For years now, we have considered Memorial Day to be the beginning of our Shaved Ice season. So today, I wanted to take a quick drive and give some beginning of the year advice, define our SnowBalla hashtag, and wish you all good luck with your up coming season. It all begins right now!
If you have not looked into doing this shaved ice business until right now, is it too late? Of course not. There have been multiple years where I have picked up events even half way through the summer and it has been well worth the effort.
Depending on where you are and the temperature in your area, you can have an amazing start to your season, or it can slowly pick up as the weather warms. Memorial Day is a big deal in the shaved ice world, but that doesn’t mean it is warm. I actually started my season at the end of March because I am in a baseball stadium. The beginning of a baseball season is not warm, I take a significant loss on each of those games. I do have an occasional game that is warm or is a special event that will make it cash positive, but they are few. “I have a friend that often says, you are never done paying your dues.”, and this is no exception. As long as I know there are better days around the corner, I will gladly take a hit on the initial games. It also helps that I have done this for a very long time.
To clarify my point a bit more, I am writing this on Memorial Day and it is a cool 62 degrees. The baseball stadium is hosting a firework night to celebrate Memorial Day. Normally, firework nights are a guaranteed solid event. However, because of the cooler temperatures and some rainy weather, I will not do well at all. In fact, I normally open four stands on firework nights, yet tonight I am only opening two. If I had the option to not open at all, I would choose that option.
The main point that I am trying to get across here is, if you are new to Shaved Ice, don’t get discouraged by the beginning of the season. Slightly cool weather can play a major part in your results. Know that a hot summer is ahead of you and it will make it all worthwhile.
Now, for the definition of a SnowBalla… We have been using the hashtag #SnowBalla for a bit now and have never properly explained it. We actually have three definitions:
1. SnowBalla is first a tip of the hat to our friends in Louisiana. They call their shaved ice snowballs, and therefore, if you make snowballs (Shaved Ice), even at home with the Little Snowie 2,you are a SnowBalla!
2. SnowBalla, plays off the term Balla, that means you not only have mad skills, but you make great money due to those skills. So for those of you who are making a killer career from selling shaved ice, you are a SnowBalla!
3. This one plays of the term “Snowball effect.” You know this term that gives you a visualization of things starting small and getting huge. Everything, every industry, every talent, every ability functions on the Snowball effect. You simply pay attention to small details, making sure you are doing everything the way you should, and chasing every event, every opportunity as if it will be the key to your next great success. If you do that, you will be successful, you simply will. Everything takes effort. This is a very simple, easy, and fun business to be in, but you must make the effort to grow you business.
Happy Memorial Day SnowBalla’s. I hope that this season brings you all the success you have been anticipating all winter long!