Ben was a Dropout. Jerry Was Lost. Then They Took a Mail Order Ice Cream Course

While I am in the middle of the launch of The One-Person Empire Accelerator, what I know is that even solopreneurs need help.

When I launched TheSelfEmployed.com (which I later sold to Mark Cuban), I didn’t and couldn’t do it all alone; I had the help of my trusty tech sidekick Abby to do the stuff that I couldn’t do. Together we made a great team - and a great business.

If you are ready to go to the next level and need a teammate, I encourage you to check out the Accelerator. And right now, until Tuesday, we have a special low price, and a bonus which will be going away - a free live bonus session with me where we talk about YOUR business.

Ben and Jerry were childhood chums who took different paths to the same place:

Nowhere.

Both in their late 20s, Ben had dropped out of college and Jerry had failed to get into med school, twice. Neither of them had a background in food, business, or anything remotely useful.

But when they met up again in their mid-20s, they knew two things:

1. They wanted to work for themselves.

2. They liked ice cream.

So they found a $5 correspondence course on how to make it. They took it.

And then (because they could not afford much else) they scraped together $12,000 to open a small scoop shop inside a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont.

That first year, they almost froze to death.

Literally. It was really cold. Ice cream in Vermont is not exactly a winter staple. But they hustled. They listened. They paid attention to what customers liked.

And then serendipitously the magic happened.

Turning it Around

Ben has a condition called anosmia; he has little to no sense of smell. And because smell is so linked to taste, he could not really taste ice cream like most people do.

That’s a problem when you are in the ice cream business.

But what Ben could do is feel texture. Crunch. Chew. Swirl.

So he started throwing big chunks into every batch: Chocolate. Cookies. Fudge. Peanut butter cups (and can we all just agree that Cherry Garcia is the best flavor?)

That personal quirk, that problem, that thing that made ice cream enjoyable for him turned out to be their magic ingredient, the thing customers loved most.

Follow Your Customers

So, like any good entrepreneur, Ben and Jerry leaned into it.

Chunky became the brand. Teamwork became their ethos.

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream was not smooth and fancy like Haagen Dazs or other premium ice creams, instead, it was chunky, different, unexpected, and delicious.

And the brand they created reflected that. Ben & Jerry’s was bold, different, fun. It had personality. Just like the founders.

They kept experimenting. Not just with flavors, but with values. They built a business that gave back. That spoke up. That stood for something.

And it worked.

In 2000, they sold to Unilever for a cool $326 million.

The Takeaway

Your “weakness” can actually be your edge. Start where you are, use what you have, find your teammate, and do not hide the weird parts . . . combined, that just might be what makes you legendary.

Steal This Strategy

🛠️ Course – The One-Person Empire Accelerator
If it’s finally time to start or grow that business of yours, and you need your Ben or Jerry, let’s go! Hands-on. Help me help you!

📖 Book – Ben & Jerry's: The Inside Scoop
The behind-the-scenes story of how two regular guys built a purpose-driven brand people love.

🎥 Video – How Ben & Jerry’s Makes Ice Cream
A satisfying peek into their factory—and how they make those massive chunks work.

🎙️ Podcast – How I Built This: Ben & Jerry’s
A wild and funny episode on the early days, near-failures, and breakthrough moments.

About Steve

Steve Strauss is the best-selling author of The Small Business Bible (and 17 other books), Inc.’s small business columnist, a lawyer (non-practicing), and an entrepreneur. He sold his last venture, TheSelfEmployed.com to Mark Cuban & Zen Business. Need a ghostwriter or a newsletter for your business? Contact Steve!