We were lucky to catch up with Tiffany Critton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tiffany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

I believe it takes discipline and sacrifice to be successful. Discipline forms healthy and positive habits that helps you stay focused on your goals. It also allows you to have control of your thoughts and actions and that can be very important in stressful situations. Success is a process that requires much patience and discipline. It means that you will continue to work hard even when you’re not seeing any progress. Some people will give up if they don’t achieve instant gratification or overnight success. However, that doesn’t last very long because you haven’t sacrificed anything so it doesn’t have the same value. There aren’t any shortcuts in life. You have to get uncomfortable, overcome fear and let go of your pride. You have to sacrifice and make certain lifestyle changes in your personal life first. You have to develop a routine that you stick to everyday. I live a very disciplined lifestyle. I’m very particular on what I eat and put in my body. I’m also very particular on who I have in my personal space. I don’t allow any negative people around me because it drains your positive energy. You will also have to sacrifice friends and you will definitely lose sleep. I have lost friends because I just don’t have the time like I used to. I still have my day job as a claims adjuster and I do everything myself for my business so if I can get at least 5 hours of sleep, that’s a great day. It’s not an easy lifestyle to maintain but it’s worth it in the end.

Tiffany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started Ice Cream So Good a year ago and it has been quite a year. I have been making ice cream for about 6 years and finally decided to turn it into a legitimate business. I make everything myself and I use all natural ingredients. I do not use artificial flavoring, all of my flavors are made from scratch. I love to joke and say that you’re able to pronounce every ingredient in my ice cream. I make unique and specialty flavors such as peanut butter and jelly, cotton candy, sweet potato pie, and cheesecake just to name a few. I even make push pops, ice cream sandwiches, ice cream pies and I also have gallons at wholesale pricing. I recently got a mascot, her name is Miss Suga. She made her debut at Dessert Wars last month and we made the people’s choice list in the top 10. Miss Suga will be available for parties soon. What I do is more than just making ice cream, it’s a whole experience.

The thing that I’m most proud of is being able to give back. I recently donated 50 backpacks fully loaded with supplies to underprivileged kids. When you help others, you get a profound sense of fulfillment. There is so much reward in giving back and helping others. I definitely want to give back more especially around the holidays. I want my business to be known for much more than just having the best ice cream in the bay area, I want to be known as a philanthropist. I have a love for humanity and I want to share my two gifts with the world. One of my gifts is making ice cream and the other one is to help make life better for other people.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

The first and most important rule it to always lead by example. While I do not have any employees, I do have a team of about 10 family members that help with assisting, test tasting products, promotion, deliveries, sales and so much more for FREE. It is my responsibility as the team captain to remain positive and confident so that I can instill the same qualities in them. My team is responsible for a lot of the success that I have had. When I have an idea for a potential new flavor, I go to my team to get their opinions and vice versa. Some of my most popular flavors was an idea from a team member. I like to have everyone involved in the process because eventually, this will be a family business. The advice I would give for managing a team is to have a clear purpose, and to set goals and expectations. You have to build trust among your team members, and you MUST have the emotional intelligence that a leader should possess. In regards to maintaining high morale, the person in charge must be dedicated and willing to do more than what is required. You have to be a team player as well as the team caption. I think the engagement of your team makes them feel important and apart of something. The whole team gets together and we all vote on whether or not a flavor is added to the menu. My team appreciates that I acknowledge and value their input.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Word of mouth and pounding the pavement have worked for me. Majority of my new customers are from referrals or were recommended. It definitely helps that a few members of my team have their own business and we promote one another. I give out free samples to other businesses and to people in general just to get my name and product out there. For me personally, I think being in the community helps grow your clientele. You’re basically meeting new people which is more effective for my business than social media. I also participate in a lot of pop up shops and local events.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://icecreamsg.net
• Instagram: instagram.com/icecreamsogood813