'I sell ice cream - here are the secrets of our prices and how often I treat myself'

If you've ever spent your morning commute daydreaming about starting afresh with your career, this feature is for you. Each Monday, we speak to someone from a different profession to discover what it's really like. Today we speak to private ambulance worker-turned-ice cream man James Shemmeld...

Figuring out a typical salary is difficult... as working on an ice cream van one to two days a week, compared to seven days a week, will fluctuate the salary quite significantly. It is also highly reliant on whether you are on a round or if you are working in a high-footfall park or event. Salary can range from £3,000 a year to the top end of five figures. This is not an easy salary to reach with a basic van.

We sell ice creams and lollies from £1... this brings in about a 50% profit margin. However, to make any significant profits, we have to sell quite a lot of these. Our ice creams are sold as cheaply as we can.

Other than ingredients, our expenses are... six-weekly safety inspections for all our vans and trailers which cost £150 each, £300 on public liability insurance, £1,200 per van on vehicle insurance, £1,000 to £30,000 a year on tender fees, £12,000 on fuel a year, £1,500 on two soft machine services per year, and then road tax, servicing, building rent and utilities. Coming from an ambulance background, I understand the importance of preventative maintenance, safety checks and inspections.

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Cleaning and regular inspections are essential... Just one belt snapping can end the day. The six-weekly inspections ensure that wearing parts are replaced before they become a problem.

I would say that it is as profitable as it used to be, but... the overheads are significantly more than they used to be. So anyone looking to start up an ice cream business needs to appreciate the high overheads that come with operating an ice cream company properly.

In the summer, it is a full-time job, with overtime... I can work 80 hours a week some weeks, and the van operates all year round.

If someone thought my job was easy, and they could serve the perfect 99, I would... invite them to try. It isn't as easy as it looks.

In the '90s, you could run a van with... ice cream, a flake, raspberry or chocolate sauce, nuts or sprinkles. Now you can have absolutely anything: sprinkles, nuts, Biscoff, Oreo, marshmallows, Choclick, Bueno, Nutella... it really is limitless.

On our round, an ice cream with flake costs as little as £1.30... I have seen prices as high as £6 at some places. £6, in my personal opinion, is excessive and normally down to overpricing tenders or just greed. However, prices at events are always higher due to council or event organisers setting the ground rate quite high.

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The trick of the trade is that it's really about... being a people person and understanding that you can't keep everyone happy. Also, if you look after your equipment, it will not let you down.

I need to sample the goods, don't I?... I give myself freebies maybe two or three times a day. I give free ice cream and lollies out most of the time, especially if there is a group of kids and one doesn't have any money. It isn't about the money for me.

The best ice cream is... a 99! Who doesn't love the old favourite? The Oreo Knickerbocker Glory is one that sells more than any other.

People do try to haggle over prices but... my response is always "we are probably the cheapest vans around".

We rarely get complaints, but... the only real complaint we had was when the prices increased by 20p.

Other ice cream vans are the most difficult people I have to deal with in my job... especially those who are very territorial. I have found that standing ground and maintaining a professional attitude keeps things amicable.

Ice cream vendors can have patches... and are very territorial. When I was finding my way around, I came across another ice cream van. He threatened me and tried to use the fact he had several vans to scare me off the round.

I had a van come onto my patch once... my customers took it upon themselves to encourage the van not to come back. I do not encourage this behaviour, but I have no control over my customers' actions. On another occasion, another van did the same, so I returned the favour on their patch, but I just gave away free ice cream for a week. They didn't come back.

Ice cream vendors socialise sometimes... as long as we don't cross into each other's patch. I tend to socialise with others from out of my area. We try not to talk shop, but it always seems to slip into conversation.

Kids haven't changed over the years... they are the same and ask the same things, but manners seem to be diminishing. The kids are cheeky but know the boundaries. We always try to keep this jovial, but they know that when we are firm, the boundaries have been crossed. Whilst there are a few naughtier boys and girls, I know most of them, so antisocial behaviour isn't a real problem.

Everyone hates something about their job, and for me it's... the daily cleaning.

If I had the option to go back to talk to my 16-year-old self... I wouldn't do it. I love my life and my decisions have made me who I am and what I have.

The one thing I've learned about life and people in my job is... It doesn't matter where someone is from, their social, ethnic or economic background; they are all the same. I also learned that there is no easy way to make money; you have to work hard and take chances to build something.

(c) Sky News 2026: 'I sell ice cream - here are the secrets of our prices and how often I treat myself'