How to Start a Slush Business 2024 (Mobile Slushie) Steps

Whether you love slushies or are curious to start a slush business in the booming drink market, your decision and thinking could be the perfect one.

Slushies are a popular and refreshing treat, with a high demand in many areas.

You have multiple avenues to sell them:

• By setting up a physical stall,
• Operating from a slush truck,
• Even selling them online,

Whether you’re a newcomer to the business or someone with prior business knowledge, our guide can be a valuable source to learn the basic steps.

As the demand is growing for the slush, there can also be HUGE competition.

So, if you want to start successfully, the right steps need to be followed.

We’ll discuss from choosing a high-potential spot, creating a plan, researching on market, gathering essential supplies, legalities, setup, marketing, and branding to the process of selling them online.

Slushee business description

Slush is popular in hot weather and is often enjoyed as a refreshing treat.

Slushies are made by lowering a liquid’s freezing point with salt. Supercooling the liquid and agitating it forms tiny ice crystals, creating a slushy texture.

The process of making slush is not difficult: gather the essential supplies (ingredients and equipment), then make slushies with different flavors as you want to sell.

Basic ingredients you need such as liquid (fruit juice, soda, milk, or yogurt), sugar, salt, and flavoring (fruit, soda, candy, chocolate, or other flavors).

The concept of business is simple; it involves making and selling slushies.

A slushie business is a simple and profitable idea to start.

With low startup cost, high profit margin, and easy business model, this is an excellent opportunity for those who are looking for a small side hustle.

You can sell them on the street, at a farmers market, at your local grocery store, or near schools, and colleges where there is high foot traffic and good demand for this type of drink.

Based on an analysis report by (businessresearchinsights.com), the global slush machine market size was valued at US$ 338 Million in 2022, and it is expected to reach US$468 Million by the end of 2031 at a CAGR growth rate of 3.7%.

Is starting a slush business profitable?

The idea of selling slush is profitable and the best way to start a successful business.

Many enthusiast may have a question in their mind: Is the slush business profitable? The answer is “YES“; it is a profitable business.

• Require low startup cost.
• Good profit potential and margin
• Popular drink throughout the year
• Making the process easier
• It does not require a large inventory.
• You can sell everywhere.
• A large customer base (from children to oldest)

One of the biggest factors that contribute to profitability in a slush business is low ingredients cost, a simple setup, and an inexpensive machine.

Some factors depend on profitability, such as location, popularity, market competition, seasonal trends (summer or hot months are great for selling slush), etc.

How to start a slush business? complete guide

1. Research and develop a business plan

Conduct market research research to understand the market demand, intent of customers, competition, growth potential, and foot traffic, and access the area to collect related information about your target customers.

Conduct a SWOT analysis of your business and competitors.

Research on customer demographics and their lifestyle:

• Demographics: Age, gender, location, income level, education level, family size
• Lifestyle: Interests, hobbies, activities, preferences

You gather the essential data by researching your local market, surveying potential customers, and analyzing the local food or drink market.

Your target customers can be:

• Students
• Children’s
• Kids
• Young youth
• Family group
• General public

Understand your target consumer and as well as calculate the startup cost and earning potential, and find the best marketing strategies to promote your business.

To analyze the market trends, you can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Trends, Similar Web, and Semrush research tools.

Here, you can see the search trends of slush; it shows a seasonal trend of the keyword.

Create a slushie business plan:

Once you properly research the market, the next step is to create a business plan. That helps to provide a roadmap and GPS of your business.

A business plan should include the following:

• Business Summary
• SWOT analysis
• Business model
• Unique selling point
• Financial and budget
• Target market
• Pricing strategy
• Marketing Plan
• Funds arranging

Read the guide to write a plan for your business.

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
• Find business plan templates form (Bplans)

2. Decide your business location

To establish your slush business successfully, the most important factor is a good spot because the location where more people are crowded and high foot traffic, there also more chances for making a profit by selling slushies.

You can run your business in two ways: opening a physical shop or starting with a vehicle (mobile slushie van). Depending on your target market, resources, budget, and facilities, you can choose any one of them.

Mobile service may be the best way to sell slushies in multiple places without preparing a physical shop; however needs a reliable vehicle for transportation.

A mobile slushie business is operated in a food truck or trailer; by starting with a mobile setup, you can serve slushies at various locations (such as parks, festivals, and sporting events).

You need to buy or lease a permanent location that reduces the overhead cost.

Consider the factors when choosing a location:

• Zoning and regulation
• Target demographics
• Suppliers availability
• Market competition
• Cost and facilities
• Future growth potential
• Good space for parking
• Should have good foot traffic

When selecting an ideal location, consider your target market (families, children, teenagers), and find a high foot traffic area such as (parks, amusement centers, shopping malls, or busy streets).

For operating a mobile setup, you may not need to lease or rent a spot. Still, for opening a physical shop, you can rent a suitable location (focusing on cost, utilities, and maintenance).

3. Fund your slush business.

You need some funding to start your slushie business.

Securing sufficient initial capital is a must for starting a slushie business. With research and strategic planning, you can effectively launch and manage your slushie venture.

First, you have to research on requirements for the slushie business, such as buying a slushie-making machine, ingredients, acrylic glass and lid, as well as other expenses.

List the initial and ongoing expenses, then find sources to arrange funds.

Cost of opening a slush shop

Calculate the amount of investment required, which will include the cost of a slush machine ($1,000 to $2,000), ingredients and equipment (such as cups, straws, and spoons, $500 to $1,000 or more), marketing expenses, legal permits, and insurance.

The total startup cost will range from $3,000 to $5,000 or higher.

Also, estimating the actual budget of starting a slush business can vary on multiple factors, we’ve included some points that help you to calculate your startup cost accordingly.

Opening requirements:

• Equipment
• Ingredients
• Inventory
• Permits and license
• Insurance
• Marketing

Ongoing expenses:

• Rent
• Utilities
• Staff salaries
• Ingredients

How will you fund your business?

Calculate all the expenses in a notebook and Google sheet; after preparing your estimated cost, see how much funds you have and how much you will need, then find sources for funding.

Potential sources to get funding:

• Personal savings
• Friends and family
• Small business loans
• Crowdfunding platforms
• Small business grants

4. Buy slush-making equipment and supplies.

To establish a slush shop, you will need to buy ingredients, slush-making equipment, supplies, and other necessary accessories for your business.

Also, you will need an ice machine, cups, straws, sugar, and flavoring.

All those supplies can be available online or offline store, according to your requirements; you can create a list and order these supplies online or from a local store; make sure to buy high-quality products.

Equipment:

• Slush machine
• Dispensing cups or cones
• Spoons or straws
• Cleaning supplies

Ingredients:

• Fruit syrups or concentrates
• Water
• Sugar (optional)
• Flavorings (optional)

Supplies:

• Ice (if your slush machine does not make it’s own)
• Storage containers for syrups and concentrates
• Scoops for syrups and concentrates
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Funnels
• Gloves
• Apron

5. Comply with all regulations.

To operate legally, slush businesses must comply with certain legal requirements. These requirements vary depending on the business, state, and local regulations.

Obtain the required permits and licensing, and comply with food safety regulations.

• Business registration
• License and permits
• Food and drink handler certificate
• Food safety certification
• Fire certificate
• Certificate of incorporation
• Employment agreement
• Building permit

To understand the legal requirement well, contact a legal advisor or business consultant, also consult your local government agencies.

Insurance is important to your slushie business because it provides financial protection against unforeseen events that may cause financial loss or liability.

Get a general liability, product, and worker compensation insurance for your business.

6. Choose a business name.

When you are starting a new business, you have to choose a name to give it an identity in the market. It is a part of your startup; it is not difficult to choose a name.

Here are some steps to choose a perfect name for your startup, you can follow.

Choose a name that aligns with your vision, offerings, and target audience to create a distinct and memorable brand; the name should be memorable and unique.

Business names are important for marketing, branding, SEO, and promotion through word-of-mouth and are also useful for building a network with potential customers.

When you choose a name for your slush shop, use a business name generator tool to help you find the right names with less time and effort.

When people choose a name for their business, they make a few mistakes.

Avoid using numbers, underscores, hyphens, and symbols in a name to make SEO friendly.

The primary step for every business enthusiast is to choose a name that should be web-friendly, short name, memorable, and unique so that people can easily remember the name.

• A domain name should be available for a website and online presence.
• For example, If your business name is: “Evergreen Slush.”
• Then, your domain name should be “evergreenslush.com.“
• You can use other domain extensions such as (.net, .shop, .us, etc).
• For buying domains, Namecheap and Godaddy are the best websites.

Research and follow the legal rules and regulations of business names and domains. Don’t use copyrighted names that have already been used by someone else.

7. Start marketing and promotion.

Once you have all the necessary supplies for your slushie business, you should get started on marketing your product or service as soon as possible.

• Build your social media presence.
• Focus on unique flavors and toppings.
• List your service on local directories.
• Partnerships with local businesses
• Influencer marketing is a good idea.
• Create eye-catching packaging
• Word-of-mouth promotion
• Sponsorship of local teams or activities

The best place to advertise your slush business is through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Share content (photos, videos, reels) related to slush flavoring, recipes, packaging, and customer service.

You can easily promote business through online mediums and not need to invest any much money. Also, the digital marketing way is a low-cost and effective method.

The best would be to engage people in the local market and local area through business cards, banners, and word-of-mouth marketing.

Final thought

Hopefully, you have enjoyed reading our blog post, and the content provided a comprehensive guide.

We’ve included all the steps that are useful for a beginner to consider; you can find more relevant information about your business by conducting market research.

Don’t skip the research and planning, and choose a suitable business operational model (physical stall or mobile van setup) that fits your resources and target market.

Finally, the most important thing is passion, interest, hard work, and planning to become successful. If you have any further questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

Related blog post:

• How to start a milkshake business
• How to start a brownie business
• Start a loaded tea business.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here, you can take a look at some common questions and answers. These questions are asked frequently by users, and many users want to know about them.