Ask a consultant if an franchise ice cream business opportunity is right for you

A franchise consultant will help you investigate whether purchasing an ice cream vending franchise will be beneficial for you and will explain how to get started once you've decided to make the investment.

I recommend: Talk to consultants at The Bibby Group and Franchise Buyers Network to help you through the process.

Locate ice cream business opportunities

An ice cream franchise will have a name that is already established, an existing business plan that has been tested, vendors for all of your ice cream products and accessories and ongoing support from the franchiser. When you make a franchise investment, the ground work will have already been done.

I recommend: Purchase a Little Jimmy's Italian Ice franchise from Jersey Ice Corporation. Start your own Dippin' Dots cart from Dippin' Dots Inc. Purchase an ice cream catering franchise from One Hour Parties.

Start a mobile ice cream vending business

You may prefer to start your own mobile ice cream business. This means you will need to purchase a cart to transport your products.

I recommend: Buy ice cream carts at Carts and Grills Inc. or Magnolia Carts. Purchase an ice cream tricycle cart from the Worksman Cycle Group of Companies.

Obtain the menu items for your ice cream vending business opportunities

Once you have your cart and a location picked out, the most important thing is to choose a variety of ice cream products to sell. It's a good idea to keep track of the items that sell the most and the least . This will enable you to determine which products to continue selling and which items you no longer want to stock. Ice cream carts are small, so having the right merchandise is an essential key to your long-term success.

I recommend: Find a variety of ice cream products at Fieldbrook Foods Corporation, Shamrock Farms and Captain Kool Ice Cream.