Josh Juarez | Josh’s SnoShack
In this episode of the Tulsa is Home Podcast, Josh Juarez, founder of Josh’s SnoShack, shares his inspiring entrepreneurial journey. He discusses creating summer memories in Tulsa, the significance of hiring the right people, maintaining positive work culture, and his future expansion plans. Josh emphasizes the importance of employee experiences and community engagement.
Show Notes:
Guest: Josh Juarez, Founder of Josh’s SnoShack
Creating Summer Memories: The Journey of Josh’s SnoShack
In this episode of the Tulsa is Home Podcast, we welcome Josh Juarez, the founder of Josh’s SnoShack. Josh shares his inspiring entrepreneurial journey, starting as a college student trying to make money to becoming a role model and mentor for his employees. We dive into his background, the early days of his business, overcoming milestones, and the epiphany that transformed his business model. Josh discusses the importance of creating great summer experiences for Tulsa, hiring the right people, and maintaining a positive work culture. He also talks about his family’s support, the logistics of running multiple locations, and future plans for expansion and new ventures. This episode provides valuable insights into the life of a successful entrepreneur and the vibrant community of Tulsa.
00:00 Introduction and Early Beginnings
01:10 Welcome to Tulsa is Home Podcast
01:23 Meet Josh Juarez: The King of Cones
02:14 Josh’s Journey: From Houston to Tulsa
02:49 Building a Business: The Early Years
03:46 Family and Business: Balancing Act
07:33 The Epiphany: Creating Summer Memories
10:36 Scaling Up: From One Shack to Many
12:57 Hiring the Right People: Culture Fit
27:14 Future Plans and New Ventures
30:29 Why Tulsa is Home
33:13 Conclusion and Contact Information
Transcript:
Josh’s SnoShack
This is what I’m doing. Like I get it now. Like for me as an entrepreneur, someone who was just working, starting a business as a college student, I was trying to make money and I knew I could do this. I knew how to do it. But then as I started thinking, I was like, wait, like I love being able to be a mentor, be like at least somewhat of a positive role model.
And so there was this moment where I just had this epiphany of like, Oh, you don’t make snow cones for a living. Like you create it. Really great summer memories known as the biggest town you’ll ever experience with its unique historical background. Tulsa is home to a diverse range of people and businesses with a thriving economy, delicious eats nightlife and entertainment for all ages.
Tulsa is also home to business titans, entrepreneurs, artists. And foodies, whether you’re considering a move to Tulsa or just wanting to learn more about the place you call home, the Tulsa is home podcast is for you.
Welcome to another episode of the Tulsa is home podcast. , today we, , have joining us today. None other than the Sultan of syrups, the king of cones. , but no, I’m joking aside. , you know, so the founder and owner of Josh’s Snoshack. And, , Josh Juarez. And, , but really, like, whenever I heard that you had 70 employees, , over multiple locations.
I mean, that’s, that’s no joke. And, , you’ve somehow taken a, what’s, you know, normally a part time, maybe side hustle and turned it into a large scale operation. And, , so I’m really excited about kind of learning your journey, , hearing about all that stuff and how you got started, , before we get into the business side, who is Josh?
Who is Josh Juarez? Where are you from, uh, family, all that stuff. Yeah, when you first said that I was like, wow, that’s, we’re getting really philosophical here. Who am I? I don’t know. , no, but like this kind of background about me. I actually was born in, , Houston, Texas. That’s where my family’s from.
Moved to Tulsa when I was five. And then was pretty much here, , all my life since then. So I kind of am, I feel like I’m a Tulsan more than I am anything. , but I went to school at a small little private school. My dad , , was a worship pastor. That’s what brought us here. There was a big church here and they needed someone to do worship.
And, , he had written some songs that had gone all over. They found him and they brought him over. And so I was there at that school from kindergarten through, you know, high school. And that was actually, when I was 15, it was kind of my first job, was actually working at a snow cone stand. And so that’s where I kind of got, like, into it and realized, oh man, I could do this.
, did that a few summers. And then, , I did college and did grad school and, , through that whole process I started Josh’s when i was 19. So, put myself through college, me and my wife got married when I was 20, she was 19. , and then we just kept growing the business through those years. And now we’ve got a few kids and the business and I coach soccer and I play soccer.
So, like, I’m just kind of like your stereotypical, probably, , you know, Tulsa dad, , who happens to run and own a business. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Well, good deal. , you know, so the, the church brought you to Tulsa? Yeah. Ultimately. Yeah. , and, , how old are your kids? So I’ve got, uh 13 almost 14 year old.
Okay, , and she’s actually gonna start working for us. Yeah she’s been begging to do it and so i’m like, you know what you can work with me and a few of the Managers and see how you like it, but she’s like a natural she’s like miss gregarious talking to everyone type person so, , so she’s gonna start working so she’s Almost 14 and then my son is 12, Jonah, Nora’s 14 and then Miles is 8.
And so, , yeah, they’re all, you know. One day, they think they all believe they’re gonna, , Josh is still in check. So I would ask him, especially Jonah, it’s like, what do you want to do? He’s like, I’m just gonna go on that. I’m like, cool, man. Yeah, that was, yeah. Yeah, I talked to my kids and like the first time I told him, I was like, you know, I met, I met Josh.
They were like, who’s Josh? I was like, yeah. Josh’s Snoshack and like their eyes got really big. I feel like I get that like, , you know, a big deal again amongst kids. And then it’s like, but sometimes it’s like an entrepreneur. I don’t know if you feel this way, but like, I feel like just the pure, like humanity , of who we are.
Sometimes we have these moments of insecurity and like, no matter what it is, no matter how successful you are, how not. And I feel like it’s, it’s a funny journey from the time I started at 19 to continuing to do it and grow it. Because at the end of the day, I’m making snow cones for a living, you know, you kind of feel that thing.
So then kids are like, that’s so awesome. Like, yeah, that’s great. And I’m like, and then what do you do? I’m a surgeon. I’m like, nice to meet you. You know, like whatever it is. So it’s just a funny place to be, but I do love it and it’s really fun. Yeah. What were some of the milestones that you hit along the way to get to, you know, 70?
Yeah, so when I started it, I was very adamant about like, I want to have one location, it’s going to be like, and we’re going to be the best, it’s going to be the best I can make it, it’s all these things. And so, after me and my wife got married, the goal was to put her through college, she wanted to become a nurse, and then put myself through college.
And so we were kind of on that trajectory, and then someone was like, Someone I think told me hey, there’s a parking lot. You should try to get in there So I reached out to a gentleman like yeah, sure. So okay, we’re gonna have two we’re gonna have two It’s gonna be great. You know, it’s I’m gonna work them all the time And so like all through college I was working all the time in the shack So anyone we hired like I knew them really well, but like I was 20 and they were 17 18 So it was like they were all that my friends pretty much, you know, like we became really close.
So You You know, when you think about milestones, I think about like when we got to, when we opened the third location, it was like, okay, this is like, I was just a senior in college when we did that and, , I was like, this is actually pretty viable. Like, this is pretty good little business. And I remember looking at jobs.
That I could make money coming out of college and I’m like, well I can make about what I’m making now You know as a college grad or I could have these three shacks and like I kind of make my own destiny I was like, well, i’ll just do this and , and i’ll do this one more year after I graduate and so It was always nice when people would ask me, you know, what do you do during the winter?
And I would say, well, I’m a student in college. Okay, cool. And that’s the only reason I went to grad school. Cause I was like, I just want an excuse to tell people like I’m going to start a real job at some point, but I’m still in college, you know? And so I started grad school and I was like doing that at the same time.
And then I kept going through year five or so. And I’m like, man, I guess this is a pretty big business. And I think it was probably around year five or six. . I think that was about when I read, we’ll have to figure out the timeline, fact check this, but there’s a book called, , Start With Why, by Simon Sinek, and the premise is basically, , people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
And it was about that year that I was like, I read that book, and I was like, this is what I’m doing, like, I get it now, like, , And for me as an entrepreneur, someone who was just working, starting a business as a college student, I was trying to make money. And like, I knew I could do this. I knew how to do it.
But then as I started thinking, I was like, wait, like I actually really love the kids that work for us. I love being able to be a mentor, be like at least somewhat of a positive role model. And, , my wife and I Angie was like, we both enjoyed that. And so there was this moment where I just had this epiphany of like, Oh, you don’t make snow cones for a living.
Like you create. Really great summer memories for a living. Like, and as soon as that clicked, I was like, we can open 10. We can open as many as we need to. Cause I don’t really care about snow cones. Like, I just want to create great summer experiences or memories for Tulsa. And so once like milestone, that moment right there was like a turning point.
It was like. As long as I’m doing that, I’m good, which is why I, like, literally eat maybe one snow cone a year. Like, I do not eat snow cones, like, they just, like, I’ve had so many over the years, but like, not that I dislike them, I just, I prefer, like, a piece of chocolate, you know, if I want something sweet.
So, once that came out, I was like, that’s fine, like, I know still how the product should be, I know what it should look like, I know how it should taste, so I can still taste everything. But, for that, I was like, I just really want to create these great summer experiences. And once I kind of swallowed that pill of like, that’s what you’re doing, then it became 10 times more kind of proactive of like, we start with our employees. So for me, , if you work for me, my goal is that at the end of the summer, you look back and you’re like, you know what? That was really fun. I made some money. It was really fun. I met some really cool people and I’m gonna remember this summer. And so that’s like kind of my number one driver. And so once it’s that it’s like, well, that’s why now we have like all these fun, we call them family nights, but like events for the employees.
Dodgeball kickball at midnight and all this fun stuff. And so what’s neat is I have kids who are now who worked for me when they were 15, 16, they’re 30, 31, 32. And they’ll come into town and we’ll get coffee and they’ll be like, man, those are some of the best summers of my life. And I’m like, sweet. We were a part of that.
So kind of. In a nutshell from what I just said, basically like, we’re trying to do that for our people because we assume if we do it for our employees, we’ll do it for the rest of Tulsa. And that’s kind of what happens and why you probably nine times out of ten get a good experience when you go and it’s something that’s like, oh man, this was really great.
And within all that, it was like, when we first opened, like the first two years, we would have lines for an hour. I mean, there’d be people in line for an hour. They’d wait for an hour to get a snow cone, you know, $2, $3, whatever it was. And I think. It that’s what also kind of communicated like people aren’t here because they want to snuck on the air because it’s part of summer to Them and waiting in line for an hour with their friends.
That’s fun Like it’s not too big of a deal. And so that all kind of became now that’s what we sell Like we just sell great summer experiences for tulsa. That’s cool. So yeah, so that was a long answer Milestone that was definitely a big one and then to get to 70. It’s like we just want to have the best You know teenage and college students Like in tulsa who love Tulsa who love smiling who love creating fun atmospheres with that.
Yeah, how many locations do you have? So we have 11 joshes across oklahoma. So we have nine in tulsa We have one sky took we have one in still water cool. And so, um And then we have two trucks that kind of go around and do events and then we do like table events So we actually do like a hundred to a hundred and fifty events a month durring April, May, June, July, and August.
Yeah. It’s crazy. So, so we’ll have on one day 10 events, like boom, boom, boom. And you’re going from one. So that’s a big, big part of what we do as well. And I think that’s been something that’s grown. I mean, pre COVID it was at a really big growth, but then post COVID once COVID happened, it was like, people were like, well, we’ll just have you come out.
And then it became a huge thing. And now it’s just like been nuts. Cool. Yeah. Awesome. Well, , How you’d, you to pull all that off. You have to have some really good people. , and I know you mentioned just, you know, it’s important to have those people. , you want the best people in Tulsa who love Tulsa and love doing what they do and smiling and interacting with people.
, and before we even met, , I had seen you at Panera meeting and interviewing at, I don’t know if it was like a Panera meeting. A post Yeah. Summer interview thing, you recap. Yeah. I think we were recap and, um, yeah. And so I could tell, and it was funny ’cause I, I mean I was only like six feet away from you.
Yeah. But uh, and I was like, I mean this guy, I don’t know what he does, but he really cares about. Who, you know, , these workers and people and they never, it’s just funny. Like he, I was trying not to eat eavesdrop. I’m a loud talker. I was moving my team just before this and I’m like, Josh, you talk so loud.
I’m like, I’m sorry. It is what it is. Like you’re going to accept it. So everyone who knows, yeah. But I could tell, like, you really cared about the people and their experience and, , the employees. And, , so like, , what are some of those things , that you do to look for the intentional questions, the.
The interviews, the training, the like, what does that look like for you? Yeah. You know, it’s, it’s an interesting thing. Cause like, as I get older and, you know, even go on to start other businesses or tried to start other businesses, this is philosophy that like, it’s all the same. Like, so whether you own a concrete company or you own Josh’s Snoshack, like they’re, it’s the same things you’re doing.
You have to like a lot of, when you actually look at like the stuff that it takes to make it work. And I think on that. It became, it was so natural for me because I like people and I actually like that age. Like I like being able to influence that age. I coach kids like, and so it was easy for me to, I , legitimately cared where for these students, for these kids, cause it’s like, man, you’re 16, 17, you can go this way or you can go this way, like in, in a lot of ways with life.
And if we can just pull them closer towards a more positive life experience and we can kind of model some of that. Then we feel really proud of it and we’ve seen it over and over again. So, but for me, it was just my natural heart was like, man, I wanna be a positive influence. I mean, like when I was a kid, I wanted to be like a youth pastor, you know?
So it was like that natural, like that’s what I wanted to do. , so it was natural for me, but the way it came out in business was very much like, just take care of your people. Mm-Hmm. , which is like what Amazon should be doing. Google should be doing Tesla. I mean, all the greatest companies, they’re doing the same thing.
They employ. entire teams. How can we take care of our people? And I think like when you asked the question of like the people and how you take care of was like, man, I just think of what does a 16 year old, 18 year old, 20 something year old really want? Out of a six month experience with a job and can we offer that and so that’s why With those meetings we’ll have kind of follow ups at the season.
Hey, how’d it go? What did you what did you hope happened that didn’t happen? and so when you any and even kind of getting to the interview i’m kind of summon this all to say like We approach it very intentionally and probably More intentionally than a lot of businesses And definitely more intentionally than a snow cone stand should like if that makes any sense Like at the end of the day, you got a kid mixing sugar and water, you know And like they’re in there and you can say that’s all it is and now you’re just a commodity but if we’re like No It’s going to be this best product with the best ice with the best syrup with the best experience Then it actually is something like that.
You can package and say no, we’re not a commodity. We’re selling something great and so to get to your question of like Interviews even like We do this thing which just popped in my head one day of like when you’re 16 and you go to an interview It’s your first interview first job Like you’re nervous naturally and if you’re across the table with me and maybe my manager and maybe like my head of you know Employee experience like those three people like you’re sitting there like what you know, and you should stumbling over your words And so early on, I mean, I want to say like once we actually started doing interviews Because for four years it would be me in the shack Someone would come up and then say how do you work here?
And I would just start talking to them and i’m like you’re gonna be great Why don’t you come by tomorrow and get you trained and stuff? So once we actually started doing interviews, it was like Let’s just do it like a conversation with a group of people because that’s when you’re in the shack You’re usually with two or three people.
So you’re talking a lot already talking the customer So we started doing this thing we get so many applications and we got I think this year a hundred so far We’ll probably get a hundred and fifty applications and we’ll hire like twelve. So it’s like a lot So we would have these this thought of like why don’t have time to interview anybody kids So I’m gonna do four at a time four of us four of them You And we’ll just have a conversation.
And so what it evolved into is like when we started, we still don’t very rarely ask like interview questions. It’s more like, , what was the last movie you saw that really made you laugh? Like, So in that question, that person is going to naturally think of something funny and they’re going to smile or not smile.
They naturally like start thinking and they smile real bad. I’m like, okay, they’re a smiler, right? Just like you’re smiling right now. You hear the word smile, you’re going to do it. But believe it or not, there’s a lot of humans on this planet who will just Not smile. I’m like, you’re not gonna work out. So in one question, I can say like, I got a pretty good idea if you’re gonna make it or not.
And then we can weed them out just on, did you smile? And that sucks for people who don’t smile. But , we’re not a place that you want to work if you don’t naturally smile. And believe it or not, I have fired kids because I’m like, hey dude, It’s just not gonna work. Like, you’re just not smiley enough.
Like, I’m sorry. Like, because I read some study that was like, if you’re forced to work in an environment that puts an expectation on your energy, then it will be a more draining job if it’s not natural for you to kind of have that. So, for instance, if you’re in an organization where it’s expected to be like, smile, talk a lot, be loud, and you’re naturally really quiet, That five hour shift is going to feel like a 10 hour shift because you’re working so much harder So i’m like that’s not a good experience for them if they have to be forced to smile and talk to customers so it’s things like that and then we’ll ask questions like even , we do a riddle like You know, it’s like I think it’s from one of the diehards or something like that, but it’s like we do this riddle It’s actually really hard to solve and we say there’s four of them.
I’m like, okay Here’s the riddle you two try to solve it together and you two try to solve it together And I don’t care if they solve it or not like one in a hundred solve it But like I look at the kid who talked first who kept talking over that person And then who would actually ask questions to their and then would they smile when they were doing it?
And often times you’ll have these two people and they’ll be laughing and I’m like, they’re in, they’re great. Like, doesn’t matter if they, if they don’t know anything, they’re going to be fine. And you have two people who’s like, well this is what it should be, and they’re telling the person. The person’s sitting there going, okay, okay, yeah, like, what?
And they’ll talk over them like, you’re not going to work. You’re like, you’re going to talk over someone, you’re not going to learn, you’re not going to be teachable. Because when you have 150 kids that you’ve got to interview, like, and you’re getting down to 12, it’s like you’ve got to make those decisions pretty quick.
And after all these years, we’ve kind of got a pretty good formula for like, okay, that’s going to work. We’d always nail it. And we probably miss some really great talent to be honest, because like they maybe just don’t show up. , but we do two interviews. So we kind of give them a second chance. And then even if they get through to the training, we’ll call it, like we say, it’s actually a hands on tryout.
And we do that because we want to make sure that sometimes when you’re 16, you think you want something and then you get into it and you’re like, I actually hate this. And so we tell them like, Hey, look, you’re going to work in here for two, a couple, two hour shifts. You’re going to learn how to do everything.
And then we’re going to have a conversation. Is this fun for you? Are you enjoying it? Do you like it? And then we’re also going to say, Hey, I think you’re fitting really well. Or, Hey, this is not a great fit. Like you’re struggling to do these elements. And usually those elements are like your, You’re not great at like interacting, you know, maybe.
And so with that, we’ll say, Hey, maybe, maybe come apply, you know, next summer, and that’s oftentimes with someone who’s younger, like a 15 year old kid is like, maybe they’re not quite mature enough already. , but more often than not, if they get to the tryout then, and they are happy and they’re working hard, they’re going to get through.
And so it’s like crazy. Cause it’s like, I feel like our weeding out process is probably harder than most. Restaurants and fast food places like because restaurants and fast food places like they look at your schedule your availability And can you be there like that’s it now? We need to have those things too But like some of my managers get mad at me because I won’t fire people because they have horrible availability I’m like, but they’re a good culture fit and they’ll be gone for a month.
But when they come back, they’ll be great so it’s like You kind of got to figure out what you value and for me it’s like all culture fit. So once we get that, then it’s like, man, you’re with us. And, uh, most of the time it’s good, but sometimes we still miss it, you know? So, yeah. How often do the same students come back?
I mean, we have, it’s crazy. Like, I think they say, like fast food is like one of the highest turnover I mean like more than any other retail more than anything it turns over quick But we probably keep the average kid for like three to four seasons So they’ll come back every season and then there’s probably about 30 40 percent that will come back From 16 till the day they graduate college.
Yeah And then we have a few that, if they go to college, and then we have a few that will come back, so for instance, like, we have a girl, she worked for us when she was 16 to about 22, and, , she was my little sister’s, like, one of her best friends, but she’s at a, like, Stage of life. She’s like 28. She’s pregnant her and her husband, you know, they’re pregnant She’s like, I don’t know what I want to do this summer.
Can I help you out? And i’m like heck. Yeah Yeah, so now she’s gonna be like our admin person in our office like working and kind of doing that But she’s such a smart high level person for josh. Is it like She’s actually over our, what we call, employee journey now. So she’s got like a spreadsheet of every employee, how they’re doing at each little, you know, measurable metric.
And, okay, they’re ready to be cleared or they’re ready to be in the shack by themselves. So it’s like, so she’s like, yeah, I’ll do that. I’m like, sweet. So, we get people, I mean, we’ve had kids who go away for two, three years and move to California. We had one kid and she came back. She’s like, Hey, I’m here for like, thanks.
Two, three years. I’m gonna do grad school I’m gonna do this other stuff. Can I can I work and I’m like, yeah, I was like, I want to run social media I want to run marketing. I was like cool go for it And so we’re eight like we get that a lot and so like I think it’s all over but the ideal person is like we get them from you know, 16 to 22 That’s like the perfect because we get them for high school and maybe the last year of college Yeah, and even they get an internship We got a lot of kids look at an internship and they’ll be like, but i’ll work two nights a week for you Cool, and i’m like sweet.
So it’s yeah, it’s a great. I mean like the thing is like when you’re in there It’s a super fun job and you actually make like really good tips. So like It’s hard to beat because it’s super flexible and you work for like five hours. I’m like, man I just made a ton of money. So kids love that. Cool. Yeah, I mean the logistics of Because it’s not only because it’s not like you have like the same four or five six people at any one shack, right?
Yeah, like you rotate them in and out and then also I’m sure personality fits with the different , employees. Yeah. Like how do, how do you chart out that? Or who’s in charge of that? Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of like, it’s interesting ’cause we thought about like creating a program or even using some software that was like, it just, they put their availability and it plugs ’em all in.
The problem is that like you have A players and you have B players in the sense that. Just confidence level or ability to do something. And so that’s hard to figure out. But then you have two, A players who hate each other, or you have two, A players who are like, in love with each other. Like, okay, we got to keep that separated both days, you know?
Like, and , we have a team, we all kind of. Every other Monday get together and make the schedule, but we have it all. And I have a girl who’s over all that and she makes sure it’s done. Right. And then I’ve got a couple of people who know personality. So I’ve got like. , they’re in the shacks with the kids, so they know, like, hey, this person’s like this person.
And we really try to, like, today, for instance, we’re gonna have our, what we call, like, JoshyCon. It’s the stupidest name, but, like, my, one of my people said it, and I was like, sure, that’s fine. It’s so dumb, but, like, we just kinda do, everyone has to come to this, and it’s a, like, Before the season this is work.
These are kind of the things we’re we’re doing and so So even that like we’ll kind of get a read we’ll send out questionnaires Like is there anyone that you don’t like working with anyone that makes you feel uncomfortable and like that? Most the time I mean, maybe one or two will have responses.
They’re like, I don’t like working that person and if it’s an issue I mean, we’ll have to address it But all of them is like I just I feel like they you know Art want to be on ice, like making the ice, like that’s the coveted job when you’re in there. Like you want to be the person making the ice and you kind of got to share that position.
And so it’ll be something as stupid as that. Like they just always hog the ice. It’s like, okay. So most of the time they all get along pretty good. And that comes back to the culture thing. Like if you intentionally create a culture where it’s like, no, we will get along. Like. Or you just won’t fit. And unless it’s something like that’s a disrespectful element or an uncomfortable element, like, just cause you don’t like the color of their hair.
Like, no, we’re going to, we’re going to work through this. So, , we kind of, I think our family nights that we do help kind of , keep that going. And it’s crazy. Cause like we’ve had multiple marriages out of the shacks, like kids who met at the shack and they’re getting married, , like multiple, probably three or four.
Yeah, it’s kind of crazy. , and then we’ve had multiple best. Man, best woman, what do they call it, brides, bridesmaids, yeah, bridesmaids, groomsmen, they never even knew each other, and they’re their best man in the wedding. And that to me is like, that’s why I’m like, man, that’s pretty sweet that I could be part of that.
And it’s, it’s a thing of like, Every other job these kids could go get they will just be like a cog in the wheel And and it is what it is because your first job like it makes sense like you go work for anywhere And I think we really try to be very very vocal of like if there’s something interesting that you see in this business and you come to me and say I want to be over TikTok or I want to be over Instagram.
I’ll say, sweet, like go work with this person this summer. And whoever’s over that work together, help them out and whatever. And if you love it and they move on, you can take it. And so it’s like you got kids who are 17 who are getting like real life portfolio that they’re building. Yeah. And they go sell that.
And that does happen to like anything they do. We’ll do internships like that, too. So, you know, it’s all of it. Yeah. Cool. Yeah. So what’s next for you? Josh’s yeah, you’re trying to expand out of Tulsa more than yeah, still water. No I mean, it’s an interesting business because like There really aren’t any barriers to entry and when you think about even like franchising or something like that Like it’s tough because if you go into a different city or state that people don’t know it Then it has as much value as Billy’s snowshot so I think that’s kind of like A tough growth model, but let’s expand out.
, but college towns, like they know us. So like university of Arkansas, tons of Tulsa kids and even Norman and okay. See, like all these towns that do have colleges or universities that kids from Tulsa go to have some value. And then someone told me they went to, I think SMU or maybe TCU. I can’t remember.
It was one of those nice schools down in Dallas. And, , They were like, I saw someone wearing a Josh’s Snoshack shirt. I was like, that’s crazy, you know? So, I mean, like, it is in different places, , but for me, the next step is that we’re trying to really, like, , you know, we’ll talk about this, I’m sure, at another time, but, like, I’m starting a new business, so I’m actually trying to Tie up Josh’s Snoshack so that , it can be run really, really well without me being present.
And so that’s probably the steps that I’m going through right now. It’s like, I have someone who’s coming in, who’s going to kind of take my position and make sure it’s run really well and kind of make sure all the systems are the way they should be, which at this time they’re probably not where they need to be.
So that’s what I’m really trying to do right now is make sure our processes and systems are, you know, Are really shored up. And then the truth is whoever takes the guy who takes my position could actually grow this business more. And, , and it’s just as a matter of how, what his drive is for me, like in the time I’ve been running this organization, it’s been like, I want to create a great experience.
I want all these things for these kids, for Tulsa, for Josh, essentially be something. But then there’s also a very real, I have three kids. I want to be their soccer coach. I want to be their dad. I want to be a good husband. I want to be all these things. And, you know, like, being an entrepreneur, those things can be mutually exclusive at times.
Like, you get into the thick of it and you’re like, I really suck as a dad right now, or as a husband, or as, like, at least I feel that. , and I never want to feel that for too long. And so, it’s like, , you know, Josh is where it is because it’s given me the ability to be great. I would say most of my mind, maybe my wife wouldn’t agree, but like most of the time a pretty great in all those ways.
, because I have more time than your average entrepreneur. I have season, I have two, Two months really where I can literally turn my phone off Yeah, and be like I can just go do anything and no one will bother me and that’s hard for any entrepreneur for any business owner , and so that’s a luxury and so i’ve tried to kind of like lean into that and be like, okay So for a season it’s been exactly what it should be , but I think someone with a little more drive who wants to really go nuts with it It could really take it to another level that I can’t.
Yeah. Alright. So to keep with the brand, Tulsa is Home, , you know, how, why would you say Tulsa is home to you personally? , , why do you enjoy having a business in Tulsa? And, , what do you think Josh’s contributes? And we kind of touched a little bit on that, more so than just shaved ice. Yeah.
Cause we know it does. Yeah. , for me, I mean, like, I probably love Tulsa more than your average, you know, person loves their city. And like, I don’t know if that’s because there’s this overwhelming amount of gratitude. that it supported what I created. Like maybe that’s like in the back of my mind why I love it so much.
, but on the surface, like I think the people in Tulsa are pretty incredible and that’s what makes it what it is. Like when you think of southern hospitality or you think of just kindness and, and grace and like there’s a lot of good in Tulsa that is like, That you know and every city’s got its kind of negative things, but I think more than most It’s a very inviting city and it makes people feel very at home when they come here.
So for that like I’ve always Loved it and felt like that’s what I’ve felt And as far as being a part of it and and what we bring to it or feeling like, you know Why we’re glad we’re a part of it. I really do think like , the goal of trying to be part of Tulsa, like culture. I mean that , if like I die and Josh Snoshack goes away and people look back at an air and they’re like, there was this brand that was associated with summer Tulsa culture, like more than most or more than average.
And it was this brand and it was cool. And it made Tulsa summer what it is. Then like, I think I’d be really, really proud. I got to be a part of create bringing. Culture to a city and like I love that and so like even with You know, when I think about this new endeavor that I’m doing, like, I’ve realized through the journey that like, what wakes me up every morning , and why I continue to want to create businesses in this city is because the driving force for me is I just want to really create cool stuff for Tulsa.
Like in the last. Two months had been the epiphany I’ve had like I don’t want it like making money is great Like and if it can make me money, that’d be great It needs to because I got to provide for my family But if at the end of it, it’s like he created something really cool for the city That makes me super happy.
It makes me really proud and It’s what I hope to accomplish with Josh’s and whatever else I do in the future. Awesome. Yeah. , so to wrap up, what’s the best way to people reach out to you or to follow you? Yeah. If you do specials or Yeah, yeah, so if you Google Josh’s Snoshack or even if you spell it wrong with a W, there’s no W in it.
It’s Josh’s Snoshack. If you do that, all our stuff will pop up. Our website, if you want to book an event, you can go on there. If you want to follow me personally, like I’m pretty quiet on social, , but actually with this new project, I’m going to start getting really vocal and like communicating kind of the journey of an entrepreneur is kind of like this new, like when you start something new, , you often don’t journal or you don’t keep it.
So I’m going to start just kind of vlogging and just being like, this is what I’m going through. This is what it’s like to start a business. And Tulsa and and so I’m going to start kind of doing that on instagram and if you find Josh’s Snoshack, you can probably find me. I’ll comment or something.
You’ll see it. Cool , and then yeah, if you go to our website and you just contact us page I see all those emails too. So if you want to reach out to me personally, that’s probably the easiest way. Just go to our website and try to contact us. All right. Cool, man. I appreciate you being here today. Yeah. So we’re going to, we’re going to do some fun giveaways and free stuff and as we launched the podcast and you’ll be well open, , hit, you know, running the summer by the time this releases.
Cool, man. Yeah. So appreciate it. Thanks for coming in. Thanks for having me. Cool.
