16: How to Open With No Cash, No Chef, & No Time | Jennifer Peters, Just BE Kitchen

“I wanted to close the gap between who I was and what I did.”

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Jennifer Peters is the Founder & Foodie of Just BE Kitchen, a two-unit fast casual concept in Colorado, with an allergen friendly menu focused on serving “mindful mouthfuls from a conscious kitchen” through meals that are gluten, grain, refined sugar, and dairy-free.

As you’ll hear in our conversation, Jen’s mettle was tested several times along the way to opening and sustaining Just BE, from having her funding fall through right before she opened, to her Head Chef leaving to film a TV show two weeks before opening day.

We discuss how she overcame these challenges, as well as:

- How the idea started from an MBA class project

- Signing 56 letters of intent before finalizing her first location lease

- Why growing your business only unveils new challenges to overcome

- How owning a business is the “most expensive and fastest self development course”

Please enjoy my conversation with Jennifer Peters!

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Where to find Just BE Kitchen:

• Website: https://justbekitchen.com/ 
• IG: @justbekitchen
• FB: @justbekitchen
• Twitter: @justBEkitchen

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Where to find Jennifer:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-peters-61013a/

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Where to find Bryan:

• Website: https://www.myfirstrestaurant.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-tublin-03548910/
• Twitter: @btublin 

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Where to find Kitava:

• Website: https://www.kitava.com/
• Instagram: @kitavakitchen

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Referenced:

• Daring Greatly
• Toast Online Ordering
• Fryingpan Bacon
• Havenly Breads

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In this episode, we cover:

• (01:27) Jen’s transition from a corporate job to opening a restaurant
• (04:34) The name and inspiration behind Just BE Kitchen
• (05:47) How meeting a mentor convinced her to take the plunge
• (07:15) Jen’s journey to find a lease without funding, and funding without a lease
• (12:17) How much money it took for Jen to open her first location
• (14:42) Setting up the business knowing she wanted to scale
• (16:28) Opening team structure, and dealing with her Head Chef leaving 2 weeks before opening
• (20:07) Why every level of success continues to reveal its own set of challenges
• (23:56) How owning a business is the “most expensive and fastest self development course”
• (28:52) An example of one good hire can changing the culture of the entire team
• (30:57) Just BE’s team structure today
• (32:14) Partnering with a brewery to open her second location
• (34:15) On The Fly Segment