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Is it possible to build a successful business with your best friend? Stephen and Jeffrey of the Frost Gelato Shoppe franchise seem to think so. They’ve been friends since second grade and credit the deep trust that they’ve built up over their entire lives to helping them survive over 13 years of being in business together. But how do you go from never starting a business, to opening a Gelato shop in an underdeveloped part of Tucson Arizona and franchising the business within just three years?In this episode we learn about the early days of building their first location, and the set of correct decisions that lead the friends to enjoy consistently rapid year over year growth. The two founders explain how their ongoing success comes down to the advice they take from their family of entrepreneurs - their ultimate mentors. From learning about real-estate and location scouting from Stephen’s mom, to understanding where they had the most opportunity to be competitive from Jeffrey’s dad, these early lessons allowed them to focus on the other part of the business that was paramount to their success - obsession with the quality of their product.We hear about how they were able to get daily inquiries to franchise their business, and how they quickly learned about franchising to take advantage of the growing opportunity. To date, not a single franchise location has failed, and the Frost Gelato brand is now being enjoyed internationally. We got to try their gelato during the recording of this episode, given to us directly by their master gelato chef, Nazario, who was in the studio with us. Molto delizioso - and that’s not just the sweet tooth talkin’. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.