How to Run a Snowball Stand

Snowball stands come and go with the summers.

Snowballs are a hot-weather favorite -- shaved ice served to perfection with a combination of sweet syrups in a paper cup. During the warm months, your snowball stand could be a hit with neighborhood kids, students from surrounding schools and anyone looking to cool off temporarily with a tasty treat. For your snowball stand to be successful, you will have to run it with a good plan and a consistent structure.

Things You'll Need

• FDA and local permits to register a new food business
• Business location
• Staff
• Budget
• Business plan
• Inventory records

Instructions

1. Check the Food and Drug Administration (fda.gov) Web site to locate the proper protocol for registering a new food business in your state. Call the number on the Web site for help sorting through the material. Contact state and local license and permit requirements by calling your local health department and city and county courts.

2. Find a well-maintained, efficient, accessible and popular place to have your snowball stand. Your snowball stand requires a refrigerator, freezer, storage space and kitchen space, as well as a serving window onto the street where your customers will buy the snowballs.

3. Hire upbeat, committed, temporary staff members. Snowball stands are seasonal, and only successful in the summer. Teenagers and students looking for summer jobs to earn extra cash are a fit for this position.

4. Set up a budget. Write and research the cost of buying the ice to shave, the tools to shave it, the syrups to flavor it, and the paper cups and spoons to serve it. Call a local company that sells snowball materials and ask them for wholesale prices.

5. Write your business plan around the costs of materials. Decide how much you can pay your staff and charge for your snowballs in order to make a profit. Research the cost of competing snowball stands. If your prices are much higher, chances are people will choose to go to the cheaper stand.

6. Keep inventory of your materials. Designate a staff member to record how much of each syrup, how much ice and how many serving materials you’re down to at the end of each day. Order more ahead of time so that you never run out. Customers appreciate consistency. Never get caught in a situation where a customer can’t have their favorite flavor.

7. Meet and greet your customers and get to know them. Customers buy experiences as much as they buy products. If you are running a neighborhood snowball stand, kids and their parents will be visiting you often. This is a perfect time to make connections and make sure these customers come back to your stand next summer.

References

• Flavor Snow; What's Involved in running a Shaved Ice Business the FlavorSnow way?
• SnoWizard; Cold, Fluffy Cash; Randy McClain
• All Food Business; Licenses and Permits You May Need

Resources

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Food Facility Registration