Ron Bain, Alsies of Alpharetta, on Leaving Corporate to Run an Alpharetta Ice Cream Truck Franchise with App-Based Routes and Event Catering (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 985)
On this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray welcomes Ron Bain, owner of Alsies of Alpharetta. The Alpharetta ice cream truck business serves neighborhoods, schools, and corporate events in Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek, and Forsyth County with prepackaged treats that range from Bomb Pops to gourmet ice cream sandwiches and artisanal popsicles. Ron spent three decades in corporate sales before becoming the first Alsies franchisee in Georgia.
Ron describes the franchise search that kept pulling him toward a concept he had ruled out, including the email passing on Alsies that he could not bring himself to send. He also explains how the Alsies app works like DoorDash for ice cream, with push notifications, live route tracking, and a stop button that sends a truck into the customer’s driveway with five minutes to pause the Netflix movie and come outside. Neighborhood routes double as marketing, since a family met on the street can turn into a corporate event or birthday party booking.
For corporate professionals thinking about their own exit, Ron offers frank advice on capital and patience, including the reality that an owner may draw no income for the first couple of years. He also shares his plans to grow to five or six trucks and position the business for a sale in about ten years.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- An Alpharetta ice cream truck can build its event business from its neighborhood routes, because the ambassadors selling on the street also promote birthday, school, and corporate bookings.
- The Alsies app sends push notifications, shows the truck’s route, and lets customers press stop so the truck pulls into their driveway, which suits families who are streaming indoors and cannot hear the music.
- Ron’s advice for leaving corporate is to confirm the capital to go a couple of years without drawing income from the business and to talk with other business owners before making the leap.
- Prepackaged treats let a truck serve about 350 customers per hour, and for one large company event Alsies sent both trucks so employees spent their break enjoying a treat instead of standing in line.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:20 John Ray introduces the show and guest Ron Bain
01:52 The Alsies menu, from SpongeBob and Bomb Pops to artisanal popsicles
02:40 Why parents react to the ice cream truck music more than kids do
03:10 Leaving corporate and the franchise search that kept pointing back to Alsies
06:11 Advice for corporate professionals thinking about owning a business
10:04 Why Alsies over other franchises, and the gap left by shaved ice companies
11:31 Why a clean, professional truck stands out from the mysterious ones
12:04 How the Alsies app works, from push notifications to the stop button
14:20 Neighborhood routes as marketing for events
15:10 Customer reception since launch
16:12 Why people buy ice cream they already have in the freezer
17:01 Classics and characters, gourmet sandwiches, and the “bougie ice cream truck” comment
18:22 Events for schools and corporations, and how one event leads to another
19:58 Serving 350 customers per hour with prepackaged treats
21:13 The territory: Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek, and Forsyth County
21:57 How routes are drawn around app downloads
23:01 Long-term goals: five or six trucks and a business ready to sell
24:38 How to book events and contact Alsies
25:41 John Ray thanks Ron and closes the interview
Ron Bain, Owner, Alsies of Alpharetta
Ron Bain’s corporate career moved him and his family seven times in six years, across five states. In 2008, they landed in Georgia and decided to make it home. After 30 years in corporate sales, Ron knew he wanted to do something different. He had an entrepreneurial “itch to scratch,” and small business ownership was calling.
In 2023, Ron and his wife, Michelle, launched Bar-B-Clean, serving customers with professional grill cleaning, repairs, assembly, and installations. Together they built the business and their team, with Michelle now running the day-to-day operation and earning the affectionate title of the “Bar B Queen.”
By early 2025, Ron was ready for another venture. The plan was to find a business in the outdoor living space that would complement Bar-B-Clean. What came next was anything but part of the plan.
While working with a franchise broker, Ron was very clear about what he didn’t want: no brick-and-mortar business and definitely nothing involving food. Then, among the opportunities presented to him, was a new concept for an ice cream truck called Alsies. It didn’t remotely fit into what he imagined.
“I kept trying to officially nix the idea of an ice cream truck business, but I just couldn’t,” Ron says.
At first glance, the idea seemed outdated. His family rarely saw ice cream trucks in their neighborhood, and when they did, the experience wasn’t exactly inviting. But the deeper Ron looked into Alsies, the more excited he became.
Alsies takes the nostalgia of the neighborhood ice cream truck and gives it a modern twist: a clean, professional, and, most importantly, FUN experience designed to bring people together and put smiles on faces.
Occasionally the best opportunities aren’t the ones that fit the plan. For Ron, the chance to build a business centered around happiness, fun, and community was simply too incredible to pass up.
After years in corporate America, Ron is learning firsthand what it takes to become a successful small business owner.
“It’s definitely not for everyone. You’ll work harder than you ever have, be forced to learn new skills, expand your network, and probably won’t make much money to start. I don’t think there’s any way to short-circuit the process. But I also don’t have days I dread anymore. I jump out of bed excited to build our businesses and form deeply rooted connections in our community.”
Alsies of Alpharetta
Alsies is reimagining the classic neighborhood ice cream truck for a new generation. Combining the nostalgia and excitement of hearing the ice cream truck coming down the street with modern technology, Alsies delivers a clean, professional, and FUN experience built around one simple idea: bringing happiness to your door.
Alsies trucks offer everything from the classic treats kids know and love to gourmet ice cream sandwiches, specialty treats, and dairy-free options. Through the Alsies mobile app, customers can track trucks in real time, receive notifications when a truck is nearby, view routes, and even request a truck to come to their location.
But Alsies is about more than ice cream. Alsies trucks bring people together at neighborhood stops, birthday parties, schools, fundraisers, corporate events, festivals, and community celebrations throughout the North Atlanta area.
Alsies believes that simple experiences create some of the best memories. Sometimes all it takes is an ice cream truck, a favorite treat, and a reason to smile.
Alsies: Happiness at Your Door.
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, having started in 1904 as a $100,000 bank located in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown into one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, boasting over $26 billion in assets and more than 280 offices offering banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from the commitment of each banker to invest in the communities they serve, which in turn helps them better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, their banking professionals understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
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Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio
Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.
Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.
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About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
Approaching 1,000 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their respective markets, communities, and professions. There is no discrimination based on company size, and there is never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, which is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio is located at 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the entire archive of shows by following this link. The show is accessible on all major podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star-rated book The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
