Meet Steve Longman | Owner of Rosie’s Ice Cream

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steve Longman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steve, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Walking the high wire without a net.

There will come a pivotal moment is an entrepreneur’s life when they have to take their “big Idea” and commit to their vision. Committing is the most nerve racking aspect of becoming an entrepreneur.

There comes time when you need to sign a lease or contract. The point of no return. It feels exhilarating and frightening at the same time. You should know that only a small percentage of would-be entrepreneurs actually take that final step. Success numbers can intimidate you. 1 out of 5 startups survive the first 5 years and you usually don’t make any profit for the first couple of years.

IF…you decide to chase your dreams and IF…you’re willing put everything you have into your new business until you feel comfortable that you’ll survive, then perhaps you’ll be rewarded with a life that allows you to live on your own terms.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been fortunate to have opened over a dozen new businesses. I’ve played a number of different roles in those businesses. When we opened Inside Scoop Creamery in downtown Littleton ten years ago, I was challenged with tapping into my creative self. I had never made ice cream before and we needed to display 24 flavors when we were scheduled to open in just 4 weeks. Mission accomplished.

Over the next 5 summers, I immersed myself into creating fun, diverse ice cream flavors that would make our customers excited about their next visit to our shop. I embraced the role of being an ice cream artisan. Tinkering with each recipe until I thought it was exceptional. In total, I’ve made over a 100 flavors and we now have at least 60-70 (customer requested) flavors we rotate in every year.

I’m very happy I embraced this creative role in my entrepreneurial journey.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Denver is such a great destination city. The weather is unbeatable. The mountains are so quickly accessed that you can be in Breckenridge in a little over an hour. Red Rocks is an unbelievable concert venue that is stunning to visit when there isn’t a concert. Golden is a really cool small western town. You can’t miss incorporating these touristy attractions with a friend’s visit.

Here’s a short list of my some of favorite day trips that include a fun activity followed by a memorable libation!

-Take a motorcycle ride into the foothills (Nederland) and finish with live music on the Platte River Bar and Grill’s patio.

-Take a hike with great views (Mount Falcon) and reward your efforts with margaritas and live music at the Morrison Inn.

-Head to Colorado Springs and hike around the Garden of the Gods and then enjoy a cocktail on the gorgeous patio at the iconic Broadmoor Hotel.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
In order to succeed as a small business owner, I believe you need to focus on your concept. You need to look at your business as being a reproducible model. It needs to work well whether you’re physically present or not. If you have to be involved in every aspect of your day to day operational decisions, your business actually owns you.

Michael Gerber’s “The E-Myth Revisited” was the most enlightening small business book I’ve read. It teaches you how to design your business to succeed by employing systems that work well regardless of who’s working and who’s managing.

Website: rosiescremeglacee.com

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