The Beauty Pro Book Club: 4 Reads to Inspire Growth and Success
Four publications for beauty industry professionals to enhance their leadership skills, financial awareness, professional growth, and joy!
by Anne Moratto
My Other Life: Toni Valentine, Ice Cream Truck Proprietor
For Toni Valentine of Clacton-on-Sea, England, running an ice cream truck is a fun summer getaway from the salon.
February 10, 2019
2 min to read
For Toni Valentine of Clacton-on-Sea, England, running an ice cream truck is a fun summer getaway from the salon. Her husband started the venture with a van in 2010. “Two vans later he decided in 2014 to build his own from scratch,” says Valentine. “It’s truly amazing seeing how it’s gone from being a plain long wheel-based van to a fully functioning ice cream van.” She started working on the van herself in 2016 and found she enjoyed the experience. “We had a weekend event and it gave me and the hubby a break away while I got to learn the ropes,” she explains. “I loved it and haven’t looked back since.” In the summer, she stops working at the salon on weekends in order to join her husband in taking the ice cream truck to events all over the county.
Selling ice cream can be a hard job. “Although you’re selling cold products, the machinery needed to keep them cold causes such heat,” says Valentine. “With it being a very summer-based job, you’re constantly on your feet and can feel overworked.”
Despite the challenges, Valentine loves the opportunity working on the ice cream van gives her to enjoy time with her husband. “My favorite thing is being able to take time out from working long hours in the nail salon and just spend time with my husband,” she says. “We both work long hours and running around after our two boys can get very hectic with school runs and clubs, so we don’t get much time together. By joining him on the van we get that time together and have fun at the same time.”
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