South Block’s Amir Mostafavi Is in the Business of People

It’s past time we remixed the entrepreneur archetype. The tried-and-true definition of an emerging or aspiring business owner feels tired. The modern entrepreneur is a mover, shaker and doer who’s not content with simply breaking all the rules. Our 52 trailblazers featured in the October issue are rewriting the rules, tearing them up and doing it all over again. It’s creation at its purest, because the fruits of one’s hustle are not actualized overnight or by following one jet-lagged recipe. It’s no longer adequate to measure entrepreneurs by the brick-and-mortar spaces they manifest or the jobs they create. Those are all important elements but fall short of what it truly means to build something — often with blood, sweat and tears. Whether you’re revamping the vintage clothing industry, introducing a fresh dining concept, cultivating an advocacy-focused creative agency or advancing the cause of equality for the LGBTQ+ community, the only thing that matters is freedom — the freedom to march to the beat of your own badass drum. Read our full rundown of trailblazers here.

Founder of hit juice bar South Block, Amir Mostafavi makes sure his work focuses on the people he’s able to impact. He’s an entrepreneur with a focus on impact and vision, with delicious smoothies and acai bowls as a vehicle to a mission.

Advice that keeps you hungry
“Don’t sell your product, sell your vision.”

What your day is incomplete without
A cappuccino. It’s basically juice from coffee beans.

Your power outfit remix
My power outfit is simple and comfortable: jeans, white sneakers, black T-shirt and black baseball cap. I don’t like to take time to think about what to wear, so my closet is full of black T-shirts.

What every entrepreneur needs
You have to find purpose in what you are doing. Otherwise, your passion will die very quickly. I consider myself to be in the people business, not the smoothie business. If I made it all about smoothies, I would have lost interest years ago. But, knowing that you have the opportunity to change lives — that never gets old.

@amirmost + @southblock // southblock.com