Boaters on the Intracoastal Waterway in the area might have seen a welcome sight recently. The Ice Cream Float has been cruising the Intracoastal Waterway, offering summer’s favorite icy treats.
 
The Ice Cream Float is owned and operated by 15-year-old Jameson Holmes. When his mother, Jeanne King, told him in the spring that he needed to start thinking about a summer job, he already had the idea in mind.

King wanted her son to have a job more for the experience and responsibility he would gain than for the income.
 
“I knew that Jameson could learn more about business by running his ice cream boat than by working hourly somewhere,” King said. “I figured, through this, he would learn about marketing, retail, customer service, accounting, inventory, taxes, licensing, etc. And he showed me that he was willing to do the work.”
 
King, whose background is in marketing and graphic design, helped Jameson  research the business idea, find the right boat and design the company’s logo.  She, along with other family and friends, have also helped redecorate the boat, which Holmes wanted to resemble an old fashioned ice cream parlor.
 
In addition to working on the boat, Jameson conducts inventory, stocks the boat and handles the company’s bookkeeping and social media.
 
The Ice Cream Float cruises the Intracoastal Waterway between Topsail Island and Wrightsville Beach, selling soda, candy and ice cream with prices between $1 and $3. Holmes' main goal is to provide families with a fun and memorable experience and to learn how to operate a business. Any spending money he earns he considers a bonus.
 
"The response from customers has been great. Everyone is so excited to see us arrive. The best part is when little kids come running to us,” Holmes said. “It's a great job because the customers are always happy."
 
Holmes said he plans to continue operating The Ice Cream Float on weekends through the fall and then begin again in the spring.
 
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