What inspired you to start your business?
About a year ago, in June, I was training for my first marathon, Jesse Itzler's Running Man festival. During my training, I found myself craving ice cream, so I headed to my local grocery store. I told myself I’d look at every single ice cream, check the nutrition labels, and pick the one with the most protein. But as I stood in the freezer aisle, I was seriously disappointed. Ice cream barely had any protein, which made no sense since it’s made from dairy, a great protein source. On top of that, the ingredient lists were filled with artificial sweeteners, palm oils, and fillers—things I wasn’t about. I left empty-handed, went home, and ate my usual dessert of cottage cheese with honey and blueberries. But it wasn’t as satisfying as ice cream. That’s when it hit me: why wasn’t there a high-protein ice cream? That night, I ordered an ice cream maker off Amazon, and the very next day, my sister and I started experimenting in my New York City apartment. We grew up around food, so it felt natural. By our third try, we had something special, and I knew we were onto something.
What has been the hardest thing about running the business?
The hardest part has been learning to say no. A year ago, I was saying yes to everything, and it left me scattered and unfocused. I realized that to make Smearcase successful, I needed to concentrate all my energy on it. That focus allowed us to get on shelves as a frozen product in under a year, which is pretty unheard of. We had to be the first cottage cheese ice cream on the market, and we did it this summer. I’m incredibly proud of that, but it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t learned to avoid distractions and stick to our vision and mission.
What is the best part about running the business?
The best part has been the internal journey that entrepreneurship takes you on. While the external achievements of the business are great, the real reward has been aligning my actions with my core values—health, family, and leadership. Once I dedicated myself to those values, everything started to flow, and magic began to happen in my life. It’s amazing to see how building a business and working on yourself can go hand in hand. For me, it’s been about growing as a person while also growing the brand. Every opportunity is a chance to become better, and that’s what makes this journey so fulfilling.
What is the best tech I have recently used?
Our website runs on Shopify, which I’ve been a fan of for over ten years. I’ve used it for various ventures, including drop shipping brands and my previous clothing brand, Rocky Clark. My experience with Shopify and e-commerce has been incredibly valuable, especially in areas like SEO, Google search rankings, running email campaigns, and doing meta ads. Even though Smearcase isn’t a DTC brand, these skills are still crucial. We’ve kept our tech stack lean, focusing on retail, but tools like Google Workspace and ChatGPT have been game-changers. Google Workspace keeps us organized, and ChatGPT has been an incredible tool for everything from writing emails to creating blog posts. It’s like having a team member to bounce ideas off of, and it’s helped us get press coverage too.
Why do you do what you do?
It all comes back to my values. Smearcase aligns perfectly with what matters most to me—health, family, and leadership. I started this journey while training for a marathon, searching for a healthier ice cream option, and when I couldn’t find one, I made it myself. That’s what drives me. I want to provide for my family by building a business that gives me the freedom to spend time with them. And I love personal development—growing myself and helping others around me grow too. As a leader, I want to push my team to be their best, knowing that it benefits both them and the business in the long run. I believe that as men, we have an innate need to build, grow, and explore what’s on the other side of discomfort. That drive is what keeps me going every day, even when things get tough.
