Nico Vergara, a 23-yr-old entrepreneur started his ice cream venture just three years ago, and now it includes two brick-and-mortar locations in Portland with pints sold in grocery stores across Oregon and Washington.

He invested all $25,000 of his life savings and $10,000 from an uncle to start the business. His mother, who worked as a private investigator, introduced him to investing when he was 14 or 15, which helped him save money.

A Trip to New Zealand That Changed Everything

Nico Vergara's trip to New Zealand when he was 18 years old changed his life forever. He watched a vendor use a "cool" machine to produce perfectly blended vanilla ice cream with fresh fruit on the bottom.

From Cart to Brick-and-Mortar Locations

After just three years, Nico launched his own cart selling New Zealand-style “real fruit” ice cream in Portland, Oregon.

Today, Nico’s Ice Cream includes two brick-and-mortar locations in Portland and pints sold in about 60 grocery stores across Oregon and Washington.

Creating a Three-Year Business Plan

With his money and equipment in order, Nico crafted a three-year business plan:
- Year One: Open a cart and sell ice cream in north Portland.
- Year Two: Buy another custom cart and ice cream machine.
- Year Three: Open a brick-and-mortar store somewhere in Portland.

However, his sales exceeded expectations, and three months in, he expanded to his first brick-and-mortar store. Exactly a year later, he opened a second one, purchasing another Little Jem ice cream machine to power it.

Overcoming Challenges

Wanting to build on the momentum, Nico used more than $100,000 of his profits to open a Mexican restaurant called Nico’s Cantina and a cafe called Nico’s Coffee. The coffee shop closed its doors after suffering a break-in and struggling with its landlord. The restaurant still exists today.

Taking the Leap

Nico’s current focus is opening a third ice cream store this fall, ideally outside Oregon. His advice for anyone else who’s full of entrepreneurial ambition: Take the leap.

Overthinking can often hinder progress, according to Vergara, and he advises others to take the leap, emphasizing that if someone like him - an unconventional individual with tattoos and no college education - can achieve success, anyone can.

Nico's success story shows that if you have passion and love for what you want to do, you can achieve it regardless of your background.