This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Melissa Tavss, founder and CEO of the ice cream business Tipsy Scoop. The company has three brick and mortar barlours to New York, ships nationwide via Golden Belly and is expanding nationwide with exclusivity this year. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Tipsy Scoop. Melissa Tavss, founder and CEO.
What was your day job (or other sources of income) when you started your job? side hustle?
When I first started Tipsy Scoop, I had just quit my full-time job in marketing and PR in the wine and spirits industry. I was a little burnt out and looking for something new. I decided to go to graduate school because I wasn't sure what would happen next. While in graduate school, I began developing recipes for Tipsy Scoop. I thought I would just sell the ice cream and use my ice cream cart for events around New York City.
When you started yours side hustleand where did you find the inspiration for it?
When I worked in marketing for wine and spirits brands, I planned many events and threw parties for new drinks that were coming to market. We would often partner with food companies to make the alcohol-infused foods we highlighted. Believe it or not, alcohol infused food 12 years ago was a new idea! We made bourbon wings, Chambord cupcakes, and all kinds of cute desserts.
At the same time, I thought about ice cream a lot. Ice cream making has run in my family since the 1800s. My great grandfather brought gelato from Italy to Scotland and later became president of the Ice Cream Alliance in Great Britain. So making ice cream was a big part of my family history. I was always perfecting my homemade ice cream recipe. If you've ever made homemade ice cream, it's not easy!
I first started adding a scoop of rubbing alcohol to my ice cream recipe to soften the ice cream; there was a little ice on the side. The alcohol not only helped with the consistency, but it made me think: What if I found a way to add more so that the ice cream not only tasted great and had a great mouthfeel, but actually had some alcohol content? When we have previously worked with food vendors for these launch parties, the final food product never contained alcohol as it was burned off during the ice cream making process. But with ice cream, you had an opportunity for the alcohol to shine through and come out with an alcohol content.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Tipsy Scoop
What were some of the first steps you took to get yours side hustle from the ground?
I started not knowing where I was going with Tipsy Scoop. I started developing the recipes because I thought it was fun and then I bought an ice cream cart. I started with events for some former clients and people in the alcohol industry and then I did friends' weddings and kind of spread the word from there. I would screw ice cream carts across town to avoid the extra cost of transportation (sometimes I still do that – it might be easier than dealing with New York City traffic).
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while building your side hustle and how did you navigate them?
So quite interesting, as one side hustle alone, catering and events with the Tipsy Scoop cart, there weren't many challenges. I rented the kitchen space on a shift basis and only spent money on the produce and the cost of shipping and staff when I had booked an event. I had no inventory, just the cost of a small ice cream machine. It was a really good way for him “test” the market before jumping into a full-fledged business. I started adding other components to the business – first e-commerce, then wholesale, then mortar and now franchising, one by one. Doing this allowed me to understand the needs of the business and what the revenue stream entailed before completely jumping into it all.
How long did it take you to see consistent monthly income? How much did the side hustle earn?
For the first two years, it was very a side hustle. It was just me and any friends and family I could convince to help out, so steady income wasn't important yet. Once I made the commitment to open the first storefront, I was able to see how having a storefront or physical presence allowed me to combine all the other business income streams and amplify them. Three years after I opened the first store in May 2017, we started to see really steady income, with the business bringing in over $100,000.
You have since transformed Tipsy Scoop into a full-time business. What do growth and revenue look like now?
Tipsy Scoop has grown so much, definitely beyond what I could have ever expected over the past 10 years. We have based the growth on customer request. Again, we started small with catering and events and started adding e-commerce when customers asked if we could ship. I opened the first brick and mortar because we had customers show up at our production facility looking for the ice cream shop they had seen. Facebook and Instagram.
I decided to franchise because, since opening the first store, we've had customers constantly ask, “How do I open my Tipsy Scoop?” Working slowly, listening to customers and taking next steps based on their wishes has been helpful. Currently, Tipsy Scoop is a multi-million dollar company with three newly opened franchises, three company-owned stores, and five more franchises coming soon.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Tipsy Scoop
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
I love creating new flavors and working with brands on collaborations and customization. i love it creativity and the art of making new ice creams and cocktails – it's so much fun! I also like to go to one of our stores and work there for the day. Sometimes when you get stuck working on bigger deals, you forget what you love or why you started. When I go back to the store, I give someone a delicious pint, and they say, “This place is so cool; I was here when it first opened,” it's incredible and it just makes me want to go on and on. push
What is your advice to others hoping to start successful side hustles or their own full-time businesses?
Don't be afraid to start. only start smallso it's not overwhelming. You shouldn't be inside Ben & Jerry's Night – and you won't be! Start small with something that works for you and is realistic for you to work with your current lifestyle. It won't feel like work and will be able to grow organically from there.