Owner of Katie’s Coldpress juices writes a book on work-life balance.

Shortly after Katie Raquel won a business startup challenge five years ago, the Salinas resident bought a juicer. That was the start of a successful small business – Katie’s Coldpress – delivering raw organic juices to local clients.

Having three kids at home meant she had a decision: try to grow the company quickly or pay attention to the family. From this experience, Raquel came up with a book. Squeezed: The Raw Truth About Work-Life Balance is now available on Amazon.

Weekly: Why is work-life balance so difficult?

Raquel: You want to serve your customers and serve your employees, but those needs don’t always align. There’s a go big or go home mentality. My book is about a slower, more balanced approach to business.

Did you think you’d become an author?

I always wanted to write. My dad was an author. He wrote some of the first books about Macintosh. That’s how he met my mom – she was an editor. My dad died in February. This was a way to honor him.

How did writing go?

There’s a process. It’s kind of uncomfortable, but then you do it anyway. I read a book a week to keep the juices flowing – oh! Pun not intended.

Suuure. Why start a small business?

I just love creating things and sharing with people. The act of creating – that’s the heart of most people’s love for small business. But there’s lots of trial by fire.

Is there anything you can’t juice?

One of the mistakes we made in the beginning was to make the beet juice too heavy on the beets. It turns out beet-heavy can give you the same symptoms as food poisoning. Now we dilute it with carrots, apples and lemons. I would not recommend straight beet juice to anyone.