Interested in starting your own shaved ice or snow cone business? Here are a few important steps to think through.
This is not a comprehensive game plan, but more of an outline. It will give you an idea of what areas you need to think about.
1. Ask Some Hard Questions
Before you do anything, ask yourself these questions and be brutally honest with yourself.
Why do you want to start this business in the first place?
What kind of experience do you have, have you worked in another snow cone business in the past? Have you ever owned any other type of business?
How many hours a week are you willing to work?
Do you understand the seasonality of this business?
Is this just a side or part-time? Or do you expect to make it a full-time income?
How much cash do you have to invest in startup costs? If you need a loan, do you have a good chance of securing one?
Do you have other income so that you can start slow and gradually grow? Or do you have enough savings to go full-time in launching the business?
Be realistic about what it takes to start a business. Having the right expectations will go a long way towards helping you persevere and succeed.
2. Develop a Business Plan
This plan should include many details about your business.
Decide if you are selling shaved ice or snow cones, because they are not the same. Read our article on the difference between shaved ice and snow cones.
Shaved ice usually carries an expectation of soft and fluffy texture, almost snow-like. Snow cones, on the other hand, typically have coarser ice, more like crushed ice.
Your business plan should include things like what type of business you want, mobile vs brick and mortar, etc.
Other important items are where you will operate, type of equipment you’ll need, identifying your target market, and your marketing strategy.
Decide if you are going to buy a franchise or start your own brand.
Talk to other business owners in your area gather information. Find other shaved ice businesses, but also talk to similar businesses, such as ice cream shops, snack shops, food trucks, etc.
This is not a complicated business, so don’t overthink it. On the other hand, the better informed you are, the more likely you will meet your goals.
3. Find a Location
This will be one of the most important factors determining your success.
Take your time to scout around town. High traffic areas are obviously the most desirable, but will also have the highest rent.
If you choose a location that is not as visible but with lower rent, you will need to focus a lot more on marketing. That extra marketing could end up costing as much as a more expensive location anyway.
Make sure you scope out the competition. You don’t want competitors too close by.
If you are planning to go mobile rather than have a storefront, search out the potential places and events you can operate.
Festivals and events can be great, or they can be a bust. A lot depends on how the event planners operate.
If you have to travel a lot, that will factor into your costs. The more info you have about these things, the more accurately you can project your sales.
Some owners have been able to rent a semi-permanent spot in a parking lot using a trailer or truck. This could give you the advantage of a consistent location without the cost of an actual storefront.
4. Research Licensing and Permits
Find out what types of local licenses and permits you will need.
Each city or county will have their own requirement. You will probably need a health department permit, a health inspection, and have to meet zoning rules.
Mobile vendors usually have different rules. Mobile units usually have commissary requirements, which have additional costs and inconvenience.
For example, in Ft. Worth, the city website gives helpful information for mobile vendors: https://www.fortworthtexas.gov/departments/environmental-services/consumer-health/mobile-food-vendor
Again, check with your city or county.
5. Equipment and Supplies
Choose Your Equipment
The type of product you want to offer will influence the kind of ice shaver you need. Syrups will be the same, but the actual ice you make will be different.
Snow cone machines are generally less expensive. They can also produce a lot of ice quickly. The main reason is that the ice is crushed rather than shaved.
Shaved ice uses an ice shaver, You can use a block ice shaver or a cube ice shaver. Read our article for a more in depth discussion on the different types of ice shavers.
Block ice shavers produce the softest quality ice. But this require a source of block ice. Here is one example of a popular block ice shaver, which happens to be our favorite, the Southern Snow shaved ice machine.
Cube ice shavers will not give the softest and fluffiest ice that shaved ice fans love. However, it is still considered shaved ice, and may be good enough.
We happen to supply block ice to numerous vendors in the greater Dallas and Ft. Worth area, so of course we’re biased.
Learn more about genuine block ice.
Choose Your Supplies and Supplier
What flavors will you serve? Read our guide on how to choose flavors).
There are many brands of shaved ice syrup, and hundreds of flavors. Most brands sell wholesale directly on their website. Sometimes you can find them from a local distributor.
Here at Ragg’s Supply we carry several brands, so you can mix and match your favorite brands and order from one source.
You may want to sample various suppliers before choosing your favorites. Some are made from high fructose corn syrup, while others only use cane sugar.
Each brand has their fans, and you’ll need to choose your own preference.
Some of these decisions will depend on the type of business you choose.
For example, if you have a store and want repeat customers, you may want to focus on quality. That means soft ice and quality flavors.
But if you have a truck or trailer and mostly do events, quality may be less of a concern.
6. Labor
Will you need to hire staff or will this be a family affair? Many snow cone businesses have started with just a husband and wife team. Some have enlisted kids.
Others have planned to go big or go home and decided to employ workers from the beginning.
7. Marketing
Develop a plan for how you will get customers. Don’t expect that people will line up just because you hang up a sign.
You’ll need to utilize as many channels as possible. You should definitely include a budget for marketing.
If you have lots of enthusiastic friends, they can help get the word out, but that will probably not be enough to sustain you.
Explore partnering with local organizations. Doing events can increase your visibility.
Sooner or later, you’ll need to harness the internet. Social media is not free. Sure you can post for free, but that’s not going to get you far. Running ads may be required.
Having a website is an advantage, though it’s another expense.
Getting listed on Google is extremely important, especially if you have a fixed location.
You might be able to do a lot of it yourself, but the rules on Google can be tricky. Many businesses end up getting suspended, so consider hiring someone experienced with online marketing.
Sometimes it’s better to focus on what you do well and pay people to do the other stuff. We use a marketing guy that’s super helpful. He does web design and also handles Google listings and other stuff. Feel free to contact him, and mention we sent you: https://localword.net
8. Keep Learning
Even after you launch, be prepared to keep learning and growing. You WILL make mistakes. Learn from them. Keep asking questions. Be willing to change and adapt.
Starting any business is hard work, but a shaved ice business can be a fun and exciting way to be your own boss.
We’re Here for You
If you have questions, we would love to help in any way possible. We don’t just sell wholesale snow cone supplies.
For years we operated an award winning shaved ice truck, so we know the ins and outs of the business at the street level.
Ragg’s Supply has all the shaved ice supplies you need to start and run a successful business.