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Odd Jobs is a newsletter about careers that don’t fit in cubicles. Too many people are miserable with their lives, jobs, and themselves. Why not do something odd and make $$$ while you’re at it? I’ve got a million ideas for you.
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There are two types of Ice cream entrepreneurs….
The ones who take the classic flavors and perfect the ooey gooeyness of them. Strawberry is a usual flavor. But some spots have the most incredible strawberry ice cream and they become known for that in their local town.
Then there are the ice cream pioneers that decide to do something ODD.
They come up with truly unique and sometimes even questionable flavors.
Some of those flavors don’t sell a scoop and become failures.
But some of those flavors are what end up putting that tiny ice cream store or ice cream truck on people’s must-visit list.
I’m going to share some examples of odd flavor wins.
BECAUSE I WANT TO REMIND YOU OF SOMETHING.
When you have an odd idea, don’t swallow it so fast.
Stop judging yourself.
You can not predict what people will adore or even what will go viral and sell-out just because it’s weird.
I heard a quote the other day that said:
IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, DO THE UNEXPECTED.
So do something odd (if you want to of course).
Just like this Mac & Cheese ice cream from Van Leeuwen (see below)
People can’t stop taking about.
What’s odd is often brilliant.
Mac & Cheese Ice Cream
Krat & Van Leeuwen "wanted to combine two of the most iconic comfort foods to create an ice cream with the unforgettable flavor of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese we all grew up with.
Of course, it quickly sold out. But new supplies are on the way, the ice cream company said.
The ODD takeaway:
Some of the best (and odd) ideas that are winner involve combos.
Combine two things that people adore, love, and can’t get enough of.
In this case - mac & cheese + ice cream.
Sure, it seems like an odd combo and some people will be disgusted by it before they try it.
But people will talk about it and when people talk, your brand awareness and website traffic skyrockets.
What does that lead to?
SALES.
$$$$.
Cheetos Ice Cream
One of my favorite ice cream spots in NYC is Big Gay Ice Cream, which started out as an experimental ice cream truck and morphed into one of New York City’s most popular ice cream shops.
They are known for their toppings, which are delicious and sometimes odd. It add to the ice cream.
They did a Cheetos-inspired cone, where vanilla and cheese ice cream is dipped in Cheetos dust.
The ODD takeaway:
If you want to do something odd in the ice cream space, you don’t need to invent wacky flavors. You can just do something shocking or unusual with the toppings.
Be known as the ice cream with the eye-popping toppings that dazzle in people’s cups.
Lobster Ice Cream
Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium in Bar Harbor, Maine sells Lobster Ice Cream, a butter ice cream-based treat with fresh (again buttered) lobster folded into each bite.
Lobster Ice Cream is a butter-flavored ice cream. They buy cooked lobster meat from a local lobster pound, chop it up, butter it, and fold it into the ice cream. During peak season, hundreds of people daily sample this ice cream and it is one of their most popular items for shipping.
The ODD takeaway:
If you breakdown why this item is so popular it’s because of two main reasons.
#1 -> The shop took a food that the area is known for and that people travel from all the over the world for (Maine lobster) and put it in ice cream. If you’re flying in from another part of the country (or world) for a getaway, you will stop here and try this out.
#2 -> It makes it “chat-able”. People who try this can know have something to talk about in conversations.
Friend: Hey, what did you do this summer?
Them: I went to Maine and had lobster ice cream!
Ghost Pepper Ice Cream
The Ice Cream Store in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware does not vanilla, they have African Vanilla or Madagascar Vanilla Bean. The shop’s proprietors adore spicy stuff. In addition to their Devil's Breath Carolina Reaper Pepper Ice Cream—a bright red vanilla ice cream mixed with cinnamon and a Carolina Reaper pepper mash—there's also the classic Ghost Pepper Ice Cream, which was featured in a Ripley's Believe It or Not.
YOU HAVE TO SIGN A WAVIOR TO EAT THIS!
The ODD takeaway:
Figure out what you enjoy and use that as a way of differentiating yourself with your product (or ice cream).
These people LIKE spicy so their ice cream is just that and it makes it very unique, catchy, and cool.
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