Last week, an exposé revealed everything that went wrong with this promising, beloved Brooklyn-based ice cream company.
Someone at work asked if anyone had the TLDR (too long, didn't read) on this story, which is very long. I'm a huge Ample Hills fan (it has been there during friend catch-ups, breakups, quality time with my dad, etc..), so I had actually read it and texted a synopsis to my friends in the neighborhood and I sent a screenshot of that to my coworkers. They suggested a doodle.
More scoop:
I actually went to Ample Hills in my neighborhood yesterday to see if it was open. It was, and I talked to the scooper there. He said the founders were really nice but had no business sense. He also asked if the story was bad because he hadn't read it yet ... "Yes." Also, I think some people thought stores closed because of the pandemic, but it seems the two were unrelated. The company went bankrupt in mid-March, and that's why stores closed. They're now reopening under new management.
Some empathy:
I have a soft spot for the founders because my parents ran a business together and because I'm also a creative who struggles with finances. Please don't ask me how my Etsy finances work, I truly have no idea. But for me, the stakes are a little bit of money out of my own pocket, for them, it was millions of money from investors. But I did learn something from my dad, who has been advising startups for decades — you have to look at the financial statements if you're running a business! This couple didn't. And I've been listening to their podcast, which is honest and interesting. They got in over their heads and moved too fast.
Doodle
Video
This was one of the most challenging doodles I've done because I had to synthesize a lot of info into 9 squares and make it light-hearted but informative and accurate. I tapped into my journalism skills, too. I think it's one of my most useful ones so far and I'm proud of it! Tell me what you think!
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