Almost every kid’s dream is to have unlimited amounts of ice cream, and who can blame them? Eric Bassett, an entrepreneurship major from Haddon Township, NJ, gets to live that dream every day!
Eric’s family owns one of the oldest ice cream companies in the United States. Bassetts Ice Cream Company was founded in 1861, making Eric a part of the sixth-generation team managing this company. On top of that, the 21-year-old entrepreneur manages two other businesses: The Original Turkey, which was founded in 1983, and The Market Bakery, founded in 2006. All three venues are located in Reading Terminal Market.
Eric’s family created and built these eateries, allowing him to help out with them at a young age. He said that he used to work behind the counter and fill sodas as a freshman in high school. “This was before I could even reach them, so I had to stand on pickle buckets to reach the machine,” he said.
From his freshman year of high school until 2012, Eric would work for the family business every summer. When he got accepted into college, he started looking for majors and classes that would help him carry on the family business. “I realized I did not want to work for anyone else when I was older and sit behind a desk all day doing the same thing day in and day out.”
He picked his classes in a way that would allow him to work as much as he wanted to. In fact, he works 60 hours a week, while managing to complete all of his schoolwork. Eric said that sometimes it is hard to find the time to get everything done. Since he is an early bird, he tries to accomplish most of his work before 8 a.m., when the market opens. He gets to Reading Terminal Market by 7 a.m. and sets everything up for the day, answers emails and enters the paperwork from the day before. He has to make sure everything is in order and ready to go.
“There is always something that goes wrong, whether someone doesn’t show up or something breaks I am always finding myself fixing something or having to communicate to employees about something.” He said that dealing with employees is the hardest part, since he must take into consideration that they have a life outside work especially when, for him, work is a crucial part of his life. Eric also works behind the counter of The Original Turkey if it is really busy, usually during lunch hours.
His only boss is his dad, but Eric feels he works for himself most of the time. He makes a lot of important decisions for the businesses. Eric has to report how the business is doing to his father, but other than that, the 21-year-old manages things on his own.
Besides going to school and managing three businesses, Eric likes to play tennis. He is a huge sports fan. “I am really into athletics and playing sports,” Eric said. He also tries to maintain his social life and goes out with friends when the opportunity arises. In addition, Eric reads facts about the food industry.
Eric wants to continue working in the family business after he graduates. “I don’t see myself doing anything else in my life. I definitely want to continue the footsteps of my family and continue to see [the businesses] grow,” he said.