Hardware Podcasts

Kona Ice: Tony Lamb

How I Built This · 6 Nov 2023 · 1h 13m

What this episode covers

Tony Lamb, founder of Kona Ice, explains how he leveraged his background as a vacuum cleaner salesman to build a franchise empire of 1,500 shaved ice trucks across North America. He details the design of the custom 'Flavorwave' dispensing system and the tropical-themed trucks, which were fabricated in Elkhart, Indiana, to create a superior customer experience compared to traditional ice cream vendors. Lamb discusses the strategic decision to franchise with low barriers to entry, offering financing through partner Ed Reynolds to attract operators during the 2008 financial crisis. The company has since expanded into a mobile coffee concept called Traveling Toms, adapting its successful mobile model to new markets.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Rainbow
Products
Kona Ice, Flavorwave, Traveling Toms
Also
Elkhart

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