Roll Ice Cream Is Always A Winner
Whether you live in a climate with several seasons or one with predominantly hot weather. Ice Cream is a universal best seller. There has not been much modification on the traditional method of making/serving Ice Cream for decades. Then a few years ago in Asia came the birth of Rolled Ice Cream. With Summer almost here, the inclusion of Rolled Ice Cream or Ice Cream Rolls is a fantastic business idea. Summer is synonymous with Ice Cream and everyone will be selling but the approach YOU use will make your brand to stand out from the crowd. The advantages of are a lot when starting this Roll Ice Cream Business.
Advantages Of The Roll Ice Cream Business
They are called by many names, Roll Ice Cream, Rolled Ice Cream, Thai Ice Cream, Fried Ice Cream and believe it not much much more. The USP of this particular venture is the ability to create a customized dessert for your customers, all while putting on a show. Sounds like a good business already 🙂 Each Rolled Ice Cream is made in front of your customer to their specific requirements. Remember these Ice Cream Rolls could be made from anything. They could be vegan, gluten free, sugar free and on the exact opposite gluten full. We’ve seen rolls made from soda and even with alcohol. Free your creativity with this product. Once you tap into that creativity and formulate your own unique style your various creations would have persons clamoring to buy your ice cream rolls and leaving those “other” Ice Creams alone. The good thing about having full creative control on the final product is the ability to control the costs. There are various ways to keep the cost low in this Roll Ice Cream business from creating your own bases, buying a pre-mix, making your inclusions or buying them wholesale. These are several tricks of the trade you would learn once immersed. Once you decided that Roll Ice Cream business is for you, the next few steps would set you in the right direction. It can lead you to become a millionaire in two years like this gentleman. We told you this business is lucrative. Still confused if this is right for you? Feel free to reach out to us and schedule a free consultation and we can walk through the process and requirements together.
Introspection
Take some time to think, long and hard if starting the Rolled Ice Cream Business is exactly what you want to do because when you are committing to this you should commit fully. Ask yourself some thought provoking questions.
- Is this your passion?.
- Is this profitable?
- What is the need I am meeting?
- Is this where you see yourself thriving?
- Do you have the support system available?
- Are you able to manage the many facets that come with this type of business staffing, payroll, adverting, purchasing etc
- According to Marie Kondo “does it spark joy”
This could quite possibly be the hardest step. Facing yourself honestly and recognizing your abilities and limitations could be quite tough. Rest assured that once you get past this hurdle it gets easier. With a resolved and clear mind you are ready for the next steps.
Location & Concept
Where do you want the Rolled Ice Cream Business to be located?
- Mall
- Plaza
- Stand Alone
- Waterfront
- Mobile – Ice Cream Truck
What are you targeting? A demographic, a location, ordinances, growth potential. Remember taxes are paid where money is made. So carefully choose your state/location. This article maybe helpful Tax tips and deduction for restaurant owners What will you be selling would it be strictly Rolled Ice Cream? Or will you have
- Soft Serve
- Gourmet
- Novelty
Or a combination of all the above. What would the your atmosphere be like
- Hipster
- Modern
- Retro
Once you determine the store you would like to have time to get some visual aids/motivators. Contact an artist to create your logo and or signage. There are low cost solutions such as fiverr where you can have one designed for as low as $5. This may be a good time to think about what type of POS solution you want to use in your Rolled Ice Cream Business. 
Create a Roll Ice Cream Business plan
Yes, you knew this step was coming. Planning is paramount to success in any aspect. A business plan lays out the different layers of your business and the strategies you would be using to accomplish them. There are several places to get quality templates and guidelines for creating business plans. We personally like Score and Bplans for their templates and informative articles on the subject. These are various templates for bakeries, cafes and dessert shops. This would be a good way of getting you started. Your Rolled Ice Cream Business Plan would include details such as
- Objectives
- Products and Offerings
- Market Analysis
- Management
- Financing & Finances
- Implementation
Business plans are continuously evolving. Take some time to do some research visit stores online, look at their Facebook and Instagram pages. Visit a few, note what seem to be their customers likes and dislikes along with your own. Look at their design and see if this is something you would like or something that takes away from your concept. Observe your niche in their natural setting.
We created a plan so you don’t have to do the work anymore. View it here
Registration
Decide on your business structure/type. What type is your Rolled Ice Cream business going to be?
- Sole Proprietor
- LLC
- Cooperation
Research the advantages and disadvantages of each structure. The main things would be the costs of registration per state. You can register your business for yourself or you can hire a company so you won’t have the hassle of doing it. Contact your local health department to find out what type of license is required for that state. Fundera has a great guide for license applications for all states. Remember this varies greatly state by state. Search the regulations, fill out the application and receive your license sometimes, its just that easy. Examples of license that you would need are
- Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) for tax purposes.
- A business license from your city or state that enables you to conduct a business.
- A food service license from the state or town for any establishment that serves food.
- A Certificate of Occupancy (CO) deeming your restaurant safe for customers to occupy.
You can also join the NICRA which is the National Ice Cream Retailers Association and related Facebook groups
Pause and Reassess
Take some time to think. Go over your plan and your decisions. Update your PEST analysis. We live in a strange world and change is constant it is important to monitor your environment. Ask yourself if the circ*mstances are the same as when you started out.
Find Suppliers
The Roll Ice Cream business requires a mid level quantity of equipment and supplies to be operational. When it comes to equipment we have got you covered. We have an extensive list of quality, certified Rolled Ice Cream machines that are customizable If you don’t see it, we can still offer it. Just ask! Our friendly and knowledgeable staff is here to help you. We also offer training and tutorials you can contact us for details Last but not least we have financing options. You can read all about them right here
Create Your Specialty Menu & Supplies
Before you open your doors you would need to develop a menu around the theme/general concept of your store. Remember we spoke about concept before. What is the goal of your creations? What feelings do you want them to evoke?
- Do you want food p*rn
- Instagramable Designs
- Modern Touch
Deciding what will be on your menu is important when figuring out the equipment you need, the staff you will hire, and the systems that would be put in place. This needs to be carefully thought out. Ps. You would need a bit of persons to volunteer as taste testers, trust me! Testing and creating is a long and hard process. Even “enthusiasts” would get a bit overwhelmed with the adjustments being made. Now for supplies, a decision to be made early and not taken lightly. Would you be using generic packaging or branded? Do you know the average lead time for branded cups is more than 2 months? Do you also know that not all cups are made equal in integrity and dimensions? Eg. A cup with an 8oz capacity could be either taller or wider than another design. The dimensions of the cup will affect your layout when serving so please take this into consideration.
Advertise Your Store
Your Rolled Ice Cream store is all fleshed out and you have done everything on your checklist. It is time to start advertising. If you already have a rental agreement you can start a month or two before you open. Advertising is paramount especially in this niche for a myriad of reasons. The most basic being to inform and entice. These links would tell you more than I ever could. 50 ideas for small business advertising and 7 popular marketing techniques.
Host a Soft Opening
There is no better way to gauge
- Efficiency
- Workflow
- Unforeseen Challenges
- Product Response
This practice/test run would enable you to gain confidence for your grand opening and see whatever shortfalls may exist in your current flow and offerings. Don’t waste the opportunity use this time to give out coupons and discounts and record data from the persons who attended. It’s never too early to begin adding to your customer database.
Time To Roll!! Let’s Sell
Finally its opening day. Try not to get overwhelmed take it in stride. Remember it is a process, trust it and learn from it. Have a staff member/friend collecting customer feedback so you can see what went right and what went wrong. Remember to have fun and smile. You are officially in the sweet business.
Still Unclear? Contact Us
We understand that it is a difficult process, it’s the reason this blog was written. We provide free consultations and you can schedule a spot here or if its something simple, just shoot us an email. Here at Roll Ice Cream we only sell quality, from the customer service to the equipment. We hope that you found the content useful remember to share. If you liked this Article written by our very own Krystle Phillips you can read many more right here in our blogs
