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Welcome to Ice Cream Truck Business!
Overview of Ice Cream Truck Business
Think back to some of your fondest memories from childhood, for many people those memories involve the ice cream truck man. Now imagine you are the person helping to make those cherished memories for a new generation of children. For many people they cannot imagine a better way to live there life. Perhaps you are interested in starting your own business, the ice cream truck business is a great one to consider.
First steps:
A wise first move before starting this venture or any business venture is to take a cold hard look at the market that exists in your area. You will want to speak to other ice cream truck business owners and get their opinions and advice. This simple step may save you much heartache later on. You will want to ask them about such matters as realistic expectation of income, is the market oversaturated, and also how are the local authorities’ relations with this style of business? If after meeting as many people as you can you decide it is still best to move forward the next step is to consider what type of equipment you will need.
Type of Equipment needed.
Of course the first consideration is what kind of truck you will use. In this area prices and selection vary widely. You can choose to begin very simply with a motorized cart/scooter combo or go all out with a new Truck. New truck fully equipped can cost tens of thousands of dollars. If it does not bother you to use used equipment, you can save much money and expense this way. It is wise to search local classifieds and even internet auction sites. If these options still do not work for you it is possible to rent a truck and also much of the equipment needed.
Popular Pages :
Next consider what style of ice cream you want to sell. If you want to sell custom ice creams of you own making you will need all the equipment to produce it. If you wish to use other individuals’ product you will want to have a refrigerated system to store and sell the item. Also you will want to sample the product you will be selling. Contact as many ice cream vendors you can and ask for samples of their product. Finally if you decide to sell not only hard ice-cream products, such as bars, but also soft serve you will need to figure in the expense of the machine and the mix and cones etc.
City Hall:
Great you have a truck, you have your refrigeration system, and you even have gas in the tank (do not forget this expense) you are ready to go! Stop! Before you do anything else take a trip down to your local city hall and receive all the proper licensing you will need to operate this business. You will likely as well need to set up an interview with the local food inspector to have your truck inspected.
One the road:
The next step is to consider your route. You will want to go to places that children or adults are regularly at. It will do you no good to be at the park on a sunny hot day if no one is there. You will want to spend some time investigating where the best locations are, plan you route accordingly. Stick to your route, this simple act will help insure repeat customers.
Much more can be said about starting an ice cream truck business, but with these basics you now have a good overview of what to expect. Good luck!