Customer Reviews

How to Succeed in the Incredible Ice Cream Business

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After reading Stogo's first book, I thought this one would be just as good. Boy, was I disappointed. This book is extremely sloppy -- the editing is atrocious, and there are conflicting statements, sometimes in consecutive sections.

His understanding of standard startup accounting principles is pretty weak -- my SBA advisor (a retired accountant) laughed at some of the startup cost itemizations.

Overall, I *did* learn some good info from this book, but I was happy I bought it used on Amazon, rather than paying the ridiculous list price of this one.

In general, I think it is a good book and worth the cost if you are going into the business. I would also recommend a website called turnkeyparlor; they provide necessary information on important stuff like profitability, site selection, etc.

FOR THE PRICE, I FOUND THIS BOOK A BIT FILLED WITH THE AUTHORS PERSONAL IDEAS ON HOW TO CONVINCE A BANK TO FINANCE AN ICE CREAM SHOP, RATHER THAN JUST GIVE ME THE NUTS AND BOLTS INFORMATION I SOUGHT TO MAKE ICE CREAM AND RUN A SUCCESSFULL SHOP, AND ALLOW ME TO WORRY ABOUT IT'S FINANCING. ALSO THERE IS NO MENTION OF ANY SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM PRODUCTS OR IT'S PROFITABILTY. ALL IN ALL I WAS DISSAPOINTED FOR THE MONEY. I REALLY BELEIVE I DID NOT BENEFIT GREATLY BEYOND THE COMMON SENSE KNOWLEDGE I ALLREADY HAD, EXCEPT FOR THE GENERAL ENCOURAGEMENT THE BOOK LENDS TO VENTURING INTO THE ICE CREAM BUISINESS IN GENERAL.

Stogo may know the commercial ice cream business (in fact, it appears that he does) but he also knows how to pack what he knows into a small, cheap space. In other words, this spiral-bound book, about the size and production quality of a very modest Jr. League cookbook, costs a very dear...[amount]. If you're opening an ice cream store, you may be able to bury that price tag in your other start-up costs. If you're just a curious reader or an ice cream lover, however, don't spend the money. (There are a lot of delicious-sounding recipes, but they're in commercial bulk versions and often call for ingredients, such as "Stabilizer CC-917," home cooks may not want to use.) Think of how much Haagen Daz you could buy for...[the money]!

This is a very informative, user-friendly book filled with the most important information and data on what to look for and what pitfalls to avoid in going into the ice cream business. I particularly enjoyed the business plan and nitty gritty details that are so essential to opening up business. I also enjoyed the recipes and suppliers lists. I found this book to be a Must-read for anyone interested in this field.