Two years ago, teenager Max Moore started an e-bike rentals venture in downtown Qualicum Beach.
But that didn’t last. After a year, Moore decided to focus on selling one of the most popular treats during the summer months – ice cream.
The 19-year-old entrepreneur said when he ran the e-bike rental business, he supplemented it by opening an ice cream shop on the side, which proved to be more lucrative.
“People just loved having ice cream more so I gave up my e-bike rental business,” said Moore. “It was doing so well that I decided to focus on selling just ice cream. We also had our e-bikes stolen, which was disappointing.”
The young businessman now puts all his energy on operating Max’s Ice Cream Co., which located on 641B Memorial Ave. in Qualicum Beach. He said his shop features more than 24 different flavours of ice cream.
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“I have to monitor that we always have the flavours in stock every week which requires a bit of guessing,” said Moore. “But I have gotten pretty good at it now, predicting how popular a flavour is. And our top seller is sea salt caramel.”
The ice cream shop is open five days a week from Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. To help him run the business, Moore has hired three people to work for him.
“It has been extremely busy,” said Moore. “When I started this, the big part of my market were grandparents, whose grandkids come to Qualicum Beach and looking for places to get some treats. The reception I have received has been very positive. People just love having an ice cream while shopping in Qualicum. The community has been super supportive.”
The one thing Moore and his co-workers apply while conducting business, is to provide customers a positive and memorable experience.
“I try to be as friendly as I can be in the shop,” said Moore. “And it’s great. I know a lot of locals in the area by name and I think, people in Qualicum Beach especially, appreciate that personal connection. It’s interesting and I really enjoy doing it. It’s been amazing.”
Moore has always dreamed of having his own business.
“I have always thought of myself as quite entrepreneurial,” said Moore. “These are the first two businesses I have started. I started them as a way to help me pay for my college. I have been thinking about it for a couple of years. I have always wanted to run my own thing. And I saw this great opportunity in Qualicum.”
To give him more time to focus on his studies, Moore’s business is only open during the summer months.
“It’s a seasonal business,” said Moore. “We ran it until the end of September last year. But we will just see how busy this season is. It’s all really weather-dependent. My goal is to keep it running as long as I can.”
Moore is entering his second year at the Univeristy of British Columbia, where he studying economics in the Bachelor of International Economics program.
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