Today we’d like to introduce you to Shantal Guzman
Hi Shantal, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My husband David had a food truck known as Smokey Boys Barbecue. Due to unforeseen circumstances his business had to close down leaving the opportunity open for a new business venture. Snow Bros was an idea that we had been thinking about since 2018. In 2018, I started working directly with a small business mentor through the city of San Antonio. I had worked really hard on a business plan to present to investors as well as had come across a great small piece of land that would work great for a shave ice stand. We also took the next step of purchasing all the equipment needed for a shave ice business. As life would have it I started a new position with an oil and gas company that would sway me away from owning a shave ice stand at that time.
Moving onward to 2022 after this new opportunity arose my husband decided to give the shave ice business a try. We had all the equipment and he had all his previous knowledge from the business he started in 2020 so it only made sense to keep moving forward and take this new challenge on.
Due to just closing a business and jumping straight into another, my husband and I decided it would be more economically feasible for us to start with a trailer. We started the process of building our shave ice trailer in late spring of 2022 and on July 4th of 2022 we had our opening day. We have slowing added new and unique crafted shave ice creations that differentiate us in the market from our competitors.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In our 2 1/2 years in business we have definitely had some struggles along the way. It’s not always guaranteed that you will have a $1000+ day and that’s ok. We have learned, and are still learning how to be very strategic on what events and which locations are worthy of our time and which ones are not.
Like any other business owner we also have to keep up with tax payment deadlines, payroll, inventory, schedules, and the list goes on and on. While the goal is to eventually hire someone to deal with all the logistics of Snow Bros, we don’t have the capital at this moment to take that next step. It’s always a struggle going through these growing pains.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As owners of Snow Bros we specialize in handcrafted shave ice and we love what we do. Our signature bros always bring a smile to our customers.
We are so proud to have built a brand that is not only unique but is also marketable as being diverse among the different cultures that San Antonio offers.
We are different from our competitors because our specialty handcrafted shave ice cannot be found anywhere else in our city and according to one of our customers he can’t find anything like us in Houston either. 😆 Before the start of our business we took the time to study and observe other shave ice businesses in our area,. We then created items that were only unique to us so our customers would only seek us when it came time to quenching that shave ice craving. As the business has grown we have expanded our research to other parts of Texas and even as far as Hawaii. Our goal is and always will be to be unique, delicious, and affordable.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
If you love what you do, being a business owner is worth all the headaches it brings. We have been given the opportunity of serving at Morgan’s Wonderland this summer and giving a percentage of our sales back. At Snow Bros we thrive on bringing joy and delicious creations to the diverse communities we love and serve.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snowbrosshaveice?igsh=ZjF6NWx5c2kyZ3o3&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/PdTDKmALEuBm5ab6/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: https://www.bbb.org/us/tx/san-antonio/profile/concession-trailers/snow-bros-shave-ice-0825-1000223066
