As a single father, I’m always looking for fun ways to spend time with my 10-year-old daughter, Emmy. One day on Facebook Marketplace, we stumbled upon a bright pink and purple trailer designed for a child to sell lemonade and popcorn—it was the ultimate lemonade stand, and we knew it was meant for us. Shortly after buying it, a trip to St. Simons Island led me to Sunset Slush, where I learned about becoming an independent operator and decided to dive in. Fast forward, and we proudly opened Emmy Lou’s Italian Ice, LLC, DBA Sunset Slush CSRA, LLC in June 2025, bringing sweet treats and smiles to our community. Running a small business serving Italian ice may not have been what I imagined using my real estate degree for, but nothing beats sharing joy with Emmy and our customers, especially on hot Georgia days!