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Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by Work In My Pajamas
It’s impossible to walk into a supermarket and not see a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream display somewhere in the store. The brand is synonymous with high-quality treats, and it’s something every person treats himself to when he’s in the mood for something both flavorful and sinful. The most amazing thing is that this ice cream empire was established by two men with very little money. They ran into a few bumps along the way, but with perseverance they achieved success.
The Men Behind the Cream
Ben and Jerry were childhood friends born days apart. They both had experience serving ice cream to hungry customers prior to going into business together. One of them worked as an ice cream truck driver and the other worked as an ice cream scooper at a school. Ben attended various colleges but ultimately decided to drop out. He then went on to teach pottery while he developed new ice cream flavors on the side. Jerry worked as a lab technician for a little while, but he moved onto other work when he didn’t get into med school.
The First Store
After the two men parted ways for a time, they reunited in New York and took an ice cream correspondence course at Penn State University. They didn’t know anything about business but they loved food, and so they put together their life savings of $8,000 and took out a business loan for $4,000. They opened shop in a repurposed gas station in Vermont, and the business managed to turn a profit within the first year. It’s for this reason that each Ben and Jerry’s franchise celebrates the opening of the first store with a free cone day, and it’s become something akin to a holiday all across the world.
The Second Year
Inventive flavors and a local shop weren’t going to be enough to keep the business afloat. The winter months were especially rough for them, and it was far less likely they’d be able to weather the rough spots without changing their business model. That’s why they began packing ice cream into pint-size boxes and shipping it nationally. It was a brilliant move; profits skyrocketed, and shortly thereafter Ben and Jerry’s franchise stores started popping up around the US.
Brilliance and Passion
Ben and Jerry are examples of entrepreneurs who succeeded with nothing but common sense and passion. They worked tirelessly to create new flavors and offered people something unique at a time when the thought of improving on an already perfect food seemed impossible. They were able to take what tasted good to them and package it in a form that was appealing to the masses, and people were incredibly generous to them in turn.
Today Ben and Jerry give back to the people who helped make their company what it is. Their franchise stores give as much back to local communities and economies as local businesses do, and they pride themselves on the quality of their product and their ethical standards. They’re beacons to every would-be business person out there, and they’re a shining counterpoint to those who say it’s impossible to succeed by starting small.
Laura King is an avid business blogger. Interested in starting your own business? You may want to consider pursuing an MBA. If you work full-time, you may want to consider one that offers a flexible schedule, such as the one offered by Washington State University.
