mornin’ merry makers 🍦🍪🍨🍩🧁
most people think retail entrepreneurship starts with a dream & a blank slate. but sometimes it starts with someone else's foundation & a very good spreadsheet.
enter: shawn allard.
he didn’t invent novel ice cream. he acquired it in 2023. since then, he’s added a new location, a mobile unit, & a whole lot of fresh energy to the brand.
before ice cream, shawn was in dental consulting. his job was helping dentists buy practices. so when it came time to buy a retail business of his own, he already knew the playbook.
he just swapped crowns for cones 😏
his story is a perfect case study in entrepreneurship through acquisition (eta), & a reminder that sometimes the best founders don’t start from scratch.
in today’s letter, you're getting the scoop on:
→ how to leverage entrepreneurship through acquisition to enter retail without starting from zero
→ his approach to maintaining consistency across locations
→ why slowing down can actually help you scale faster (especially with team management)
bts q&a: shawn allard
Q1: can you share a little bit about you and the work that you do?
I’m originally from Montreal and moved to Arizona in the early 2000s to pursue a career in Dentistry. After graduating, I shifted into dental consulting, helping dentists acquire private practices.
In 2023, I bought Novel Ice Cream, a retail brand with two locations at the time, and have since grown it to three shops and a mobile unit.
Alongside that, I’m building ParkSMB, a small business community focused on connection, growth, and local collaboration in Phoenix.
Q2: will you walk us through your entrepreneurship through acquisition (eta) journey with novel?
you’ve made it to the good part 😎
this (& all the best stuff) is for paying merry members only 🔒 so click below to get the goods + support the merrymaking ↓
upgrade to paidwhat you get as a merry member:
- 🧱 bricks brand breakdown every monday
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- 📎 expert designed tools, templates & resources
- ✏️ the merry makery newsie archive (every post ever!)
- 🫶 my eternal gratitude for helping me build this dream