The Beach Away From The Beach

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

THE BEACH AWAY FROM THE BEACH

View of Sobol

   “Hi, how are you guys today? Welcome In!” are the words that come out of mouth every time a customer walks through the door. Hearing the ring of the chime coming from the big black framed door in the front, I quickly turned on my social button to give every customer a great experience, pushing them to come again. “Customer service is key “ was something our boss told us daily. Prior to the chime, I would catch myself staring at the wooden décor of the state of New Jersey to the left when you enter and the two giant surfboards hanging up on the right wall from the entrance. The colored surfboard was my favorite, ranging about six to seven feet in length, with the colors of blue, green, and yellow in a groovy-like pattern. The other surfboard was just plain wood, but it matched the vibe and was a great addition to the store. Sobol’s interior vibe was very beachy and bright. It had light wood doors that the workers would use to get into the back, and all the countertops were that same wood with black ribbed side panels. Four big different boards displayed the menu. One had smoothies, one had bowls, one had extra fruit and spreads, and the last one showed our specialty items during the different seasons.

   The chalkboard was the main hit of the whole store. Every kid’s eye would be drawn to it as it was located directly on the right wall as you walk in. There was a bin of different color chalk and would be picked from just about every day, so they went fast, they had to restock quite frequently. The staff would write questions of the day, and draw designs like, a school bus in August for the first day of school, a flower or beach for the first day of summer, and a Christmas tree for Christmas. Every holiday, Sobol decorates for that specific holiday with all different decorations throughout the place.

   Moni, the owner, boss, and soul of the business absolutely adores her job. Moni is 5’5 with beautiful long brown hair that reaches the middle of her back, and gorgeous light brown eyes that grab the attention of most. She has two little kids, a girl and a boy, and a supporting husband that helps run the business alongside of her. 

   I got the opportunity to meet the kids, husband, and grandparents. Moni exclaimed that they are all such a big part of the restaurant all pitch in to help in a way to help the place function. “A family run business is the best run business”, she voiced to me. I have genially never met a person more passionate and motivated than Moni. She loves speaking to costumers and gaining that personal connection with them. To her, this is one of the most important factors to owning a business.

 Moni

   Sobol is an acai bowl and smoothie store. They have different flavors of bowls including your classic acai bowl, mango pineapple bowl, sprilalina, green, and a pitaya, all topped with granola, and different fruits of your choice. They have spreads on top as well like Nutella, cookie butter, almond butter, and peanut butter. (ADD)

   I asked Moni what inspired her to open her first business, and it led into an amazing conversation.

   “Firstly, my love for food and the joy it brings to peoples lives. I wanted to create a space where people can come together and enjoy delicious fruit bowls in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Inspiration came from having seen many family members run successful businesses on their own. It’s the notion of the trills you get from overcoming the challenges of having your own business.” 

Moni answered in a way I didn’t expect, and I simply wanted to know more. I then asked her what some of the biggest challenges were that she faced, and all that she had to overcome to get the store to where it is now. 

   “Coming to terms that if the business failed and I lost all the money, would I be able to rebuild and restart? This was a hard pill to swallow, but luckily not something I’ve had to face. Another challenge I ran into was finding the right location to open the store amidst all the external factors such as COVID. I needed to find an area that people still went to, so I chose a strip mall. I also struggled with marking my business. I had to prove that Sobol was different than similar businesses, and why our place was worth trying.”

   She exclaimed that she focused more on social media marketing, community outreach by partnering with nearby businesses and donating producting. She then went on to talk about customer service and how that the number one thing that she looks for during the hiring process and something that she strives her employers to have. Working for her, taught me good skills such as (ADD) 

   As the conversation continued, I asked, “What is the easiest and hardest part of the job?” She replied with, “Hardest part of the job is figuring out how to grow the business and meeting staffing needs. Easiest part of the job is the job itself. When you have a product that is good and know people are going to love it, you enjoy doing what you do.” 

   It was evident that people loved it there. It seemed there was many loyal customers that had rewards points. On the same topic, the question of negative and positive reviews came up. She exclaimed that she loved positive review, because who wouldn’t and negative reviews, she had a bit to say. 

“First part is to understand what the customer is feeling and put yourself in their shoes. Once you’ve done that you acknowledge & apologize for what they’ve experienced. Last you work on addressing the mistake & ensure it doesn’t repeat. We do also offer customer discount to entice them to give us another chance. “

  “Don’t be afraid to take a risk, bet on yourself because if you don’t, no one else will. Only get into business if you are okay with losing it all. If failure makes you lose sleep at night, don’t even think about doing it”, was the advice she gave after I asked from advice to someone first starting their own business. 

  As Moni likes to say to her customers, “Sobol is in fact, the beach away from the beach.”

Friends in Solo

 

   https://mysobol.com/express-menu/