Mt. Tom's Inc. turns 5!

Five years, wow. Time truly does fly. It was October 2nd, 2003 that I officially took over ownership from Carl the baker of one 'Sunrise Sweeties' candy store on Cottage Street in Easthampton, Massachusetts. I was fresh back from two years of walkabout and various forms of R&R after an abrupt ending to my first career as a supply chain process engineer. I don't need to rehash the whole story of my career metamorphosis, since you've probably already heard it eighteen times. And if not, you can read all about it here

When I started this new gig, I told myself '5 years', then see where I'm at. Give it your all - your heart, sweat, and soul. Then at five years, if you're still having fun and making a few bucks, keep it going. If it isn't one, the other, or both, you can always go back to engineering. Or try a new field, like Reiki or radiology. I'm happy to report, Mt. Tom's is a success, I'm still having fun (maybe working a little too much), making a few bucks, and I've put myself in a position to make people happy on a daily basis. No need to change course. Full steam ahead, mate.

Sure, it'd be great if I could find the perfect part-timer to assist with the operations, but we're still hopeful there too.

They say 95% of business fail within five years, so I feel pretty good about this little mile marker on the side of my entrepreneurial road. I remember those early days like they were last week. Putting together the business plan and pitching it to moneyman Mark Grumoli at Florence Savings. Closing the deal with Carl, and getting the keys to the castle. Meeting my first employee 'Betty'. Being the boss of Betty and trying not to let her see how little I really knew about retail in those early days. Heck, I'd never even stood behind a cash register before. I was truly 'faking it until I was making it' as a candy store owner and operator. Exciting times through uncharted territory.

As for the ice cream part, point the spotlight at my Dad.

Just about everything I know about the fine art of making and peddling ice cream I learned from him (of course Mom helped too, especially with the cake-making and bookkeeping). It was that time period from October 2nd, 2003 to November 27th that Sunrise Sweeties was transformed into what you now know as Mt. Tom's Homemade Ice Cream & Candy Store. Here's what the back room looked like back on October 2nd, '03, my first day in biz.

Enter my carpenter Uncle Jim, with sweat equity provided by Dad and me.

Before you could say 'health inspection', the new kitchen was born.

The first batch of homemade ice cream came out of the batch freezer the day after Thanksgiving in that year of 2003. I'd hoped to be up and running for Thanksgiving, close but no bubble gum cigar. I didn't want to change the name on the door until I was actually a homemade ice cream shop, so that first day of ice cream making also included scraping off the 'Sunrise Sweeties' logos from the front windows and replacing them with what you now see.

So why no 5 year anniversary party, giant sundae giveaway, press releases, fireworks displays, and giant sidewalk spotlights shooting into the sky?

The answer to that question is simple. Today is an important day for me in that it truly was the day I officially launched the ship into the great unknown. But it wasn't until November 28th, 2003 that Mt. Tom's was born. Not sure if I'll actually rent a giant spotlight, but I am definitely planning to commemorate it somehow. Details to follow, so let's stay in touch.

In the meantime, I'll just savor that five year mark since I started working for me.

As my buddy Mark aptly put it, my baby is now around kindergarden age. Plenty more growing to do, and I can't wait to see what she'll try next.

Thanks to Mark & Marissa Kosiba for the generous balloon display delivery. You guys are the best.

Summer Crew of '08.

As we round out the first half of the summer (can you believe it's almost the end of July already, wow.), I thought it was a good time to introduce the Mt. Tom's ace scoopers of Summer 2008. Returning from last summer is Katie, peach peeler extraordinaire and opening day pitcher of this summer's crew. Off-season recruits include Kate from Williston (end of last summer) and Mimi and Montana (late spring). Also returning from last summer is local favorite and Hampshire Regional High cheerleader, Taryn. Rounding out this summer's crew is Jen, Easthampton star athlete and cousin to Mt. Tom's scooping legend, Lauren.

I was often told 'employees will be your biggest headache', and I'd be lying if I didn't admit they have been cause for the ocassional headbanger over the years, but I've generally been careful (and lucky) enough to hire conscientious, hardworking kids. You hear the 'kids these days' comment thrown around a lot, and admittedly there seems to be a wide range of 'motivation levels' in today's youth, but I believe there are more than plenty of great kids out there, eager to work hard and make money for college, that first car, a new I-phone...

And let's face it, the quality of your crew is directly proportional to the quality of your life. For me, a responsible and reliable crew means not only a better, more successful biz, but it translates directly into my ability to leave the shop to the crew while I drop the kayak in the water or go for a jog around the block.

Being able to employee teenagers has been an unexpected perk of being a small biz owner. It's definitely a lot of work to hire, train, maintain, do all the paperwork, manage, and schedule the crew, but just being able to provide jobs to college-bound teens is pretty satisfying. For most, it's their first job, save a few babysitting gigs and paper routes. This can complicate the training aspect, but it also presents the opportunity to offer a young person a chance to (hopefully) get their professional lives off on the right foot, or forearm, if you will.

When I first started my engineering career, I had the opportunity to do a one year rotation as a shop supervisor on a production line. It was a challenging job, especially as a twenty-two year old engineer and working world neophite thrown into a feasting pool of well-seasoned union workers, some three times my age and a hundred times my experience. I was tested early and often. It was definitely one of the most challenging jobs I've had, but also one of the most rewarding. It was in those silicon trenches where I learned a few key rules about managing people that have served me well through my tech career and now as crew chief to an ever-changing group of young men and woman. Here's my short list, if you'll indulge me.

1. Treat people with respect.

2. Value their efforts and tell them whenever you can.

3. Encourage fun (as long as the jobs get done).

4. Empower them.

5. And most importantly, be consistent. Treat everyone the same way. Make your list of rules and consequences and stick to them. Discipline is never fun for anyone involved, but I've learned if you let it slide for one person, pretty soon others will start breaking the same rule, and before you know it, you're a lame duck waving an ice cream scoop around like a crazy person.

One final people managing observation... Although arguably the most important aspect of the staffing process is hiring the right person for the job, I believe everyone has a strength or a skill. Or as I like to say, 'everyone gets a little something.' The key is to identify what that something is and, for lack of a better word, exploit it. The 'cleaner' becomes the go-to cleaner. The artsy one becomes the cake decorator. The chatty one becomes the shop quality team leader...

Ok, I'll stop lecturing now. Hey, what else is there to do on a rainy day like this...

Enjoy the rain, and stop in soon for a cone and a hello to the summer crew.

The One Stressor of this Gig.

How about that crazy storm last night. I've heard a few people refer to it as 'just like the storms I used to see in Florida'. Lightning everywhere, wind, heavy downpours, climaxing in, of course, the obligatory power failure. Right during the middle of the Celtics-Lakers game. A few buddies and I were enjoying a cold one at the Brass Cat while we watched Kobe, Kevin and their mates go at it, when the bar, along with most of the town, instantly plunged into darkness. To most, it was probably pretty cool. Quiet, dark, and still. Just the sounds of the rain and thunder and the occassional woosh of a passing car. For me, it was that with a distinct flavor of 'oh sh*t'. You see, I have 300 gallons of ice cream, and the many me-hours it took to make them, sitting in freezers in every corner of my shop. 300 dear friends put in harm's way when electricity stops flowing to their life support system, their square home's compressor.

Needless to say, power outages are just plain stressful. Most power failures only last a few minutes, so I try not to get too anxious for those first few. I take a few deep breaths and try to extend this worry-less mindset for an hour or two, repeating to myself (and usually everyone around me) that I need not worry yet. Maybe in four hours, but not yet. After that, bad things start to happen to my frozen friends. Unless I come to their rescue, riding in on my shiny red portable gas generator (cue Gladiator music)...

Most people went home from the Cat when the emergency lights ran out of battery power, when Mike was forced to kick us all out. A few drove off to find a pub with the lights (and the game) still on. As I wandered home in the darkness, shuffling through the rain, just me and that pit in my stomach, I knew I wasn't sleeping until the power returned.

A nighttime power failure is a blessing and a curse. No business is lost, since once the power goes out, it's most important that no one goes in the freezers. The only cold the ice cream will enjoy is what's in there, and opening the freezer door greatly accelerates the melting process. Not hard to understand that, but whenever there's a power failure during scooping hours, some people actually get mad when you say you can't serve them. As if their single scoop of mint chip is worth putting 1800 other scoops at risk. Thankfully, most people are pretty cool about it. Disappointed, sure, but understanding. Especially when they see the look of anxiety carved into my face.

Even if you didn't stay up until 1:30am last night, you probably still figured out that power was restored to our fair street after about three hours. Long enough to stress me out to the point of getting Jenny the generator ready for duty. As you can see from the shot, I didn't actually haul her out of the basement, but she was as close as she's been in a couple years. I really wasn't looking forward to waking everybody up at 2am when I fired her up. I could hear the singing of the town hall generators about a half mile away, and although I'm certain my 3500 watt number wouldn't drown out theirs, it certainly would have woken up the light sleepers in our building.

So all's well that ends well. Can I just tell you about the feeling you get when the lights come back on. It feels like the weight of a yellow Smart Car being lifted off your shoulders in one instant. Phew.

And before I go, just to give you a flavor for the fun you missed last night by not actually owning your own ice cream shop during a power failure, I thought I'd share a few shots of me rummaging through one very dark basement. Hunting down power cords and such. And in a fortuitous intersection of luck and dorkiness, I just happened to have impulse-purchased a halogen headlight for night biking only a few days ago...

Kindof Blair Witch Project-ey, eh?

In any event, all the freezers are humming like tops today, having survived a couple crazy hot days. Perhaps they just needed a few hours off to catch their collective breaths while I learned to appreciate them even more...