In bloom: Les Roches graduate creates a haven for Geneva’s parents and children   

Spotting a gap in the market is just one step along the path to launching a successful hospitality business. As Les Roches graduate Anastasia Metzger has discovered, sustaining growth requires much more.

When you have an entrepreneurial spirit – as many Les Roches graduates do – you often find inspiration in the strangest of places. So when alumna Anastasia Metzger was enjoying a peaceful coffee with her 18-month-old son in a café in her native Russia, she knew exactly what her new home of Geneva was missing.

Fast forward a few years and her venture Just Bloom is marking its first birthday. The thriving restaurant that features a children’s play area and pop-up events space has gone from strength to strength since launch on 19 December 2023, helping Geneva’s parents enjoy genuine Swiss hospitality while their children amuse themselves.

In only 12 months, Just Bloom has become a household name in the city, mostly among parents keen to take advantage of its child-friendly atmosphere – and among the children who get to play there. The restaurant is already well on its way to achieving its goal of building a real community in Geneva and has hosted more than 100 birthday parties, something that has put a smile on the faces of the children and on that of founder Anastasia herself.

An idea takes root

“Every time I see people clapping and singing ‘Happy Birthday’ in all sorts of different languages, I cannot describe how it makes me feel,” says Anastasia, who has big plans for Just Bloom despite the business still being in its infancy. “I set out to create a hub where people can meet and have fun – where the adults can be adults and the children can be children – and it’s amazing when you can see that coming together.”

For Anastasia, the ‘eureka moment’ came while sitting in one of the many similar places in her home country with her then 18-month-old boy. The contrast between the relaxed atmosphere there with the total lack of anything similar in Geneva was stark.

“I took a picture and posted it on Instagram, saying ‘We need something like this in Geneva’,” she says. “And quite a few of my followers started replying ‘Yes, we’re missing this. You should open one.’ It was when my friend Diana Casalis, who is also a Les Roches alumna and runs the lifestyle blog Livingeneva, wrote to me and said ‘Anastasia, you have to do it’ that I knew this would be the path to take.”

The seeds of success

Having been inspired to explore the idea further – and with enough spare time to devote to writing a business plan – Anastasia set about putting the Just Bloom wheels in motion.

“I thought I’ll create the plan and see where it leads to,” she recalls. “It moved much faster than I imagined. Almost as soon as I’d finished, I found my first investor. That set off a domino effect and, soon afterwards, I found my second, third and fourth business partners.

“They trusted the idea and had faith in me, even though I didn’t have any experience of running a restaurant or hotel. They recognized the need for something like this and they could see I believe in it. And when you believe in something, I think other people feel it and have confidence in you.”

That belief had its foundations in Anastasia’s ability as a natural entrepreneur to spot a significant gap in the market. While she was on maternity leave from her role at the United Nations (UN), she became increasingly aware of how limited the options were for families in Geneva.

“There are some public places where you can take children, but they lack soul and warmth,” she says. “And if you want to go out to eat, most of the restaurants expect your children to be quiet, so they can’t really be their natural selves. It’s not complicated. Children up to five years old all have the same needs. They want to be with people their own age, they want to have fun and they want to play. Just Bloom allows them to do that while their parents can get together too and enjoy good food, nice drinks and the chance to relax. There really was nothing like that in Geneva before.”

Branching out

Another motivation for Anastasia was building a more close-knit community among Geneva’s parents, something she is still keen to develop at Just Bloom.

“In Geneva, people can be quite distant,” she says. “So I wanted to build a place where parents can come and share experiences, especially when things get tough. I’m partnering with different community groups as well and have held several events for women entrepreneurs at which they can showcase their businesses. And being central, it’s really convenient and there’s plenty of parking nearby, which makes it more accessible for everyone.”

Alongside the community building efforts, Anastasia is also working on plans to expand the offer at Just Bloom and develop the business even further.

“While I’m yet to achieve my short-term goals for Just Bloom, I’m already looking ahead,” she says. “I rent out the café for pop-up stores and I’m always thinking about new and creative ways to use the space. My plan is to launch a kids drop-off club, then hopefully open different branches of Just Bloom and maybe even a private kindergarten.

“I’m also trying to find the time to create a package for franchisees and am in discussion with a couple who want to open a branch where they live. So there is clearly plenty of appetite for this kind of space in Switzerland.”

Challenging conditions

There is, of course, no guarantee that demand will automatically lead to long-term success. And like many hospitality industry entrepreneurs, Anastasia has had to overcome a number of challenges in her journey so far.

“The reality is, people all over the world are spending less than they did five or 10 years ago – even the super rich,” she says. “So it’s a pretty turbulent climate in which to operate a business. But I think the biggest challenge I’ve faced is having to do the examination to gain a patent for Just Bloom in French. And once I’d managed that, I felt confident about everything else.

“That’s not to say it’s been easy. Running a small business is much harder work than anything else I’ve ever done and I also have to balance that with being a mother. Luckily, my son is able to come here while I’m working, so it’s easier than if I were still working at the UN. When I asked him what he wants to do when he grows up, he told me he wants to work at Just Bloom, so while it’s not ideal, he clearly enjoys spending time here.”

Anastasia has also found the private sector in Switzerland a little old fashioned in its attitude towards women as business leaders.

“At the UN, gender equality was ingrained in the culture, but I haven’t found that to be the case in the business world here in Switzerland,” she says. “There’s definitely room for improvement. That said, I have been able to use my gender to my advantage. I am the face of Just Bloom and being a woman is an advantage when you’re running a place aimed at parents and children.”

Advice for budding entrepreneurs

Since leaving Les Roches, Anastasia has tackled a range of challenges, from landing a first post-graduate role to securing business financing. Her ability to overcome is in no small part thanks to attributes and skillsets she developed while studying.

“Living among so many different nationalities at Les Roches meant you had to be flexible and adapt to other people’s points of view,” she says. “Every day was a learning experience inside and outside the classroom.

“In terms of the program itself, I think the focus on the practical side was really helpful. I did wonder whether I was doing the right thing, because it was really hard work. You learn that hospitality is not just about happy clients – it can be about dealing with complaints and solving problems too. Fortunately, that teaches you to be resilient, something that’s definitely helped me get where I am today.”

So what advice would Anastasia give to entrepreneurial spirits currently studying at Les Roches? Unsurprisingly, she is highly encouraging.

“It’s a bit clichéd, but you need to be determined if you want to follow your dreams and start your own business,” she says. “I think if you genuinely believe in your idea, you should go for it, no matter how many people try to discourage you.”

“And if you want to grow as a person and a leader, you don’t need a business coach. The best way of doing it is to open your business. That way, you’ll be learning every day.”