifestyle and also provide something healthy and nutritious for our daughter. Our daughter at the time was a very high-level competitive gymnast and trying to replenish her calories she lost during a 5-hour workout was tough.

What should our readers know about your business?
I want everyone to know that even if you don’t have a college degree, that shouldn’t put limits on your aspirations, dreams, and goals. I knew that I didn’t want to work for someone all my life, I’m a driven individual, and when I put my mind to something I go for it and don’t let up until I have what I want. Everything I have learned is self-taught. There is no education that I’m aware of that can teach anyone the skills and challenges that I have overcome. We opened in late 2006, then fast-forward to 2008 and the financial crisis. We did just as much as we did in 2007 but we didn’t do much more than in 2007. We survived, that is who I am, a survivor. From that point forward I have been dealt many challenges. In 2008, the original Franchisor Entity went Bankrupt and it left us in limbo. I wasn’t going to back down, we had spent over $200K starting our business and I was determined to keep it going. From there we went through some other issues and came out on the other side with a win. We now own the intellectual properties, trademarks, and copyrights to the Name, trade dress, along with the know-how, and with my business partners, we now offer those the opportunity to own their own franchise. We have an amazing Brand that was worth fighting for. I wasn’t going to give it up, I believe in our product and our passion to help others find their dreams in owning a turn-key business. I have worked very hard continuing to research for example Juices. We started out with only a few juices that were 100% fruit juice that didn’t contain high fructose corn syrups. We officially, as of July 2020, use only 100% fruit juices. We have a private label juice and that has been very gratifying, to say the least. We no longer have HFCS in our Sherbets as well. These have been very big milestones and I will continue to research and provide the best quality ingredients available for our customers.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh boy, We would probably drive all over the state. Definitely would visit Downtown Denver and enjoy some of the amazing restaurants and food available there. We would go to Estes Park and stroll through downtown. I would have to also stop by for an afternoon at a brewery and of course support whichever food truck was there. Fingers crossed it’s Steamy Weiners, the best Chicago dog ever. And I would take them to Snack Attack in Fort Collins to enjoy the veggie wrap, which is absolutely amazing. I could eat one of their veggie wraps every day for lunch or dinner.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Thank you to my husband for going along with my crazy hair brain ideas. Thank you to my mother-in-law for helping us out back in 2006 with co-signing on an SBA loan and letting me start my own business. And to my daughter who has been my rock. She not only grew up in the store, she now manages it for me so that I may focus on the Franchising side of the business.

Website: www.intajuice.com

Instagram: @intajuicegco

Twitter: @intajuicegco

Facebook: @intajuicegco

Yelp: Inta Juice of Greeley