6. How an Ice Cream Empire and Community was Built by Listening: Jeni Britton

Jeni Britton is an American ice cream maker and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the artisan ice cream movement, she introduced a modern, ingredient-driven style of ice cream making. In 1996 Jeni opened her first ice cream shop, Scream and later founded Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002. Her first cookbook, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller and won a coveted James Beard Award in 2012. Her second cookbook, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts (2014), took dessert making to the next level with an array of ice cream centric desserts. In addition, Jeni is a 2017 Henry Crown Fellow and has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the most creative people in business today.    For the first decade in business, Jeni intentionally decided to move the attention away from her as the founder and put it on the ice cream and the customers. She wanted to become your trusted ice cream maker above all else. Jeni dedicated her life to carefully listening to customers to inform her next move while staying true to her core values–and it paid off.    As Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Jeni’s focus has shifted from running the day-to-day business to keeping her eyes on the future of Jeni’s. While she remains the beating heart of the company and is in charge of all creative output, she finds herself in her 40’s enjoying a personal and professional renaissance. Whether she’s communicating the values of Jeni’s out to the world, supporting other small businesses, running deep into the forest to learn all that nature has to teach, delving into poetry, baking or sharing her mornings with us on Instagram, you can be sure she’ll be wearing lots of color.    In this episode, Nada sits down with Jeni Britton to discuss her hard earned wisdom from 26 years of working with ice cream. She explains that she intentionally uses the term “company” over “business” because it means you are not alone. She has created a strong community and ethos around fellowship at Jeni’s and her passion is evident in this interview.   Check out Jeni’s website. Be sure to click the link to find your nearest Jeni’s Scoop Shop. Remember to try Jeni’s favorite flavor: Brown Butter Almond Brittle. And follow on Instagram: @jenisicecreams. Please follow us at @thisislibertyroad on Instagram--that's where we hang out the most. And please rate and review us —it helps to know if this podcast is inspiring and equipping you to launch and grow your ventures.