Small Business Q&A: Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream

Acworth Patch contributor April Zlotnik talked with Kathy Dejoseph, a franchise owner of .

Acworth Patch: What's the hardest thing about being a small-business owner in Acworth?

Kathy Dejoseph: Being a small business in this economy, we don’t have the benefit of mass buying or bulk buying. So, in this economy, our cost of goods has gone up at the same time our customer base has gotten smaller and is spending less. We had a profit margin three years ago on the success of our business and now we don’t.

Acworth Patch: What's the best thing about your job?

Dejoseph: The independence. Being your own business is the best part because you have control over what you can control. Also, we are a community based business. When I drive by and see all the people sitting outside at the tables and they are all talking, I love that. It is kind of a community place.

Acworth Patch: What is the best thing about Acworth?

Dejoseph: I would have to say a few years ago it was the growth and the potential, now it is kind of stuck, but I think that’s still the best thing. Also, we are close enough to Atlanta to enjoy Atlanta without being in Atlanta.

Acworth Patch: Why did you choose to open up your business in Acworth?

Dejoseph: I chose this area because I live in Acworth. My grandchildren live in Acworth and it is home to me. It is also an underserved area. We are in the Cedarcrest area. It had started to have a little growth with restaurants and businesses coming to the area then it all fell in the fall of 2008. It’s an area that does not have important needs met. We were just starting to get grocery stores, restaurants and shops and when the recession started it all sort of stopped. But, it has started to pick up again lately.

Acworth Patch: Why did you pick this particular kind of business?

Dejoseph: This is the third business I have owned. I opened because I was looking for a business that I could put on Cedarcrest Road. I drove my grandchildren to get an ice cream and the nearest ice cream was twelve and a half miles away. So I got on the internet and started looking at ice cream businesses. I wanted it to be a high-end quality ice cream that does not have preservatives that we would make fresh in the store. So, that is how I ended up here.

Acworth Patch: What are some of the services you offer that people don't know about?

Dejoseph: We have 50 recipes. We can do custom ice cream cakes any way anybody wants it in a combination of any flavors and mix-ins and decorations. We can do children’s ice cream cakes if they want Spongebob or another character. We also do ice cream pizza, which is great for kids. It’s an inexpensive way to serve a group. It’s cheaper to buy a pizza for 15 kids then to buy 15 ice creams and it is cool and unique.

Acworth Patch: Is there anything else you would like to share about your business?

Dejoseph: Because we are community based, it matters to us what the community wants. So, if they tell us that they would really like us to have a certain flavor or they would like something else, we listen. Now we have fresh yogurt which has more of the consistency of ice cream rather than the soft serve stuff and is made in our store with fresh ingredients. There are no chemicals or preservatives in it.

The whole family can come in our place and if mom wants yogurt and dad and the kids want ice cream and if one of the kids is lactose intolerant, we have sorbet. We can please everybody in one place.