Kylee is healing the world one juice at a time
August 8, 2023
When Kylee Kussman’s doctor told her she would need injections for the rest of her life to deal with her skin condition, she sought another path. She changed her diet and began juicing — and two years later, the Nourishing Souls Juice Bar food truck hit the streets!
We recently caught up with Kylee to learn more about her entrepreneur journey.
Introduce yourself — who are you and what is your company?
My name is Kylee! I am a mother of two beautiful kids who inspire me to be my absolute best daily! And I am the owner and creator of Nourishing Souls Mobile Juice Bar. I strive to make make healthy food that’s nutritionally dense and tastes delicious!
How did your company start?
I started juicing in 2020 and documented my journey online. Then I started juicing for friends and family. After that, it kind of just blew up (in the best possible way)! So in 2022, I made things official with a food truck and a LLC!
Why this idea?
Food IS medicine! I was able to heal my own autoimmune psoriasis and IBS through daily juicing and diet change! I was so grateful to not be living in a miserable, painful state anymore that I vowed to share my story and light with the world.
Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?
No, but becoming an entrepreneur is hands down one of the best things that has happened to me.
The Launch Dayton community values are: 1. Be Bold 2. All Are Welcome 3. People First 4. Give First 5. Remove Barriers. How do you embody one or more of these values?
Nourishing Souls removes barriers to make healthy food and juice accessible. If you compare our prices to any other juice bar in the area, ours are significantly lower for a reason. We want to make sure everyone can enjoy and afford our HEALING products.
What identities or life experiences do you bring to entrepreneurship that helped prepare you for this lifestyle?
I think healing my psoriasis really prepared me for entrepreneurship because it showed me perseverance and how resilient I am as a person. While I was healing my autoimmune disease, I had so many people doubt me. My own dermatologist swore up and down I’d be stuck with this condition my entire life without the help of monthly injections. Throughout this long and hard journey, giving up was never an option for me. There are definitely some bad or slow weeks in entrepreneurship, but that’s where you have to get creative with it.
What is the biggest barrier you’ve faced on your entrepreneur journey?
Money was my biggest barrier for getting started on my entrepreneur journey. I ended up maxing out every credit card I owned to get my food truck up and running. I wish I had the knowledge back then to take a loan out in my business’s name instead of my personal. Rookie mistake.
Why do you love what you do?
I absolutely LOVE what I do. I have so much fun meeting new people and being able to share my love for healthy eating and living. My favorite thing to do is experiment with new flavors and just deliver juice that is fresh, flavorful, and unique!
What advice would you offer fellow or aspiring entrepreneurs?
Don’t let anyone discourage you from doing what you know in your heart you can do! Even if you don’t succeed at first, you have gained experience and know what you need to work on to make it work.
