HEALTH

JENI BRITTON BAUER •Founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams •Columbus, Ohio

What was your childhood like? I grew up in Peoria, Illinois, and moved to Ohio when I was 12. My grandmother Enid was always teaching us how to make things. We’d come back from Enid’s house knowing how to weave baskets out of cattails, and my other grandmother, Betty, would say, “I think we could sell these.” I always knew that running a business would be for me.

What was your first real job? I wanted to be a grown-up when I was 12. I wanted to go out and work. I had been selling stuff and babysitting industriously. When I turned 15 and could get a real job, I got one immediately at an ice cream company. Then a French family opened up a bakery across the parking lot, and I went over there and got my next job. I worked there for six years, and I started making ice cream at home during that time.

Tell us how you started playing around with flavors. I had lots of essential oils at home because I was also really into perfumery. One day I took some cayenne essential oil and mushed it into storebought chocolate ice cream. I brought that to a party and everybody went crazy. Six or eight months later, I opened a little farm stand in an indoor public market, making ice cream out of the ingredients [cream, fresh fruit] I bought there. That was the beginning of everything.

She started by mashing cayenne oil into chocolate ice cream—and grew an artisanaldesserts empire. Her company, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, now has 23 thriving shops across the United States and products in more than 1,500 stores. RealSimple got the scoop from Jeni Britton Bauer, 42, on crafting goals, rebooting after a crisis, and learning the difference between art and commerce.

Written by

Jane Porter

work&money You were more of a worker than a student. I probably got straight C’s in high school. I applied to Ohio State and didn’t get in, but I’ve never taken no for answer, so I wrote an appeal in pencil on notebook paper. I told them I was working a lot and I loved to work. They reversed their decision and let me in. I took art-history classes, figure drawing, and an incredible class on the French Revolution.

What happened next? By that point, I had already started making ice cream, and I was really excited about it. One day this model walked in to figure drawing who I always had trouble drawing. I remember thinking, I can’t sit here for three hours and draw her. So I just got up and left and never went back.

You opened a shop called Scream but had to close it. Why? I was very young, just 22. I thought I would make any flavor I wanted each day and people were going to be excited to see what I had come up with, like going to see a live show. I was an ice cream artiste! I make fun of myself now because, as an entrepreneur, that’s the opposite of how you should think. But I didn’t know that at the time. My major problem was that my customers didn’t know what I would have every day. When you don’t know if your favorite thing is going to be there,youdon’tgo.Even though I made a lot of mistakes, I couldn’t do what I do now without that time in my life.

How did you regroup? I went back and worked at the bakery for a year or so, made all their croissants, worked in the kitchen, and learned a ton. I also worked at the library and spent my breaks in the business section and cookbook section. I was writing my business plan [for Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams] during that time.

What was different? At Scream, I had bubblegum pink hair and wore old-lady slips. I was a goofy girl. At Jeni’s, I cut my hair short, made it brown, and wore starched white shirts and aprons. I took all the emphasis off me and put it on the ice creams and the service. From day one at Jeni’s, we had a line through the market and out the door.

What’s most critical in a business like yours? The most important thing that you can do is have an amazing team. Don’t hire B players.

A strong work ethic seems essential, too. You can’t become a Jedi of whatever it is you’re doing unless you actually know it. For me, that came from working behind the counter making ice cream 10 hours a day for years.

Your company recently dealt with a major crisis. What happened? A pint of our ice cream tested positive for listeria, a bacteria in soil and water. We had impressive safety practices but weren’t testing for listeria, because our state didn’t require it. But we should have been.

How did you respond? Within 15 hours, we decided to recall everything. We aggressively restructured our kitchen and our entire company. It was this incredible blow-up moment. Our stores were closed for two months. I see it as the best thing that ever happened to our business. It was a total crisis, but something like that brings you together and clarifies you in a way that you never would have known had you just been going along.

How is it being a mother and running a business like this? My kids are in first grade and third grade. When you’re an entrepreneur, your work is always in the back of your head. It’s never not there. Even

when I sleep, I’m often thinking about ice cream, which sounds crazy, but it’s true. I involve my kids, and we’re always talking about business. I’m trying to get them thinking about what they can give back to the world and who they can become. I like the idea that there’s no moment in your life when you become an adult. You can start planning and doing things when you’re a kid.

How’s your work-life balance? I don’t know if I have any balance. I always go back to whatever I’m working on after the kids fall asleep. Women get asked this question a lot. It can be tough, but as you move forward, balance will change.

How much sleep do you generally get? I have to have sleep. I’m an eight-hours-ofsleep person. I’m usually in bed by eight o’clock, often with one of the kids, reading for an hour or two with them. My son and I are reading The Hobbit right now. I start to panic if I’m not trying to sleep by 10, because I need my brain at work the next day.

Do you drink lots of coffee? I drink coffee when I get up in the morning, but because I’m so strict about my bedtime, I stop before noon.

Any advice for wouldbe entrepreneurs? When you find an idea, it’s about just starting. It doesn’t have to be perfect. If you’re bold enough to start, you just have to stay on the train. Once I get on a train, I don’t get off unless it crashes and burns.

TIME INC.’S* ALL-KNOWING, STRAIGHT-SHOOTING VICE PRESIDENT OF STAFFING, BUCKY KEADY, TACKLES YOUR WORKPLACE CONUNDRUMS.

Ifyou needto fire someone because of restructuring, be calm and professional and direct: “You’ve done greatwork, I respectyou, Iwill giveyou a reference, but unfortunatelythe company is being reorganized.” Ifyou’re firing someone dueto poorjob performance, make sureyou’ve startedthe communication ahead oftime. I’m not a huge fan of a formal firstwarning, second-warning process, butyou should be discussing problems asthey occur. Whenthetime comes,you can say, “It’s no surprise, becauseyou and I have had several conversationsabout what’s working with your jobperformanceand whatisn’t working. Unfortunately I haven’t seenthe kind of improvementwe need fromyouto help us hit our goals, and I’m goingto haveto letyou go.” It’s betterto do it earlier intheweek.Then people havethe opportunityto network right away—make calls, set up lunches—ratherthan just go home and have aterribleweekend.

*TIME INC. IS THE PARENT COMPANY OF REAL SIMPLE.

work&money

THINK YOURS, MINE, AND OURS. A joint account is key so both parties know what’s coming in and going out. But couples should also have individual accounts with a set amount of money to play with every month. How much? Motske suggests 1 percent of a couple’s total combined income for each person. He makes a case: “If you don’t have your own ‘fun money,’ especially if you’re a free spirit, you’ll feel trapped.” This 1 percent is yours. You don’t have to explain what you bought or why, says Motske, “so you don’t have to fight about it.” If separate accounts seem like a pain (though automatic transfer makes the plan a breeze), apply the same practice with cash.

TALK MONEY OVER MOJITOS. It seems as if “date night” is the answer to every potential marital bump, and finances are no exception. Motske suggests a once-a-month drink or dinner out where you talk about finances for at least part of the evening—saving for your next vacation, household budgeting, leaving a job. When you know there’s a specific time to go over money issues, there’s less chance for resentment to build, and you’re less likely to ambush each other over, say, an eyebrowraising credit-card statement. And while you could have your money date at the kitchen table, says Motske, being in public helps keep the discussion productive and prevents a fight. It offers a way “to bring up concerns and grievances without getting emotionally fired up,” he says.

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HIGHLIGHT (DON’T HIDE) EXPENSES. This low-tech exercise brings clarity to spending patterns. Print out creditcard statements and go over them together with three different-colored highlighters. Use one color to mark essential purchases, another for things that make you truly happy, and the last for somewhat mindless purchases. “You’ll be shocked by how much you guys are spending on dumb stuff,” says Motske, who practices this highlighter habit with his spouse monthly. The findings keep all charges out in the open, make anything fraudulent easy to spot, and help you cut down on unnecessary costs so you can put the money toward something more important, like college tuition or a retirement fund.

TEAM UP AGAINST DEBT. Obviously, if you can live without creditcard debt, fights over money decrease enormously. “Credit cards are a necessity in this day and age, but make sure you own them, not the other way around,” says Motske. That means paying them off every month. If this is not possible, get serious without getting mad at each other: Fill a clear container with water, toss the credit cards inside, and place in the freezer. (If you cut cards up and close accounts, your credit score will suffer.) This way, you’ll get a visual reminder that they’re frozen and an obstacle if you’re tempted to cave. When the balance is paid off, thaw the cards. (But not in the microwave—many cards contain metal.) They will still work.

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HAVE A SAFE WORD. When a fight about discretionary spending is brewing, a reminder of a shared goal can get you back on the same side. Consider having a safe word or phrase about your life dreams that strikes an emotional chord. (“Picket fence,” “Paris”—you get the picture.) Remembering that you both want the same tangible reward can quell the conflict.

Written by

Nicole Sforza

Illustrations by

Robert Samuel Hanson