Dippin’ Dots Aha Moment

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November 1, 2010 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

Have you ever wondered what inspired that frozen treat that we all know as Dippin’ Dots? The Chicago Sun-Times recently interviewed Curt Jones, the inventor of Dippin’ Dots, about his futuristic ice cream dots.

Q. How did family, friends and colleagues respond when you pursued your business idea?

A. “I took the frozen pellets to my neighbor, and she thought I was crazy. I took them to my boss — who was very entrepreneurial himself and started a business in a garage that is now about a $500 million-a-year company. . . . He said, ‘Oh, that’s a cute idea, Curt. Get back to work.’

“So for the next six months, once I got off work at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., I had the rest of the night and the weekends to work on my idea. I then quit my job. And my boss supported me.”

Q. How do you get your message to stand out?

A. In “the early days of Dippin’ Dots, my philosophy was: I have no money, but if I can get a spoonful of Dippin’ Dots in your mouth, you’re going to like it and you’re going to come back and buy it. So it was sample, sample, sample.”