Crucial Statement: Ben, Laura, and Pete paid themselves $40K a year each for the first 10 years, even after making $1 Million in revenue. So many businesses die because founders want high salaries in the beginning. They can now potentially sell their brand for a $1 Billion.

@roadracerdave7645

9 ай бұрын

$1million in revenue is not relevant unless you know what the profit margin was

@cs2181

9 ай бұрын

@@thisworldisabirdcage 40k a year in new york is really not that much...

@asoaresjr

9 ай бұрын

The issue is usually one of impact to others around you. A single unmarried founder can usually do this, because they're only impacting themselves. The issue comes when you're a founder and have a family to feed. Unless your spouse can pick up the slack, it gets really tough to make your kids live around the poverty line.

@IMMERSIVEVOICE

9 ай бұрын

No way is this business worth a billion. Max 985M

@leodupont2418

9 ай бұрын

An average pizza store in NYC generates around $1 million in revenue annually. Paying three salaries of $40K each from this gross income appears rather extravagant, particularly given the relatively narrow profit margins common in the food industry.

An offer from Whole Foods on opening day? That's crazy. Awesome.

@amaiaamaiaa

9 ай бұрын

they really glossed over that part

@LucariosTrainer

9 ай бұрын

i wonder if a manager or executive happened to randomly buy ice cream from them on the first day

@davenrai

9 ай бұрын

Insane luck!

@amaiaamaiaa

9 ай бұрын

@@LucariosTrainer i mean maybe but the odds are close to nil... maybe i'm a pessimist but i'd bet they already had some connections from growing up wealthy in greenwich and that would explain the glossing over that key point in the story.

@djamilawilschke7259

9 ай бұрын

@@amaiaamaiaahow about the part where the glossed over the fact that they paid each other 40k each year for 10 years 🤔

Amazing! This video is so informative and lays out a blueprint for all businesses: 1. You don't have to invent something new; improve something that already exists. 2. If you think it's a good idea, don't give up. 3. Test out different strategies; don't be afraid to pivot. 4. Your customer base is already there; if your product or service is good, they'll come around to you. 5. Don't be greedy with paying yourself over company profits; invest it back into the company and reap rewards later on.

@Sssteelo

7 ай бұрын

You left out the biggest thing: Come from a rich family like the founders.

@angelachanelhuang1651

7 ай бұрын

nice job

@skwad240

4 ай бұрын

​@@Sssteeloexcuses

@Blackfire970

Ай бұрын

Nice

I really just want these stories to be told in a truthful way: the way they glossed over him growing up in Greenwich and being born into a well off family is wild

@herogebrial

9 ай бұрын

I know.

@alexcasey351

9 ай бұрын

Stop hating

@keynesianeconomics4113

8 ай бұрын

This isn't a rags to riches story; it's about how three people turned 1 ice cream truck into a nationwide business. It's a story about business growth. They never claimed to be poor; they were college educated and happened to have $60,000 in start up funds before selling their first scoop so anyone with a brain could connect the dots to determine they came from at least middle class backgrounds.

@TheSoloebe

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, I waswondering while watching this how they afforded NYC flats and money for testing if they had no income.

@judigemini178

4 ай бұрын

@@alexcasey351how is this person “hating” if they just want the facts & not fairytales?Continue living in your delusional world where people & the media just lie to you & you keep eating it up like a child.

From Greenwich VIllage and got a Whole Foods deal on his first day? These videos are supposed to be for rags to riches people, not well connected people pretending their insider status didn't start them off at 3rd base.

@katehudson6490

7 ай бұрын

It’s Greenwich CT but yeah, he definitely came from money.

@phantomstranger1125

4 ай бұрын

@@katehudson6490 Lol Greenwich is like one of the richest neighborhoods in the US.

@stpedro-ht9ng

3 ай бұрын

The more you understand economics the more you realize the 'rags to riches' people are such unicorns when it comes to success of this scale that you can't make a whole video series about them because there aren't enough.

@24sumo

Ай бұрын

Always gna be haters and bitter people in life

@phantomstranger1125

Ай бұрын

@@24sumo There are a lot of unnecessary haters but this is a joke lol. If you were born in Greenwich you literally started at the finish line.

He grew up in Greenwich CT- one of the wealthiest cities in the US (think retired Wall Street executives, top celebrities, etc.). He obviously comes from money and his family funded his lifestyle in NYC while he “struggled” to start his “humble” business. Their product is great, but trust-fund kids trying to make themselves seem relatable to the average person while gaslighting us making us think that “hard work” is all it takes makes many of us cringe. MONEY & FAMILY CONNECTIONS.

@ddlszxcv

9 ай бұрын

exactly! they never went into detail about how they got the initial 60k. they just "scrapped" together 60k? lol okay...more like friends and family game them loans/grants

@jaya5920

9 ай бұрын

that’s just how life is. it’s unfair but that shouldn’t stop anybody from trying, because trying and failing is where the purpose comes in.

@freebantu6019

9 ай бұрын

Money makes money, that's life.

@jonathan99097

8 ай бұрын

This guy gets it.

@Elmeromero-xn9pn

7 ай бұрын

@@jaya5920 And most people would agree. Does not mean that stories like this have to be shown without nuance. It should be recognized that he had help and support that many do not, even if he did something with it that many could not have.

The most awkward job interview I ever had was for the Van Leeuwan in Williamsburg. Submitted my info online and get called for an interview like normal. But I show up and it's like a cattle call audition. 100s of other college-age students, and then a group interview. Felt like a popularity contest. Truly so strange.

@Sssteelo

7 ай бұрын

That’s so weird.

@graciedays

7 ай бұрын

Sounds like a model casting

@HolahkuTaigiTWFormosanDiplomat

7 ай бұрын

Which means people want to work there or they over hiring??

I can attest, this ice cream is FANTASTIC!

@y.r.9401

9 ай бұрын

How much??

@icingcake

9 ай бұрын

It is but the cholesterol on some flavors is insane - they use a ton of eggs

@UziiTube

8 ай бұрын

sounds like a personal problem to me @@icingcake

@1525boy

8 ай бұрын

Better than Häagen-Dazs?🤔

@JRspeaking

8 ай бұрын

@@1525boy WAY better! 😃

Love the mini story about where they ended up finally parking the truck. Kinda a short business lesson on market pivoting and finding your customers. Congrats!

This was a great story. Pretty awesome (and maybe lucky) that they were approached by a rep from Whole Foods on opening day. This abousltely helped their growth, which is fantastic. If I'm ever in NY, I've gotta try this!

@hansonel

9 ай бұрын

You can find their ice cream in Walmart and Whole Foods. But still not the experience of visiting their ice cream store in Williamsburg Brookyln though.

I can’t tell you how shocking it was to go from Brooklyn to visit family in Oklahoma and discover Van Leeuwan in the freezer section of Walmart, lol

@marik1104

9 ай бұрын

It's in the Walmart freezer in Austin, TX as well!

@franko8572

9 ай бұрын

Ayo! I’m in upstate NY. Also have family in Oklahoma.

these guys are awesome. such great work ! the definition of hard work pays off

Good for them that earl grey may be worth the price! My husband makes an apple pie bourbon and a vanilla bean and rum ice-cream every summer. I soak the Madagascar sourced vanilla bean in domestic use vodka I used to get brought in by a Russian friend. We only make 10 pints for the entire summer with home made maple syrup glazed waffle cones. Ice cream is a big deal in our home but we haven't bought any in over 20 years! I do have a cup of Earl Grey double bergamot every day so I will give that a try!

@turtlep8582

9 ай бұрын

I may not have the most refined taste but I tried their Earl Grey and it tasted like perfume I hated it.

The first time i tried this ice cream i was hooked. The flavor and quality are there.

God bless you. You've made ice cream even sweeter in my adulthood and your company's marketing is UNMATCHED! Continued success to you

Seattle person here...never heard of the brand before today!. This is an AMAZING story! .

Such a wholesome video! Thank you! I live far away from USA, I would really love to try it after this video 😋

I found Van Leeuwen ice cream last year. Since it's French ice cream, it uses more eggs so the egg shortage didn't do its price any favors. However, I still buy it. If you read its ingredient list, it's super simple. Usually just milk, cream, sugar, eggs, and whatever flavoring for that particular ice cream. Now read the ingredient list of an ice cream at half the price and the ingredients becomes 3 times longer and would have locust bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan, dextrose, stuff processed with alkali, soy lecithin, etc. I'm sure much of that is preservatives and ways to get that ice cream to taste the way they want it, but at that point, are you really eating ice cream anymore.

@user-rg9xd9mu5r

5 ай бұрын

Go buy Aldi's Specially Selected ice cream. It is super simple and half the price.

@saraw1302

3 ай бұрын

I read the ingredient list and is not that clean. I put it back 😂

That’s such a great story. Hard work and working through the issues that come up. Kudos to them for making things happen. 😊

Every family has that one person who will break the family's financial struggle, I hope you become the one 😊

@thomasdooley3702

9 ай бұрын

Investing in alternate income streams should be the top priority for everyone right now especially given the global economic crisis we are currently experiencing, Stocks, gold, silver, and virtual currencies are still attractive investments at the moment.

@christianajoe8563

9 ай бұрын

Starting early is the best way to getting ahead of build wealth, investing remains the priority

@lasvegasluca9509

9 ай бұрын

​@@christianajoe8563True

@samanthadonaldson2246

9 ай бұрын

Last year I was working full time budgeting groceries, unable to afford date nights, and missing time with my kids. Now I learn how to make money online. Now I'm a SAHM, homeschooling and making profits every week.

@lindapoplin7150

9 ай бұрын

​@@samanthadonaldson2246Having a job doesn't mean security rather having different investments is the real deal

Incredible job to the founders!!👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

Brilliant niche, branding, risk-taking and confidence. Well done!!!!!

I'm in the Philippines and we also have Van Leeuwen here. That's how big they've become

Moral of the lesson: I can, I will, and I must!!

So happy to see Van Leeuwen featured, and learn more of their story. My favorite ice cream!!! Try the earl grey 💜

Such an inspiring story! Good on them!!

i love seeing people following their hobbies and dreams. this is motivating me 1000000%

@manuelmanuel3968

8 ай бұрын

Do you run a business or work a 9~5?

Anybody else who thinks their Old packaging was WAYYY better than their current one?!? (09:06)

@drj2220

9 ай бұрын

Ugh yesssss

@alex99398

9 ай бұрын

I see what you are saying. But the new packaging allows for a more cohesive and uniform look, with the pastel colors and focus on name and flavor - not the truck. The real reason why the new design works is it still keeps the brand and flavor front and center and works much better with the COLLABS. Think Arizona Green Tea at 9:47. This is an AMAZING DESIGN that pops and these "can't miss" designs and shelf appeal work better with the new design imo. But you're not wrong, the old design is excellent too..personal preference

Great video! Learned a lot!

My 2 fave ice cream shops in NYC are Sugar Hill Creamery and Van Leeuwen 🤗😊🥰 This is very inspirational.

Tried this recently at Natural Grocers and loved it. Ended up finding a random brick and mortar last week, what a shocking surprise! So many great flavors!!

I love watching these success stories! Would love to try this ice cream 🍦 out here in Cali!

@NikKaussFlies

8 ай бұрын

They have a truck on Abbot Kinney in Venice and a store on Franklin just east of Beachwood Canyon near Los Feliz

great story. congrats to you all!

Best ice cream around! Love this video, huge thanks to Ben for sharing all of the history!

I love their ice cream 😍 I'm so happy for them! If you haven't tried them yet, definitely go check them out. Fun fact since it's not mentioned in this video (I think) : Van Leeuwen sells non-dairy ice cream and it's AMAZING!

Their ice cream is so delicious. They sold me with their strawberry ice cream. It has only 3 ingredients but taste like there’s at least ten. It’s so flavorful and smooth. Ever since I had that I’ve tried at least a 3rd of their flavors. I will not eat the ranch one but they have 100 more

My family went to your ice cream shop in Denver this summer. It literally was the best dairy free ice cream I ever tasted.

He’s from Greenwich Connecticut, he grew up in one of the richest towns in America, the homes in Greenwich starts at 1.8 million and up.. connection definitely got him that whole foods deal lol 😂

@jirou6228

9 ай бұрын

just because he grew up with money doesn't mean he will automatically have connections with a specific partner in wholesale right ? not to mention that his parents house not his house... maybe their parents did help invest their company a little bit but that doesn't mean they didn't work hard for their company

@kendi1417

9 ай бұрын

I caught that, but he still had to come up with the idea. Would it have grown as fast without his Greenwich background? No. But I think the fact that people were willing to buy it out of a truck legitimizes him enough.

@doe22us

9 ай бұрын

Exactly lol, whole foods just doesnt happenstance pop in one day and give you a deal.

@goldboyjr

9 ай бұрын

I know right? Ben wants to fit in so bad, like he's a real entrepreneur 🤣🤣. Ben your father propped you up to make himself look good. "Oh look how smart my son is", reality you have no real accomplishments. You think you're the first one with this idea? LOL. I saw people like you with no real talent win pitch comeptitions in univeristy because your parents donated money to the college. "omg what if I start a business putting ATMS in every store" -dum prep kid "omg what if I rent one of my cars to strangers", "omg what if I sell ice cream on a large scale that I saw some spanish lady make in New Haven that one time" -you

What a story 🙏 Inspired

I walked by your product and almost bought a pint. Now I'm definitely going to! I love the new packaging!

Very inspirational !!!

Great story, cheers 🥂 to their success!

not the most extravagant thing but so inspirational, such a great video with a great storytelling.

Enjoyable watch. Great stuff.

I love ice cream and I love this story. Amazing job you guys!

The fact that they didnt hire any employees till 5 years later, or raise VC money until 10 years later is insane

Very cool story, though I need to be honest, I tried one of their packaged ice cream sandwiches the other weekend and was very underwhelmed. I'll be sure to give them another try if I ever encounter one of their scoop shops!

This was uploaded at the perfect time because I was just going Ice Cream shopping yesterday and I was wondering about Van Lewen

Quality & vision 🎉

Love the honeycomb flavor ❤ but last time I visited the shop at Upper East Side, they were out of most flavors & had been missing their delivery for 2 days ☹️ on a hot summer day in NYC, that stinks.. Also the arizona green tea flavor is sold at the most remote MA walmart locations.. I had to drive 2 hrs away from my house to find it, & it wasn't everything I expected. Too heavy on the matcha..

Van Leeuwen is the BESTTTTTT. Happy to see the BTS video!

I love CNBC make it videos, hope to make it to the millionaire series videos, and would want to work here as well in data analytics or the tech team

@agneskariuki785

9 ай бұрын

Happy for you I would also love to work in tech space

@SpicySin

9 ай бұрын

i want that too! i just finally got into the IT field & this channel really helped me pick a career !

i've never heard of them until now. Now i wanna try it .

Never heard of Van Leeuwen (most likely because I live in Europe). But after watching this, I can not stop thinking about that ranch flavoured ice cream. At $6,90 a scoop, it is a bit too much for my taste though.

@estiennetaylor1260

5 ай бұрын

Overpriced for a scoop of ice cream regardless what they label as.

What a great story!

The campfire/smores flavor is so good!!

Earl Gray ice is the best made by human. I tear up every time I get a scoop. Heaven in a cone. Such a great company. Such an amazing ice cream so happy for them❤

@samtan4729

8 ай бұрын

Yes, that particular flavor is sublime.

Whoa. I love this!

Seattle person here...never heard of the brand before today!

If you open too many stores, you’ll end up like Krispy Kreme. Keep it contained like In-N-Out

i recently tried this brand..... high quality , amazing. might be the best pint iv ever had, customer for life.

I really like how they have some of the most innovative vegan flavors. I can finally enjoy ice cream with my family again.

honestly, the original design on the pint was great too!

Inspiring!! I'd love to taste their ice cream 😍

Amazing story, well done to the team but the biggest winner was the branding agency who was on a one year retainer to come up with what looks like 10mins work at most.

@wearytrader535

9 ай бұрын

That's what happens when you introduce the concept of "corporate" into your fledgling company

Love their earl grey ice cream

Hi Ben, I see your name and immediately think that you are a Dutch person who wants to start here But it turns out that you were born in America, yet in terms of thinking I see that you are a Dutch person through and through great that your product is an absolute TOPPER, keep it up with your partners and make something beautiful out of

My hubby and I are watching this as he eats his new favorite ice cream he claims lol, their banana cream pie with fudge swirls lol. He LOVES it!

how lovely. they make such good ice cream

Amazing story! Perfect example of you get what you put in. Thank you for sharing your struggles to serve as motivation for all future entrepreneurs.

@vagas99

9 ай бұрын

He’s from Greenwich Connecticut he doesn’t know anything about struggle lol

@katies2067

9 ай бұрын

@@vagas99 you don’t know the guy. Just because he lived in that neighborhood, doesn’t mean that he didn’t struggle financially. Not everyone in Greenwich is wealthy/upper class.

love this. great team, great brand, passion, and delicious fun!🍦🍧🍧🍨

Their ice cream is fabulous! 🍦

wonderful journey. just one fabulous product brings fortune .

Van Leeuwen is my favorite ice cream shop I go there all the time 😊

I'm so excited to watch this video. I've eaten your ice cream and it was absolutely delicious ❤️🙏😊

To me the most imiportant statement: we believe in investing in PRODUCT. From their 40k salaries to more focus on product development and quality focus instead of pure ad run business. Not easy but certainly a healthy way to run things.

Wholesome video. Congratulations on the teams & thank you for the inspiration.

Well done!

I just had this ice cream for the 1st time last week and I’m hooked…I love the praline pound cake flavor 😋

I could have done but I’m lactose intolerant! Kidding. Good for you. Takes work and risk many of us don’t appreciate.

Glad the US finally got good ice cream. I remember when I was in new york about 10 years ago there were barely any good gelato or good artisan ice cream shops around. It was really sad, when I was used to the many choices in Canada

@katies2067

9 ай бұрын

The US is far bigger than New York 😉

nice work on the rebranding. maybe pentagram could take off the logo too for the next rebrand.

I find it extremely smart that they decided NOT to advertise and instead invest in their product. Word of mouth is WAY more effective today with social media. They also sell with a major grocery store chain that "Whole Foods" is, which was a fantastic business decision. All the best for their continuous growth. Cheers.

Hoping for this to hit Europe at some point!

We love their ice cream! We review all that we can. Great I've cream!

6.90 a scoop? 😵‍💫

I came to NYC for the first time this year, and I was pleasantly surprised that they had ice cream my cousin with a cashew allergy could eat.

Love their ice cream!! Wish they were in the UK :(

This is really great ice cream I love it!

I think their old logo was better, haha

@onetwo-dr8hl

9 ай бұрын

Definitely was..had more unique character..ironic that the old logo only cost maybe a few hundred bucks to develop and the now super simplistic logo cost hundreds of thousands via a corporate consulting firm 😂

@roadracerdave7645

9 ай бұрын

yeah same here. and to think they worked on the new logo for 1 year! i bet they literally paid millions of consultation fees to Pentagram.

@maestroadam

9 ай бұрын

@@onetwo-dr8hl Agreed! It blows the mind that many months of work and "great"/"strategic"/"business" minds actually end up producing something crappier than the original vision. Kind of comedic actually!

Their ice cream is bomb!!!

This is some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. The honeycomb flavor is my favorite ❤️

Great story!

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s just mind blowing that scoop of ice cream in USA cost 6$ and people queue for it……

You need open some in Texas my town Paris Texas can use one and it is also cheap labor to open also .

Ooo I wanna open one in south Texas =D

$6.90/scoop? No way Happy for their success! But I’ll buy my store brand half a gallon ice cream where I can buy 2 half gallon for the cost of their scoop

I Love Van Leeuwen. Their Ice Cream Is Great.

These guys clearly had help from daddy’s connections. Whole Foods doesn’t just offer some niche ice cream truck a deal on their first day.

@biglloyd5870

7 ай бұрын

we get it ur envious