Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Eric Murphy, founder, and CEO of Scream Truck, located in Springfield, NJ, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Scream Truck is the first-of-its-kind, experiential, on-demand ice cream truck. We've reimagined the hundred-year-old ice cream truck business model and supercharged it for the consumer with cool technology, a super memorable experience, and a premium, made-to-order product. On the business side, we've created a highly predictable revenue engine (our proprietary software) that keeps our trucks "sold out" on a daily basis. In just 18 months, we've grown to 7 trucks, signed up over 25,000 households (75,000 customers) for our "reserved routes," hit 10,000 real followers on Instagram, and closed a seed round of funding at the beginning of 2022.

Tell us about yourself

I am a serial entrepreneur that started my career in the music industry as a radio DJ back in 1987 (after leaving home at age 16). I didn't end up graduating from high school and did not go to college. I worked (and learned!) as much as I could and ended up becoming a music director and eventually program director at multiple radio stations across the country.

At the end of 2019, when my contract ended, I left to pursue something new. I had this idea brewing in my head (and I always joked with colleagues over the years that I wanted to say "f*ck it and start an ice cream stand). Details were still vague, but I spent about 2 months researching what I thought could be a game-changer in ice cream trucks! Every ice cream truck I have seen is old school and usually dumpy. They offer bottom shelf, chemical-laden Sponge Bob pops and other pre-packaged "novelties." They play an obnoxious jingle as they cruise through neighborhoods waiting for customers to run out of their houses. Our local "ice cream man" was a nice enough guy that would sometimes come if I sent him a text letting him know we wanted ice cream. I thought I was special until I realized he did this for anyone who asked. 😄 At any rate, I started thinking of how inefficient this was (and very detrimental to his revenue). So I took that thought and combined it with my experience in music, entertainment, marketing, and technology to create SCREAM TRUCK.

Scream Truck has been an absolute thrill to create, launch, and grow. Our state-of-the-art trucks, cool technology, and awesome product/experience have created a rabid and fast-growing fanbase (all word of mouth) and made me realize how amazing it is to simply brighten someone's day! That is truly our business. Whether it's on one of our reserved routes (we text customers any time we're coming to their neighborhood, and they can simply reply "Y" to reserve a stop at their house) or at a private event (we did over 2000 events last year!), customers are so excited about Scream Truck. That is what motivates me every day! The look on everyone's face when we arrive and the five-star reviews are raving about our incredible customer service and awesome ice cream treats!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is easy... and I think everyone takes this for granted as a business owner who's stuck in the weeds and grinding every day to grow the business. The fact that I (or any entrepreneur) created an entire brand and business from NOTHING and built it to become a known brand/business with paying customers is an astonishing feat, especially in today's crazy A.D.D. A world where consumers (and clients in a B2B business) are getting hammered with THOUSANDS of marketing messages a day, not to mention the hundreds of text messages, emails, social media posts, news alerts, and distractions that make up everyday life. The fact that I (or any entrepreneur) was able to cut through that and get noticed is absolutely something to be proud of.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

I think the hardest thing as a business owner is learning how to prioritize. There are SO many things you could do to grow your business. But the hardest decisions are which ideas to pursue and prioritize and which ones to let go of. I have become better at this over the years, but it is still SO important to any business. Oftentimes saying no to something is just as impactful as saying yes or pursuing/prioritizing the right things.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. You can learn to do anything. The internet has given anyone FREE access to learning anything. SO many people ask me how I was able to start my businesses and make them successful. It's simple. I spent HOURS and HOURS researching and learning. And it cost me $0.
  2. Company culture is as important if not more important than the product you're selling. You MUST treat employees well, offer a safe place to work, be flexible, don't micro-manage, invest time in developing your team members, and show employees you care about them... FOR REAL. I can contribute all of my success to the people that I found, developed, and trusted to do their jobs.
  3. THIS TO SHALL PASS. I have been through some extremely difficult times with all of my businesses. Staffing issues, growing pains, huge mistakes, failures, con artists, recessions, losses, etc. As difficult as they are to navigate, don't cave under pressure (unless, of course, your business is truly failing). As cliché as it sounds, these are the things that make you stronger and smarter, and they all pass in time.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We're going to expand SCREAM TRUCK nationally in 2-3 years. Is anyone interested in building our brand in other states around the country? Get in touch! 2-3 years sounds like a long time, but it goes by very fast!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.screamtruck.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iscreamtruck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/screamtruck/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scream-truck/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.