Ben Van Leeuwen: How I Founded A $300k/Day Business Selling Ice Cream At 24-Years-Old

The Dealroom with Shamus Madan

In this episode, Shamus Madan talks with Ben Van Leeuwen about his journey in the ice cream industry, starting a business with limited capital, and building a positive culture. They discuss hiring strategies, finding capital for growth, overcoming challenges, and the reality of overnight success.

It was the summer of 2004. Ben Van Leeuwen was looking for a way to pay for college when he came across an ad in the paper that was looking for a driver for an ice cream truck, paying $500/week. He decided to give it a shot. Little did he know that decision would propel him into starting a multi-million-dollar ice cream empire in New York City (NYC). Here's how he did it.

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(0:00) Introduction: Journey of Ben Van Leeuwen in the ice cream industry (2:02) Ben's decision to drop out of college and his passion for food (5:10) Challenges and strategies of starting a business with limited capital (10:16) Gaining loyal repeat customers and building a positive culture at scale (14:49) Process of hiring the right people and finding capital for business growth (17:28) Overcoming challenges and scary moments in business (21:00) Best advice received and given for budding entrepreneurs (24:47) The reality of overnight success in business