They are still a bit too young to work for a boss, but they do want to earn money. That is why the sisters Britt (12) and Jill Selten (10) started their own company. They registered with the Chamber of Commerce, bought a cargo bike and freezer and made their own ice cream truck. Opening a business account as a minor turned out to be quite a task, but the girls succeeded. On Saturday they went out with their ‘Troela’s ice cream’ cart.
When the weather is nice, the ice sisters usually go out. That is why they cycle to a beach near Cuijk on Saturday. After Britt and Jill find a nice spot, they ring a big bell to let people know that the ice cream truck is here. It takes a few minutes to wait, but soon the first customers report. “We have a lot of flavors, such as chocolate, mango and strawberry,” says Britt. With a broad smile she and sister Jill create scoops of ice cream for everyone all afternoon.
“We built the cart over the winter.”
The idea of starting their own business came to the sisters last winter. “We wanted to earn money, but we are still too young to work for a boss. But our own company is allowed,” says Britt. The girls soon found an old cargo bike and a freezer on Marktplaats. “We built the cart over the winter.”
Two weeks ago, the ice sisters made their first ride with ‘Troela’s ice cream’. “It’s going like a spear. We’ve already earned a lot of money,” says Britt proudly. They really enjoy doing it. “It’s very cosy. You don’t sit behind your phone all the time, but you are busy outside. That’s nice.” Jill agrees: “It’s nice that all happy people come to get ice cream.”
Registering at the Chamber of Commerce was a breeze for the girls, but getting a business account turned out to be quite a task. Because of their age, that was almost impossible. They wanted customers to be able to pay with a debit card, but that too could hardly be arranged. “It was necessary, because how else are you going to pay taxes?”, says father Joan. “It was still a long search for how we could open an account, but in the end we succeeded.”
“It’s a good lesson for them.”
Papa Joan is proud of the two young entrepreneurs. They arrange everything themselves and, according to him, also learn something from it. “They tested flavors themselves at various wholesalers and eventually chose a wholesaler. They also think about purchasing prices and how much margin they have to make. It’s a good lesson for them, because they learn a lot about entrepreneurship. They also learn a lot. about communicating with people, because of course they get all kinds of different types of customers.”
The sisters have already earned a lot of money in the past two weeks. They already know exactly what they want to do with it. “When I’m sixteen years old, I want to buy a moped,” says Britt. Sister Jill has very different plans: “I’m going to buy a surfboard.”
And when they are old enough to work for a boss in a few years, will they stop using the ice bike? “No, we’re keeping this one,” Jill says.