Small Business Big World
New episodes every Tuesday discussing the challenges, adventures and fun of being a small business owner. Each week we'll delve into various small business topics, from real-world DEI considerations to selling your business, using video to market your business, unique benefit offerings for your employees and so much more. Curated by the crew at Paper Trails.
Small Business Big World
Creating Culture with a Teen Workforce
Have you ever wondered what it's like to juggle the energy of a teen workforce? This week, we're scooping out insights with Scott McNeff, whose seasonal ice cream shop has become a hub for responsible, local teenagers looking to dip their cones into the world of work. Scott shares his recipe for blending school schedules, sports, and service in a business that thrives on evening rushes and the fleeting summer months.
Turn up the volume as we unwrap the layers of running a family business that's not just about profits, but about shaping the future. It's a place where mentoring goes hand-in-hand with managing, and where the off-season stirs up a quest for purpose that lasts all year round.
This is Small Business Big World, our weekly podcast prepared by the team at Paper Trails. Owning and running a small business is hard. Each week we'll dive into the challenges, headaches, trends, fun and excitement of running a small business. After all, small businesses are the heartbeat of America and our team is here to keep them beating. Welcome to Small Business Big World, our weekly podcast discussing all things small business.
Chris Cluff:So today I have Scott McNabb with me. Welcome, scott, thank you. We've got an interesting topic today, kind of employing teen workers, right, and empowering them, engaging them and all that stuff. So certainly in our area that's very prevalent, so that's certainly a great topic. So a little housekeeping before we get going. So certainly remember to like, follow, share, subscribe, rate, review all of those fun things everywhere that you listen to podcasts. We're everywhere Instagram, youtube, facebook, apple Podcasts, spotify and at smallbusinessbigworldcom. Certainly also remember, if you have any questions for us, for Scott, for any of our guests, feel free to email us podcast at papertrailscom.
Chris Cluff:So, scott, so you run an ice cream business, yes, which is the quintessential mean summer business, right? Right, you get to work a couple months a year. I know it's more than just a couple months a year, but your labor force is largely high school and college kids, right, yeah, yep. And so you know, how did you? You know, first of all, I guess, how do you find these kids? What's your ethos in running the business? Getting things organized and getting the season going and up and running and then losing the kids and all?
Scott McNeff:that kind of stuff, right? Well, that's such a well-timed question because here we are in March and I've already begun planning the coming summer season. My father and his sister started the business in 1983, and I worked there all through high school and college during the summer months and was a part of the business I've largely kept, basically kept in line with what my dad always used to do. It was a much smaller business back then, of course, and I think the summer he hired me first was 1992, was my first summer there, and I think it was one of maybe seven or eight employees total, and now we have more than 40 every summer. So it's grown a lot and obviously we need more employees than we did back then.
Scott McNeff:But you know, back then he kind of was just looking for, like, local kids that were from good families, that were smart, you know, kids on the honor roll, sure, and that's a big part of the recipe that I'm still using. I mean, there's more to it than that, but yeah, so right now I'm going through building up the schedule for the coming season so that all the returning employees from last summer know exactly what their schedule will look like throughout the whole summer and that will let me know how many gaps I've got in that schedule so that I can decide how many new hires to bring in.
Chris Cluff:So just getting ready for the season, just like any other business, right, You're planning and scheduling and so forth. But your workforce is unique and certainly one of the things with your business your season's pretty short, right. You're a little before Memorial Day, yeah, A little before Memorial Day. A little after Labor Day, right, Not too too long. So, but with particularly the labor force you're hiring, school comes into play, labor laws come into play, so all those things I mean, how do you handle that, right, how do you handle before school's out and when school's back in and college kids leaving in the middle of August?
Scott McNeff:Yeah, absolutely. The beginning is easy because, of course, around here you know we're open. As you said, we open the Friday of Memorial Day weekend every year, so the very end of May, June is a slower month compared to July and August, of course, and right from the get-go I'm in good shape because I have so many employees who are returning from the previous year, that are college age and they're already home Perfect. So early season, no problem. When late August hits and school sports start up and students college age students now have to go back to their respective universities, that's when it's rough, when it gets tight, Yep, and that plays into my hiring. I always try each year to hire some the new ones that I'm bringing on. I really, really covet smart local high school kids that don't do a fall sport.
Chris Cluff:I mean Well that's a great way. So that's a needle in a haystack, right? Yeah, you know, I think we've heard from a lot of our clients that certainly since I was in high school probably since you were in high school I stopped playing football because I wanted to work. And nowadays I think everyone is so focused on the college experience and have to get this extra career and that athletic thing and this and that to get into college, and it's so much different now, and so it's certainly, you know, to try to find those, you know, local kids that are on the honor roll or whatever. That good formula is probably more difficult today than it ever has been.
Scott McNeff:It is yeah. And because we're open so late into the evening, of course, you know, if you're under 16 years of age, you can't work until our closure time, so I can only afford really to have just a handful of you know-olds in there on any given summer. It's fun to bring them on when they're that young, because normally they'll stick with me for seven, eight, nine years in a row, which is great, but they're only really of use during daytime hours.
Chris Cluff:Right, I mean I've driven by. There's a line you guys close at 10 o'clock.
Scott McNeff:There's still a line at 10 o'clock some nights in July, right, totally, yeah, nighttime is when it really goes, and I have you know, last summer I had 13 or 14 employees in there every night, plus myself. So there's, you know, 14 or 15 people needed every single night, seven days a week. So I need quite a few members of staff that are 16 or older.
Chris Cluff:Right, right To make it to the labor laws, and certainly you know we've. You're in Wells, so it's a little. Your school calendar is a little different and maybe your students are a little different. Here in Kennebunk we've been having the perennial conversation about starting school after Labor Day, because that impacts the labor market, and when these kids can work and when they can't work. That'd be amazing and well. So school board meeting last week. We're lobbying for it, we're working on it, so hopefully I think the school board's going to hopefully make some changes.
Scott McNeff:Yeah, in a tourist area, like this man that would be-.
Chris Cluff:It makes a huge difference to the small business just like yours, which is great.
Scott McNeff:And I always wish, again with the high school sports, not to keep bragging on that, because I did sports all through high school as well, but I always wish that the practices wouldn't start until school was in session. Right, it's like come on, why are you pulling these kids, kids like these? The local businesses need these young people all desperately and they're being asked to go to practice every afternoon, every, you know, six days. That's a lot, yeah, it's a lot.
Chris Cluff:It is a lot so. So, speaking of that, right? So you're, you're looking for the good kids You're looking for, you know, folks that want to go somewhere in life. They don't want to be ice cream scoopers forever, right? This is like weird, right. But you know, your real passion is is really working with these kids and developing them and helping them find that passion. Right, absolutely, yeah, yeah, I mean what? What does that look like? I know I've. I've seen the pictures. I've seen you goofing around and having a great time. You want to create a positive work environment, which is great as an employer, but it's more than that, right? You?
Scott McNeff:really it is. That's totally. It's funny. You know, I, before my dad called me back home to sort of help him run the business, I was finishing a master's in education over in Vermont with a plan to be a high school biology teacher and when he said, hey, man, I'm kind of getting old, I'd like to retire. Is this something you're interested in? I thought, man, this would be a really nice way to work with young adults and I was sort of interested in it and I knew that he had grown it into a successful business and I was already a little tired of politics, of public education and parents and administrators and whatnot. And that was how long. It's worse now? Yeah, totally.
Scott McNeff:And in fact in the late 90s I taught sex ed in the state of Ohio for a couple of years and loved doing it. But even then, you know, the politics of that stuff was kind of a grind at times. So anyway, I just came home, basically because I love the business. I'd had a lot of experience in it. I wanted to help my dad and try it out and over the first few years of I think I came home in 2006, and those first few summers doing it shoulder to shoulder with him, I really realized that working with young people was, in fact, my dharma in life and I was like man. This is totally what I want, because I'm really enthused with young adults For so many reasons. I find them so dynamic. It's such an amazing time of a young person's life.
Scott McNeff:But what I realized in running a seasonal business here is that I get the same employees year after year after year after year and we can be shoulder to shoulder working with one another and talking about any number of things, and I watch these people grow up and turn into young adults and go off into the world for, you know, big boy, big girl, jobs, whatever it may be and by then I've really developed a really great relationship and I find it super, super rewarding in a way that I wouldn't have had access to had I just been teaching. And you've got the kids in your classroom for a year and they're off and you probably maybe never see them again. So it was sort of accidental and I don't know why. I didn't have the foresight to see that that's what I was walking into, but all of a sudden I found myself having a career path that gave me the chance to do what brings me so much meaning and really happiness in life. I mean I and it's so funny because I'm just not like a I always say I'm like a blue collar Irish kid.
Scott McNeff:I kind of want to punch in, punch out, get my paycheck. I'm not very entrepreneurially minded. I don't take your wife says so too.
Chris Cluff:Yeah, exactly it's true she goes. I'm over here running the business, Scott's goofing around with the kids.
Scott McNeff:It's so, true man. So my wife and my firstworking she's actually the hardest working individual I've ever met in my life and she takes a lot of pride in being entrepreneurial and being a business owner. I don't define myself, I don't really care. I don't really care about, you know, ice cream, I don't really care about tourists, kids, you know little kids. But young adults, man, that's my passion and I'm like, wow, I get to make a living running this seasonal small business and really use the business as a cover for what I've got going on behind the scenes, trying to make meaning in my life and theirs and open doors for young adults and elevate them.
Chris Cluff:Which that's really cool. I mean, you've taken this business and you've built a culture that is great for the employees but it's really fulfilling to you, right, totally. There's so many business owners that just grind through every day. Right, get it done, but you found a real passion.
Scott McNeff:I love it. I love going to work and I mean it's exhausting because we don't take a single day off. We work. My wife and I work every single day, all season, and it's long hours and I do get tired, but I genuinely love it and I look forward to being around those kids and then at the end of the season when we close, it's almost like I have this really hard transition. It's almost a mild depression of like man, my crew's around.
Chris Cluff:Well, you're on for four months, on every day, all day, for four months, and then you know it's over, right? Yeah, like that retirement, like people, all of a sudden they just yeah, they close the door, they walk out the door on the last day of work and then they retire. And now what?
Scott McNeff:do I do Totally. I'm worried about retiring man. I really am. I'm like I need to figure out a way to still have access to young adults so that I can keep sort of trying to do what I'm doing.
Chris Cluff:That's really cool. So what do you feel? So obviously, culture is important in every business. We all have them. We all have a different work life. We all have a different feeling in our business, right? How would you describe the feeling at ScoopTech when the employees walk in, when the kids walk in? You know what's? Is it fun? What are you really looking to accomplish every day when they walk in?
Scott McNeff:what's it look like? So we're hectic and you know we get big lines, we do a big volume, we're busy, but we're always just side by side, side by side, and working and scooping next to one another, side side by side and working and scooping next to one another, and there's all these conversations going on, you know, between handing over cones to customers and so it's super social and all of. I think if you spoke with any of my employees and said what's the, what's the kind of, what kind of culture goes on inside of that barn? When you get into that old, 200 year old horse barn and you join your coworkers, what's the feel in there? And I think I've made it very clear to all of them. I think all of them would say, like, oh man, scott really pushes hard to like we're all a community, we're all incredibly respectful to one another.
Scott McNeff:We may not absolutely love every single other 40 plus member of staff and want to spend time outside of work with all of them, but there's a ton of that going on. If they're not at work, they're with coworkers doing something, which is great. I mean, we all did that with our high school jobs when we were young. But the whole thing is that there's a real philosophy, that what's going on in that barn is that every single employee knows that they're valued, they're respected, they're admired, they're truly cared for. They all know that I love them and care about them, and I think about what they're doing when they're not at work. We talk a lot about what their passions and interests are, and they know that I want them to feel comfortable in their entrusting, safe relationships with their peers so they can be themselves without any fear of admonishment and be loved for who they are and I know it sounds like you know happy, happy, you know, joy.
Chris Cluff:I'm sure there's some not so happy times. Right, you have 40 people running around.
Scott McNeff:There's bound to be some issues right, but that's beautiful too. I mean the hard times. Like you know, last summer one of our employees had to euthanize his you know, the dog that he'd grown up with his whole life and you know, and he was getting loves and hugs from co-workers. I mean, bad stuff happens. Grandparents die, things, you know. Life throws crap at all of us all the time, right. So, and even those hard times create moments where we can, you know, lean on one another a little bit and grow together.
Scott McNeff:And I just you know it's funny when I was really, really young, I got into the when I was a teenager I was 13, 14, I decided I was going to be a falconer for the rest of my life and I had to go through a two-year apprenticeship period under a master falconer here in Maine and luckily I was apprenticed by the guy who's now my best friend in the world. He lives here in Kennebunk and I really basically became a part of his family at that young age and I was, you know, a high school student and I had a good family at home, but I also had his family that I was sort of a part of, and opening that up, it's the whole. Like you know it takes a tribe to raising a young adult kind of thing. His family really opened my eyes to such an extent that over the years as an adult, I kept looking back on what that did for me and it was as significant and in many ways, more powerful than the experience of, you know, my undergraduate college years and some international travel that I did when I was younger adults in their life who are in their inner circle, who they know that they can rely on and count on, that truly care about them, that they can go to and talk about stuff that maybe they don't want to talk to their immediate parents, sure, or maybe they don't have a really great home life you know something bad's going on there and they can come to work and feel really safe and really embraced by their peers and their boss yeah, which, is awesome.
Chris Cluff:So you know, that's all incredible, right, and I think one of the things that I hear from a lot of employers is nowadays, because there's such that focus on getting through high school, getting great grades, keeping in all the extracurriculars, doing the sports, doing that stuff Then you get to college, then it's again grades, grades, grades, grades, grades, and then a lot of times you know, folks may, kids, may, have never worked, right, yeah, so they get into the quote unquote, real world, right, they have their first big boy, big girl job, whatever, and they don't know how to work, they don't know how to interact, they don't know how to.
Chris Cluff:You know, they don't know how to be a good employee and I think and that's not to say that maybe a terrible, I don't want to be a good employee, but they just, you know, they've never been in that experience before. So it sounds like what you're doing is not only developing, you know, the social piece, but also the work piece, right, I mean, I know you push hard because I've seen the lines. Right, you've got to work hard. You're going to work at the scoop deck, you've got to be a hard worker, right, and I think that that's, you know, had instilled some values in for me, which is really cool, and you know I'm sure you know you've probably been a part of similar teams where it's not just me.
Scott McNeff:I'm not like some big bad boss in there cracking the whip, pushing them hard, it's every peer too. They all have expectations on one another. It truly is a team situation and what I try to make it always be is like hey, a rising tide floats all boats and we're all. You can't afford to be over there slacking, because look at him, him, her, her, her. They're all looking at you like come on, pick it up, you're lying, flunkier than all ours.
Chris Cluff:What's going on?
Scott McNeff:They all care about one another so much. I just love it, man. I've been working really hard for years to try to cultivate that kind of community inside the walls of our business walls of our business and I have to say I get more excited and more proud and I take more happiness from seeing our longtime employees sort of elevate and hold up their peers.
Chris Cluff:I'm sure you see them around town after they've left you, right?
Scott McNeff:Yeah absolutely.
Chris Cluff:They're successful and things are wonderful.
Scott McNeff:I know and that's another big I get a lot of joy every summer too, because I get visited by innumerable previous employees that have grown up and they're out and they're in the world or they get married and they have kids, they're still coming in and they want to visit with me and almost always it's really funny because, you know, in many cases it was their first job that they ever had.
Scott McNeff:Now they're out in the real world with a, you know, with a nine to five, you know, around 12 months out of the year, and almost always past employees when we're visiting and they're coming in introducing their spouses to me, they're like man, this was the best job I ever had. That's really cool. I wish I could have just kept doing this.
Chris Cluff:Well, if you say you sure come on back, right, yeah, if only we could. You know, you can work till 10, right You're old enough now, right?
Scott McNeff:Yeah, really, if we were a 12-month-out-of-the-year you know situation, yeah, we'd have a killer crew. I mean I have a killer crew already as it is. I'm so lucky, and I know that I'm I mean, I'm super lucky, I've applications. I mean, I think because word travels right these kids know that we care about them, we take really good care of them, we do all sorts of extra stuff for them Every single day. I'm every day.
Scott McNeff:This is like one of my practices. In the morning I'm having my tea and I go through. I have a wall in my art studio I paint every morning and I have my staff listed in order of seniority and I'm looking at the list, thinking like who on there? It's been a while since I've helped so-and-so, or what could I do for them, or what, who could I introduce to them? And you know, because I'm older, of course, and I have a lot of connections all around the community, it's like, oh, she wants to be an interior designer. I'm going to hook her up with Nikki Bongiarno and see if Nikki will. You know, I've done a lot of stuff like that, trying to open doors and make connections, to kind of guide them into their desired. You know, field of whatever they want to end up doing. But yeah, I just, I love that part of it so much and I forget running off at the mouth, I forget where I was going with that.
Chris Cluff:You're going outside the box, right, and I think you know one of the things you just mentioned was that you went through a stack of applications, right, Right. So one of the things you just mentioned was that you went through a stack of applications, right, right. So we, I hear all the time, I can't find anybody, I can't find anybody, I can't find anybody, right, and that's a community-wide issue. But there are certain employers that don't have that issue and I think it comes back to that culture, because word travels, right. I mean, I know, you know you don't put anything out.
Chris Cluff:You say, maybe Emily puts one thing on Facebook and you might get 50 applications because, like you said, everyone knows, right, and that's a really huge thing in terms of attracting talent and attracting employees, which is really important we all have to. I mean, I kind of consider myself in that pocket. We put an ad out, I put an ad out for an assistant, which is not a glamorous job, I just need some help around the office and I mean, within four days, I had 68 applications and I was, like you said, overwhelmed by the response. But I think you know, and I hear from clients, I'm like, well, I put something out and I don't get anything? Well, okay, why? What are you doing? What aren't you doing what you know? What should you be doing as an employer to attract that help? It really comes down to that culture which sounds like you've got it figured out.
Scott McNeff:Oh, absolutely. My dad used to always say and you hit on exactly where I was going previously it's that idea of, like, the kids are at school all the time. I've got kids from the Berwick's and Wells and Kennebunk mostly, and they're all talking during the school year what'd you do this summer and what was it like there. So you know, I think that's the reason why I have so many applicants to choose from every year. And you know, my dad always used to say when people would talk with him about the business well, one plus is ice cream is a fun business. You know, you're handing them something and you're putting a smile on their face, so that's nice.
Scott McNeff:But the other really important thing is every single cone that walks out of scoop deck had to be scooped by a living, breathing, you know, human arm. Yeah, right, so our employees are absolutely our biggest asset. I mean, yes, the product quality has to be good and the price has to be reasonable. That's a given that got all figured out a long time ago. But you know, really, my employees mean absolutely everything to me. Yeah, and not just because they're, you know, they're grinding it out and bringing in the dollars, but they, you know, they know that I genuinely care about them too, you know yeah.
Chris Cluff:So you know, we talked about the hiring piece and the culture piece, which is obviously incredible. But what are you doing? Any training or anything? I mean, is it just people are learning because they're learning by doing Right? I mean, I, I'm. I'm reading a book by Horst Schultz, who's the founder of Ritz Carlton right now. It's all about service, excellence and all that kind of stuff. And you said it's the people. Right, it's, it's the people that make the difference. The expectation is it's a good quality product at the right price and there's no defects. That's what Horst Schultz talks about in his book.
Scott McNeff:But it's really the people that I've been leaning pretty heavily on my current existing employees to recommend their friends and, in many cases, their younger siblings, to join our team and they know what's expected and what it's like to work there and they wouldn't stick their neck out for a friend who they didn't think was going to do a good job. So I'm already getting, you know, sort of Qualified yeah, really really great people coming in, you know, and in most cases, man, they pick it up so quickly. And the other really cool thing is for many, many years my dad, on on any new employees first shift, my dad would bring them in and drag them around the shop for like three hours and tell them every little detail and he would hand train everybody, which was great. I did that as well for a while and I got so sick of it, honestly. And I also didn't want a young, particularly a 15-year-old, kid that's their first job. I didn't want them to feel like this is my boss, who's just like standing over me, yeah, right, next. You know, I just didn't want to put that heat under their collar, sort of thing.
Scott McNeff:So what I started doing years ago was picking. You know, I'd grab some really exemplary employee who's been there six, seven, eight years and I'd say, hey, we got a new hire coming in tomorrow for their first shift. I would like you, would you be cool to train them and you take them under your wing and you can do it however you want. You can start them off with scooping stuff. You can start them off with scooping stuff, you can start them off with cash register stuff. Whatever it is you want to do.
Scott McNeff:But just have them shadow you for their first shift and that's what we typically do for the first couple and I just sort of stay hands off and keep back. I don't want any of them to feel like I'm putting them under a microscope. So, and that has just been awesome, because then the older employee takes pride in the fact that I trust them and appreciate them enough to bring somebody on and show them how everything's done, and the younger employee, I think, hopefully has an easier time going through that training process with someone who's maybe only three years older than them, rather than working with the you know, middle-aged white guy like me, yeah, but you know it's interesting and then okay, so train them.
Chris Cluff:And then how do you? I mean, how do you manage that? Right? How do you manage the 15, 16, 17 year olds, you know, when, like you said it, you know you're twice their age, three times their age, right, and you know. So what does that look like? How do you? How do you deal with that day to day, right, cause I'm sure culturally there's things that you just don't get. They may be talking about it. How do you manage that?
Scott McNeff:Yeah, I don't know. I mean that sort of stuff kind of comes naturally. I feel like once they've been around for a week or two, I mean, anyone that's new on a job is going to feel a little pressure at the beginning. Sure, for several shifts and they see the and they kind of they feel the community that's in there and they see how light people are and how much laughter and how much fun we're all genuinely having with one another. I think they're like man, this isn't. I think they immediately really quickly go, like this is a safe place, that's great.
Scott McNeff:I can ask, and I always tell people like listen, asking questions is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. Okay, so don't try to do something. If you don't know how to do it, just ask, because you're surrounded by, you've got all these peers around you, everyone, and I always push on them too, like I want everyone in this shop to know how to do absolutely everything. Don't tell me you're not going to make a frap or an ice cream soda because you don't want to do it.
Scott McNeff:You know, it's like no, you do, everyone does everything, and and they all, I don't know, I think they all really appreciate that and and I don't know, I mean, and listen, I'm lucky too, because none of what we're doing is highly technical, right, I mean, it's a, it's a it and it is fun, and that's a big part of it too. I mean, yeah, I have a good culture and we treat our employees really really well and we can afford to pay them well, but we, it's fun. You know, I'm not saying like, hey, come wash dishes at a seafood place all summer, you know, and sweat it out Right, and go home stinky, you know. I mean, so we have a it's a fun summer job, got a lot of I mean a lot of our. We've had employees too, quite a few employees who were the children of people who had grown up scooping ice cream too, and I think their parents enjoyed it so much and felt nostalgic about it. So they I think they probably nudged them like, hey, go, go, scoop it.
Chris Cluff:You know, I know that's always been a challenge for me as a leader. Just so I have, I have staff that's twice my age.
Chris Cluff:right, I have folks that are, you know, 10 years younger than me and, you know, trying to manage to all generations and trying to get everybody together and keep the team you know cohesive is has been a real challenge for me as a leader. So I know, you know, it's interesting that you've tried to build that culture where it sounds like it's a kind of self-managed or co-managed, where where the team just kind of gets it and everyone works together, which is awesome, yeah absolutely.
Scott McNeff:It's so no-transcript. I know a lot of places are sort of like what's that nonsense? The customer's always right. No, they're not Garbage. All my kids know that. Every single one of my employees knows that I've got their back and if they have some nasty altercation with somebody they can simply turn their back on that person, walk straight to the side because I'm there every day anyway. Go grab me and say, scott, you need to go to station three. I'm done with this person. And yeah, the customer is not always right. They all know that. Basically, they know that if they're being appropriate and and you exercising good judgment, I'm on their side every time.
Chris Cluff:I think that's. I think that's huge and I know with my team we have the same. You know ethos. I mean, if someone's, you know, I've had some things. Some clients say some very terrible things to my team as well and you know, afterwards I have very politely said to them we're not the right person for you to do this. You know, have a nice day. Here's all your reports, here's all your paperwork. You let us know where you're going and we'll help that person go, but we're not the right people for you anymore. And I think that's really important. I mean, nobody, nobody comes to work to do a bad job. Right, and you know everyone, I hope you're. I think it's really important when you know when unfortunate situations have happened, which they do. You know that we, as you know, as employers, have to and that's really important. Yeah.
Scott McNeff:And it is unfortunate that things do happen like that. I mean, you know, we, we if we wait on and I say this a lot too at the end of the night when we're cleaning up, you know the kids will want to decompress and gripe a little bit and someone will be mopping a floor and start complaining about someone who was miserable or said something inappropriate. And it's like, and I'm like, you know, I'm cleaning down a surface and I go, hey, get it out of your system for a minute or two, okay. And then just remember, we waited on 2000 people today and we only had three lousy customers. It's pretty sweet, yeah.
Chris Cluff:Just three, which I was. You know it's funny, I was. I was on vacation one time. We're at a resort and thinking this would be a great place to work. Everyone's happy, right. Everyone's coming here because they're on vacation, right, which is right, which is largely what your customer base is, right, yeah, but it still amazes me the number of people that can just be miserable, just just for no reason usually.
Scott McNeff:But uh, you know it's hard and I think that's the hardest part about service yeah, and I wish those things didn't happen like the extreme examples like you just talked about. I mean, definitely there's been a handful of times over the years where I've followed someone out into the parking lot and just said you're, you're not allowed on this property again. I don't ever want to see you. You know that sort of thing and that sucks. But then when you go back in the building when a case like that is really justified the whole staff saw that happen Absolutely, and that builds more trust, totally.
Chris Cluff:Yeah, I mean that builds more trust and builds that culture and it's all that good stuff. Yep, well, awesome. We've covered a lot of ground today. Scott, I think you know it's a really cool, you're in a really cool business, which is, you know, I'm jealous because I have to work 12 months a year and you only have to quote unquote work for a few months a year, but I know it's a year-round project. But you know, I think it's a really interesting topic. And again, dealing with the thoughts of anything that we didn't hit that you wanted to share with anybody, no, not necessarily.
Scott McNeff:Yeah, no, it's fun. Yeah, it's just fun, man. I mean we all, as, living in a community like this, so many people work seasonally. I mean most of my closest friends that I have dinner parties with in the winter months. They have seasonal jobs just by virtue of where we live, and it's a grind when it's going on. But you got to have some fun, right? Sure, I mean you got to. I just feel it's like. I just feel like so much of life is about meaning and purpose and you got to find that obviously in your personal life, right In your personal relationships.
Chris Cluff:But, man, you better be looking forward at work too Absolutely, and that's what's building, what building the culture is all about which Absolutely, and that's what building the culture is all about.
Scott McNeff:Which is fun. I think that should be the fun part about it. Yeah, community is everything man. I mean we all have to. I just always say it's like we all have to go to work, we all have to pay our bills, right? That's boring, sure. So let's try to have fun while we're doing it, because we spend so much time with one another. Yep, so let's enjoy one another and goof off and share some silly jokes, yeah, absolutely Good.
Chris Cluff:So I know you're working really hard scooping the ice cream, but how do people get in touch with you or with Emily Social media? You guys are on Instagram, you're on Facebook, we are yep At Scoop Deck, is it just?
Scott McNeff:Scoop Deck me Yep, yep and yeah, and our website's scoopdeckcom.
Chris Cluff:If you're looking for after school work or any Any work, really right, yeah, go over there Say hello. So certainly, if you have questions, I'm sure you'd be willing to chat with anyone about this. Totally, yeah, totally, man. Well, good, well. Thank you again, scott. Certainly remember. Like follow, share, subscribe, rate review. I'm getting pretty good at that little moniker. There we're at Small Business, big World, anywhere. You get your podcasts anywhere on social. If you have questions and want to reach out, feel free to email us at podcast at papertrailscom. Thank you so much for listening and we'll see you again next week.
Chris Cluff:Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Small Business Big World. This podcast is a production of Papertrails. We are a payroll and HR company based in Kennebunk, maine, and we serve small and mid-sized businesses across New England and the country. If you found this podcast helpful, don't forget to check us out at papertrailscom for more information. As a reminder, the views, opinions and thoughts expressed by the hosts and guests alone, the material presented in this podcast, is for general information purposes only and should not be considered legal or financial advice. By inviting this guest to our podcast, papertrails does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific individual, organization, product or service.
