02/02/2022
I’m an entrepreneur through and through. In Gr. 1, I took a roll of raffle tickets for hockey dances my parents had in their bedroom closet and brought it to school. Each ticket read, “BEER” in the great font of the day. - How unimportant for the plan - I promised each ticket would garner a slice of pizza and a soda at Mother’s - a local Pizza place up the street. Children from Gr. 1 - 8, bought 25 tickets. I amassed $6.25. Rich beyond my dreams. I kept it in the case my Snoopy watch came in, making change along the way. I was 6. I do not believe you choose to be an entrepreneur. I believe it chooses you.
I was forced to give the money back, of course. The tickets, after all, were useless. And although I didn’t quite get the whole “honesty” part of it all, I knew I was on to something.
Each decade of my life, as it now appears, has proven serendipitously pivotal in some way. (The early years kept to the memoirs please)…moving to California in my 20’s, New York at 30, the creation of Lick it Gelato - 40’s. So now, where to go? Where to go…
Lick it Gelato, right now, will cease to exist any longer in that perfect little nook on Toronto’s waterfront. Strange, right?! …imagine how I feel.
For just a month shy of a decade I have experienced exuberance and excitement - sadness and despair shared openly and silently with nearly half a million people from all over the world. All of whom I will miss beyond what you’ll ever know. I have lost four business partners, three great friends, and, at many times, the pin, which holds determination and depression; drive and despondency at physical odds. I have bled. I have sweat. I have cried. I have lost. - I have lost. I have sacrificed beyond the limits of financial sanity, beyond critical relationship boundaries, beyond the sound expectations of friendship! And why, why, WHY, would I do this?!
I do not believe you choose to be an entrepreneur. It, in fact, chooses you. And if you’re one of the fortunate who is chosen, what an adventure each decade can be.
Of course, we, Lick it Gelato, that is, will never really go away. We will always be around. We will always create the greatest Gelato you will ever have. We love what we do and love you, those who love us, beyond that. We are artisans. Magicians of decadence and devilish desires. Silent creators and forever believers in an idea - despite what surrounds us in a political division, beyond the sad reality of the inequalities of the pantone we each geographically wear, and away from the fear we now often have of the dismal end to humanity as we know it... the truth is…we ALL still scream for ice cream. How could we ever give that up?!
Thank you, all for the past 10 years! It's been... an adventure. ;)
See ya in the next…