This episode of Side Hustle Spotlight features a Q&A with Melissa Tavss, founder and CEO of the alcohol-infused ice cream company Scoop TipsThe company has three stationary stores. pallets in New York, shipping nationwide Golden belly and is expanding nationwide with a franchise this 12 months. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Tipsy Scoop. Melissa Tavss, Founder & CEO.
What was your day job (or other sources of income) when you began your side hustle?
When I began Tipsy Scoop, I had just left a full-time marketing and PR job in the wine and spirits industry. I used to be a little burnt out and looking for something recent. I made a decision to go to graduate school because I wasn’t sure what I used to be going to do. While I used to be in graduate school, I began developing recipes for Tipsy Scoop. I believed I’d just sell ice cream and use my ice cream cart at events in New York.
When did you begin doing this and where did you get the inspiration?
When I worked in wine and spirits marketing, I planned a lot of events and parties to have fun recent spirits coming onto the market. We often worked with food firms to supply foods infused with the alcohol we were promoting. Believe it or not, foods infused with alcohol were a novel idea 12 years ago! We were making bourbon wings, Chambord cupcakes, and all kinds of cool desserts.
At the same time, I used to be considering a lot about ice cream. Ice cream making is a tradition in my family dating back to the nineteenth century. My great-grandfather brought gelato from Italy to Scotland and later became the president of the Ice Cream Alliance in the UK. So ice cream making was an vital a part of my family history. I used to be also all the time perfecting the recipe for homemade ice cream. If you’ve ever made homemade ice cream, it’s demanding!
I initially added a tablespoon of alcohol to my ice cream recipe to melt it; it was a little icy on the side. The alcohol not only helped with the texture, but it also got me considering: What if I discovered a technique to add more so that the ice cream not only had a good flavor and texture, but also contained alcohol? When we’ve worked with food suppliers for these launch events before, the final food product never contained alcohol because it was burned during the ice cream production process. But with ice cream, the alcohol had a likelihood to shine and show up with the alcohol content.
Photo Source: Courtesy of Tipsy Scoop
What were the first steps you took to start out your side hustle?
I began not knowing where I might find yourself with Tipsy Scoop. I began developing recipes because I believed it could be fun, and then I purchased an ice cream cart. I began by doing parties for former clients and people in the alcohol industry, and then I did friends’ weddings and sort of spread the word from there. I pushed ice cream carts throughout town to avoid the extra shipping costs (I still do that sometimes — it may be easier than dealing with New York City traffic).
What were the biggest challenges you faced while building your side hustle and how did you overcome them?
Interestingly, as a side hustle, catering and events with the Tipsy Scoop cart weren’t exactly difficult. I rented a kitchen in shifts and spent money only on production, shipping and staffing when I booked an event. I had no inventory, just the cost of a small ice cream machine. It was a really good technique to “test” the market before jumping into full-blown business. I began adding other components to the business—first e-commerce, then wholesale, then brick-and-mortar, and now franchising, one by one. That gave me a sense of the business’s needs and revenue stream before I jumped in full-on.
How long did it take you to see a regular monthly income? How much did you earn from this side hustle?
For the first few years, it was more of a side hustle. It was just me and my friends and family that I could persuade to assist me, so a regular income wasn’t really vital yet. Once I committed to opening my first store, I could see how having a store or a physical presence could help me connect all the other income streams of the business and strengthen them. Three years after opening my first store in May 2017, we began seeing really regular income and the business was bringing in over $100,000.
Since then, you’ve turned Tipsy Scoop into a full-time business. How is growth and revenue looking now?
Tipsy Scoop has grown so much that it has far exceeded my expectations over the past 10 years. We have based our growth on customer demand. Again, we began small with catering and events and then began adding e-commerce as customers asked if we could ship. I opened my first brick-and-mortar store because customers were coming into our manufacturing facility looking for an ice cream shop that they had seen on Facebook and Instagram.
I made a decision to franchise because since opening my first store, customers have been asking me, “How do I open my own Tipsy Scoop?” Working on my feet, listening to my customers, and taking the next steps based on their needs has proven helpful. Today, Tipsy Scoop is a multi-million dollar business with three recent franchises open, three company-owned stores, and five more coming soon.
Photo Source: Courtesy of Tipsy Scoop
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
I like creating recent flavors and working with brands on collaborations and personalization. I like the creativity and art of making recent ice creams and shakes—it’s so much fun! I also love popping into one of our stores and working there all day. Sometimes when you are stuck working on larger deals, you forget what you like or why you began. When I go back to the store, I make someone a boozy ice cream and they say, “This place is so cool; I was here when you opened,” it’s amazing and just makes me need to keep going and keep pushing.
What advice would you give to others who want to start out their very own profitable side hustle or run a full-time business?
Don’t be afraid to start out. Just start small so it isn’t overwhelming. You don’t have to change into Ben & Jerry’s overnight – and you will not! Start small, something that works for you and is realistic to work towards given your current lifestyle. It won’t feel like work and you possibly can grow it organically.