Thats how long it took Stephen DiMare to transform a strangers suggestion into a business.
He was 24 at the time.
However, he met a woman on a plane who changed his mind.
Well, its his favorite subject: history.
Now DiMare is 30 and the founder/president/mascot ofThe Hyppo, a gourmet popsicle store.
He oversees eight Hyppo flagship stores in Florida, with two more under construction.
The sweet treats are also sold in more than 40 grocery stores.
No Interest Til Almost 2027?
One weekend, he boarded a flight back to his hometown of St. Augustine, Florida, fora wedding.
On that flight, he found himself talking to the stranger next to him.
Her name was Leslie.
She suggested he sell something similar in his coffee shop.
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His first thought?
Thats not really my theme, DiMare remembers.
Instead, the idea of popsicles seemed new and fun and the marketplace for that product was not saturated.
Its true, DiMare says.
I think a lot of times people are like, Oh, I just kind of got this idea.
For me, it was very discrete.
Building a Business in Three Months
The simplest way to describe the process is very fast.
At this point, DiMare had a month left before his seasonal gig was up.
When he returned to St. Augustine, he already knew the popsicle shop would be his next adventure.
His first task was to find a storefront.
Note this was in 2010 and the middle of the recession.
However, DiMare used this to his advantage.
He found a space in downtown St. Augustine a high-traffic area with kitchen equipment already included.
The 650-square-foot space cost $2,600 a month.
His parents chipped in to help out.
Youll learn from this, and it wont cost that much, so here you go, DiMare says.
He faced all the growing pains of a first business: How do I form a corporation?
How do I get a sales tax filing number?
How do I open a bank account?
He ate about 8-10 popsicles a day.
How Does One Become a Popsicle Expert?
DiMare had never made a popsicle.
He looked to the internet as a primer.
Then, it was total experimentation.
DiMare describes some of the popsicles from the early days as not awesome.
It came out crazy bitter.
We didnt have many popsicles to sell then, so we sold them as The Key Lime Experience.
Dont worry he says hed never do that today.
But back then, he relied on a whole lot of feedback.
Hed log each recipe in a book and work from there.
Currently, the team churns out 20,000 to 30,000 pops a week.
Hes put every spare dollar he doesnt need for food back into his company.
But it wasnt always like this.
Luckily, his first customer came in 10 minutes later, and the feeling left never to return again.
For DiMare, his initial goal was to not fail too quickly.
You cant spreadsheet the risk out of the equation, he says.
You just have to get your hands dirty and roll with the risk.
Luckily, he overcame the risk.
However, hes had some other businesses fail, like a macaron shop.
But hes OK with that.
Youll figure it out, he says.
You wont be in limbo.
But DiMare is happy he hasnt had to move on or stumble in limbo.
His empire continues to grow in Florida where popsicle demand is strong year round.
The gourmet pops go for $3.75.
DiMares favorite flavor is well, he doesnt have just one.
I enjoy the watermelon hibiscus.
The dark chocolate-dipped key lime pop also comes with high praises.
Warning: A brain freeze is inevitable.
Your Turn: Whats the wackiest yet tastiest popsicle flavor you’re free to think of?
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
