\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
The now 18-year-old launched Izzy\u2019s Ice Cream in March, a real-fruit ice cream truck serving desserts made with locally sourced fruit and sustainable packaging.<\/p>\n
The truck can be found parked up in the community or at events around the Bay of Plenty, such as at birthday parties and school fundraisers.<\/p>\n
It is bright pink \u2013 as \u201cthere was no other colour\u201d Talbot says she would have considered \u2013 and bean bags and outdoor games are often set up out front.<\/p>\n
Talbot told the Rotorua Daily Post she got the idea from hours spent watching people online renovate and customise food trucks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is so cool,\u201d she thought. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m doing that one day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Talbot said her business teacher had \u201csomewhat of an idea\u201d the project was becoming more than just a classroom exercise. <\/p>\n
Though most people did not realise or see her vision, she said.<\/p>\n
People brushed the idea off as \u201ccute\u201d, assuming it was \u201cgoing to be some dumb ice cream stand\u201d.<\/p>\n
Launching a business was not the typical path for someone in their last year of high school, Talbot said.<\/p>\n
Many of her peers were heading straight to university, and Talbot admitted feeling some pressure to follow suit.<\/p>\n
She chose the ice cream truck \u2013 a decision she was now \u201cvery glad\u201d she made.<\/p>\n
Talbot said she was working shifts at Domino\u2019s Pizza and put away every pay cheque.<\/p>\n
She leaned on advice from her mother, who co-owns a local painting business, to help navigate the process.<\/p>\n
Talbot completed the Food Business Registration requirement with Rotorua Lakes Council.<\/p>\n
She said the registration included a Food Control Plan and a verification audit assessing food safety systems, health and safety processes, scope of operations and management competency.<\/p>\n
This would be reassessed in 12 months, she said.<\/p>\n
Talbot said opening day was \u201cstressful\u201d and she was \u201cvery scared of what other people would think\u201d.<\/p>\n
She parked the truck on a patch of grass outside her house, where friends, family and neighbours became her first customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt went great,\u201d Talbot said. <\/p>\n
Success continued, the truck proving especially popular with Kawaha Point School students. Talbot often parked nearby for when the school day ended.<\/p>\n
Talbot said food vendors could trade in designated council zones with a paid permit. If she wanted to trade elsewhere, she needed permission from the private landowner.<\/p>\n
Opening an ice cream truck after the \u201cbusy\u201d summer period might not have looked like the smartest business move on paper, Talbot said.<\/p>\n
But the quieter winter months had given her time to figure things out.<\/p>\n
She learned the importance of keeping a checklist of \u201ceverything to remember\u201d, ensuring, for example, the ice cream scooper would never be left behind again.<\/p>\n
Real-fruit ice cream truck, Izzy\u2019s Ice Cream, was created during a Year 13 business class.<\/p>\n
Talbot is beginning a business and leadership course at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology this month to further develop her skills while continuing to run the business.<\/p>\n
She said she had taken on two employees and was fielding inquiries from future brides keen to have the truck at their weddings.<\/p>\n
Three weddings were already booked for the start of next year.<\/p>\n
Talbot said launching a business at 18 gave her a head start, allowing plenty of time to grow and build on it.<\/p>\n
It was an opportunity she wanted other young people to have too.<\/p>\n
Talbot planned to launch \u201cOne Scoop Forward\u201d, a grant designed to help aspiring young entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground.<\/p>\n
She intended to fund the initiative through earnings from Izzy\u2019s Ice Cream.<\/p>\n
As the business grew, Talbot hoped to secure external grants and funding to expand the programme. <\/p>\n
The initiative would target people aged 17 to 21 who have a business idea but lack the funding to get started.<\/p>\n
Talbot said she had been fortunate to have support and resources available when launching her own business and wanted to give others the same opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have an idea … just go for it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if you fail, at least you know you tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
Details of the grant were still being finalised, with Talbot hoping to launch it in November.<\/p>\n
Talbot said the business had exceeded her expectations.<\/p>\n
She enjoyed being her own boss and spending her days doing something she genuinely loved.<\/p>\n
Talbot\u2019s long-term goal is to open her own ice cream parlour, which she wanted to achieve within the next five years.<\/p>\n