Today we’d like to introduce you to Cole Baxter.
Hi Cole, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
We started Pudgy Penguin right before the Corona shutdown in 2020. What a great time to start a face to face, large event type of business huh? Though this was not the ideal time to start a desert truck business, it forced us to think outside the box and look for other avenues that we may not have otherwise pursued or had knowledge of! Our business started out with one trailer, parked at a local gas station in Richland Hills, TX. The very close nit community of Richland Hills heavily supported our venture and helped spread the word of our genuinely soft shaved ice to the surrounding area. Our private event bookings grew quickly, which led to us being away from our normal location too often, and therefor having inconsistent hours for our customers, which we did not like. So, the following year we moved into a brick and mortar/stand, right down the road in North Richland Hills, and kept the trailer solely for events. We have since added a second trailer and are continuing to expand throughout the mid cities. These days, we are constantly running from event to event, serving corporate offices, schools, churches, city events private parties and more. We have also began to expand our product/service options to include Cold Brew Coffee, Dirty Sodas, and Lemonades, all with the option of a Shaved Ice twist. We focus on 3 things here at Pudgy Penguin: Quality, customer and employee experience, and giving back, in any way we can.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest obstacle has been the seasonal aspect of a Shaved Ice business! It is even more seasonal than I originally imagined! This creates challenges financially as most payments and bills don’t pause during the off season. The other challenge that this creates is keeping quality employees. In my experience, most quality employees need and want to continue working year round. So of course they are going to try to find work elsewhere in the off season, and if you’re lucky, they will come back when the season starts back up. Luckily we have found ways to have our employees take on other tasks in the off season to prepare for the next season and expand the business.
As you know, we’re big fans of Pudgy Penguin. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a shaved ice business that takes pride in serving high quality shaved ice, that’s fluffy, at a fast pace and a fair price.
What does success mean to you?
Maintaining a profitable business that your employees love to work for and your customers/clients love to visit.
Pricing:
- $175: 1 hr private event covering up to 50 cones. +$3/cone for each additional cone.
- $150/hr: 2+ hr private event covering up to 50 cones per hour. +$3/cone for each additional cone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thepudgypenguin.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepudgypenguin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PudgyPenguinSnow/
