If ice cream is your passion, it makes sense to look into starting your own business in this exciting industry. Whether you’re keen to be innovative, or you want to create a brand exclusively for classic flavours, there is plenty of room for everyone in this vibrant sector. If you haven’t ventured into business before – or ice cream is quite new to you – then these are our top tips for getting started.
This is an essential first step – how and where do you want to sell ice cream? You might be keen to establish a store where customers can come and buy direct from you, or you might be more interested in developing flavours that can then be sold on to other retailers. If you’re looking to get started on a smaller scale then a van or cart might be a more appealing option. It’s also a good idea at this stage to think about the type of ice cream that you’re keen to sell. For example, if you want to create a brand that is specifically designed for kids, or which is completely vegan, this can influence everything from ingredient sourcing to marketing.
This can seem like the toughest task if you haven’t done a business plan before. However, essentially, all this document represents is a blueprint for the business that you want to set up. It will need to contain some key information including:
In any business where food is involved there are legal requirements that will be necessary to ensure that what you’re selling is safe. You may need to liaise with the local health department, as well as dealing with the legal requirements for establishing a business, such as setting up a company or registering for tax. There are plenty of business advisors able to provide insight into what is likely to be legally necessary for your new ice cream business.
Equipment and supplies are going to be an important part of your new ice cream business so it’s important to get set up as soon as possible. That could be the equipment that you need to manufacture the ice cream or the technology that will be required for inventory management and processing orders.
Finding your audience will be a crucial part of the process for establishing your business as a new name in ice cream. That usually involves reaching out to people through marketing and advertising, whether online or via more traditional methods. You might want to plan a launch event, offer a discount to help attract new business and consider a range of marketing methods – from social media through to local ads – to bring people through your door.
Owning an ice cream business can be an exciting venture as long as you have the basics covered. Get started today with our ice cream profit calculator