Operation Of A Small Independent Business

Introduction
Mr. Amir Aqeel is a simple man with a dream to do something big in his life. He was born in a
village near Sahiwal. His father was a simple shopkeeper in the village. It was kind of a grocery
store for the people in the village. His early schooling was from the village school and then he
came to Lahore at a very young age to earn a living for himself and for his family. He worked
under many people; he learned many skills. He even worked in different factories. Amir had an
entrepreneur in him since childhood. That entrepreneur made him start an ice cream cart. He
started with one cart and simple ice cream cones. With time and effort, he now has 3 different
carts of ice-cream present in different areas in Lahore. The main branch is in Service Rd, Zaman
Colony, Lahore, Punjab (See Appendix). The shop opens at 3 p.m. and closes at 1 a.m. One cone
is sold for rupees hundred.
Now, Mr. Amir Aqeel has workers under him who prepare the ice creams and sells it to the
customer. During the interview, Mr. Amir also mentioned that his father played an immense role
in shaping him as a person and as an entrepreneur since he was a businessman too. He learned
many business ethics and soft skills from his father. He always taught him professionalism and
how to manage and maintain relationships with all parties related to the business, such as
suppliers, customers, employers, etc. One thing he always practiced and taught him was
tardiness. Never in his life had Mr. Aqeel seen his father being late to open his shop or to
meetings etc. Moreover, his father always said, the customers are the King, and they always
come first, so always cater to their requests and complaints in a very calm manner.

Layout of the Shop

In this report we focus on the main branch of Scoops Ice-cream. The following is the layout of
the cart.

Cones
Jars

Trays
5S Model
The 5S methodology is one of the methods in the kaizen method. Kaizen method is basically
implemented to increase the business efficiency and make it more effective and profitable.
Sorting
One of the 5S sorting basically means setting the area after completely checking it. In order to
do this first move around and see everything that is present in the place. In this case, the cart
basically has different jars with different type of add-ons. It has two trays the one with
chocolate and one with coconut sprinkles. Sometimes ice-cream melt on the sprinkles that are
present in the trees and create a mess. Upon analyzing the cart’s setting properly I came to the
idea that the Jars and the trays should be covered properly and should be placed at one corner
and there should be a place in the cart that is completely empty where the person can make
the ice cream. Ice cream is made by holding cones in a hand right above the trays.
Setting In Order
Setting in order is a second S in this model. The materials are basically put in their right places
so that it is easier and less time consuming to make ice-cream. The basic layout of the cart is
very simple and fixed. Everything is at its place the worker moves around to make ice-cream.
According to our observation everything is set in order and no further change is needed.
Shine
According to this, cleanliness is very important. As the cart is open and there are a lot of add-on
option available for the customers, the floor of the cart becomes untidy very soon. There
should be a cleaning method where the workers can clean it after every hour or two according
to the customer in coming. For example, if there are more customers in summers, there should
be more cleaning in summer as compared to that in winters.
Standardize
Standardizing basically means making some standard or set of rules or habits that the workers
should focus on. As the scoop ice cream shop is basically a cart the workers should focus on
how they present the ice creams to the customer. First, they should take care of the way they
make the ice cream because nowadays customers are more concerned about the health factors
and the hygiene factors and the customer can directly see what the worker is doing. Second,
they should present ice cream in a very good manner.
Sustain
This involves sustaining the standards for a long period of time. Scoops ice-cream should
sustain the following standards:
1. Keep the place clean.
2. Change the number of workers seasonally.
3. Maintain hygiene standards and innovation.
4V Model
In order to check the operational working of the businesses, the following 4V model is used. This Model
helps in understanding the working and in realising the areas that need improvement. The 4Vs
are: Volume, Variety, Visibility and Variation.  

Volume 
This refers to the amount of specific product required to fulfil the consumer needs. Taking care of the
volume of the raw materials used in the ice cream shop is very important. For example, the amount of
specific volume of milk, flavours and add-ons that are used during the making of the ice-cream should
be measured properly so that there is no waste because the shops are basically carts and they don’t
have any storage or inventory. Wasted of milk, fruits, flavours, etc. should be controlled and an
estimation should be made specially according to the customer demands. For example, in winter there
are less customers so they can decrease the volume of the materials that they are use. Controlling the
volume is also very important because it will help them in waste control, this will also decrease the cost
of the products and increase the profits. 

Variety 
Variety basically refers to different types of ice creams that are sold at the shop. The variety of the ice
cream basically depends on the type of the customers that come to the shop. There are mostly young
people and children that come to the shop. The plus point of this for the shop is that the owner of the
shop is innovative. He innovates with time, for example, as the customer demand for waffle increased
the shop owner decided to make different types of ice creams, one with simple cone and the other with
waffle. This made the business more profitable because customers now had more choice and they had
more variety. Similarly, now they have different sprinkles that can be used on the ice cream, for
example, they have white chocolate, black chocolate, dark chocolate, and marshmallows. They also have
different flavours of sprinkles that the customer can choose from.

Visibility 
Visibility basically refers to the amount of visibility the customer is provided in the whole process of
making of the product. Customer at scoop ice cream can see the whole procedure and can even make
the ice cream on their own. This makes them feel very comfortable with the shop owner or with the
worker. They see the cleanliness themselves and the shopkeeper or the shop workers also take care of
the cleanliness because the customer can basically see the whole cart. According to Mr. Amir Aqeel,
healthy and happy customers are very important for them because they realise that customers the kings
of the market. 

Variation 
This basically refers to the changes in the demand patterns over a defined period. For example, in
certain businesses there are variation in the customer demand according to the season. The same is the
case with scoop ice creams. More people prefer ice cream during summers and less during the winter so
the shop owner should manage their shop accordingly. In summers they have more customers visiting
the shop they should increase the number of workers and can also provide a small space for sitting.
 
Quality
The following are the important quality factors:
Décor
The cart is decorated beautifully and colorfully. Although it is placed at a very busy and untidy
place, customers are still attracted to it. Many lights are also used. The main theme is pink.
Space
Ice-cream is sold on the cart. Sometimes when there are a lot of customers present, the space becomes
very congested. This happens specially in summers when the number of customers coming at the shop is
more because of this many people might see the rush and leave.

Ambiance
As the cart is present in the open, no such ambiance is provided to the customer. However, the
customers are still happy because it is not a restaurant, it is basically a small ice cream cart. 

Taste, Quantity and Pricing

The taste of the ice cream, according to the customers is very good. On internet the shop has 5-star
rating. The quantity of the ice cream that they give in one scoop is also very good. One cone or waffle is
sold for rupees hundred. The customer can decide on the add-ons on their own. They can choose their
flavour and the type of the ice cream they want. Similarly, in case of cups they can mix scoops, or they
can even ask for add-ons like sprinklers or chocolate bars or even wafers. 

Delivery Service
Scoop ice-cream has a delivery service to the customers as well. They have given their number on
Facebook. It is also pasted on their cart. They also have cards that they give to their customers. Scoop
ice cream is also present on food panda and cheetay. The customers can order it directly to their homes.
They have a specific packing method and delivery method.
 
Areas Of Waste And Improvements
No such area of waste can be recognised or found in the cart system because the area of the place is
obviously very small, and they do not keep any extra materials there. However, they can increase their
space. increase the flavours available etc. The following are the few recommendations that are
suggested:
1. Keep the area cleaner than they keep it now because most of the customers may leave because
of hygiene factors considering the national situation. 
2. Increase the variety of the ice cream they provide, for example, they can add brownie with ice
cream or even ice cream shakes. 
3. They can increase the variation of the products that they provide to the customer for example
along with ice-cream they can add sweets or even start some fast food along with ice cream. 
Appendix