Ice Cream, Ice and other Freezing tales...

 FROM LINKEDIN-- 02/02/2026

I was thinking about it being Monday, back to the grind...When a memory flashed from my early entrepreneurial days.

So, here’s a moment from my entrepreneurial journey that still shapes how I build today. Acknowledging that entrepreneurship rarely changes in one big moment. More often, the shift happens quietly, right in the middle of the work.

When I was first starting out, I spent a lot of time on the road running delivery trucks. As the customer base grew, so did the distance we traveled. What that gave me was time to listen and time to think.

I kept hearing the same challenges from customers. It wasn’t about what they wanted to buy. It was about what they needed and couldn’t easily get. That’s when it clicked. Entrepreneurship isn’t about guessing at a need. It’s about listening closely and solving real problems.

So I made a completely random call to It’s-It Ice Cream in San Francisco. Founded in 1928 and still delicious. That call turned into becoming a distributor and eventually founded a small-scale manufacturing ice company. Same trucks. Same routes. Same labor and gas. Just added more products and increased revenue.

And yes, with the last name Freeze, ice cream and ice, well I know, little like fate.

Today, It’s-It is still my favorite, although it’s no longer breakfast like it was in the old days.

The lesson that stayed with me is simple. Look for opportunity inside what you’re already doing. Ask your customers what they need. Solve a real problem. And give yourself space to dream while you build. Einstein talked about the power of daydreaming, and I did plenty of that on those drives.
I’d love to hear yours.

What’s a moment from your entrepreneurial journey that shaped how you build today?