4 Ways to Survive Tough Economic Times by Going OUTSIDE the Ice Cream Shop!
It’s summer and the economy is still bad! BUT ice cream is affordable! The good old days are past and you have to make an effort to beat the recession! Go outside the box, ie. go out to reach customers and get
sales.
What’s going on in the community?
Fundraisers for charity! Pick the charity that you can relate to and get involved. There is no shortage of fundraising events: April–Empty Bowls for the Second Harvest Food Bank: May–Taste of the Town for Family Services; June–elementary school fundraiser. These were on the local scale. Go for national programs such as Race for the Cure, March of Dimes, or Make-a-Wish. In these events, you are giving ice cream to get recognition. Your product is tasted, your ice cream cart is seen, and hopefully someone inquires about catering.
Schools and kids! Funding for education is being cut so our schools have to make up the deficit. Spring festivals are a time when kids can have fun while raising money for their schools. How many schools can you contact to be a vendor? You can donate a percentage of sales and gain exposure to potential customers. Donate a certificate
to reading programs to bring kids to your shop! Donate to raffles and auctions to bring more people to your shop. Make sure you put a coupon in the dining books that schools sell. It’s a BOGO deal—but it brings traffic into the shop even though the coupon book sells for $25, the school gets money, you get customers, and the customers get a great deal!
Outdoor events go from April through early Fall! What better time to sell ice cream than the first warm day of Spring, the hot days of Summer, or the beautiful, sunny Fall days before the leaves begin to drop off the trees! There are festivals in the streets, in the parks, near the water! In April, we worked Arts Unleashed for the Humane Society; in May we did a Celtic Festival in celebration of the Highland games; in May–the beginning of local wine festivals! Coming in June a local celebration of historic Bethania; in July, Independence Day celebrations of course in the local park; in August the beginning of Fall Festivals and more!
Go PRIVATE too. Ice cream and summer go hand-in-hand. Office parties, weddings, graduations, birthdays are all occasions that NEED ice cream! The every day pool party or a neighborhood gathering are also occasions screaming for ice cream!
These are just a few ideas. Feel free to add your ideas to the blog.
May you prosper this season!
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