* Photograph by Shane Van Boxtel / Image Studios
Entrepreneur
For those people who want to start their own businesses but are afraid to do so, entrepreneur Emilee Rysticken offers a bit of encouragement: Stop making excuses and go for it.
The 20-year-old knows of what she speaks. Rysticken was just 17 when she opened her first business, Scream ’N Conuts, a Two Rivers ice cream shop that serves the frozen treat in doughnut cones. The business spawned a second location in Suamico, and she is working on opening a third business — a Two Rivers coffee shop called The High Lift — with the help of $3,000 she received for winning New North Inc.’s NEW Launch Alliance Pitch Event in December.
The inspiration for her first shop came from a trip she took as a high school freshman to Europe, where she had the opportunity to try ice cream in a conut. Rysticken was still in high school and on a path to becoming a welder when she casually brought up the business idea at a Two Rivers Main Street board meeting, where she served as a school representative.
“Everyone stopped and stared at me, and they were like, ‘You need to do that,’” she says.
Rysticken says she had never envisioned opening her own business, but the idea quickly snowballed. A real estate agent who served on the board with Rysticken showed her some properties, including one that would become Scream ’N Conuts. The building was in rough shape, but Rysticken put in sweat equity alongside her dad to transform the space.
The first shop opened in 2019 and immediately became a popular destination in the beach community of Two Rivers. The first days and weeks were not easy, however. Rysticken was still perfecting the art of making conuts and was learning how to do so along with her employees.
“Sometimes people think I had it all figured out. I was flying by the seat of my pants every single day. I’d wake up, tackle a mile-long to-do list and do it again the next day,” she says.
It’s not easy to start a business as a woman, much less a young woman. Rysticken says she encountered plenty of doubters, including some members of her own family who were worried about her losing money. “I had people saying, ‘Oh, I’ll give it six months before they shut the doors,’” she recalls.
At the same time, Rysticken also had a lot of people helping her along the way. Todd Nilson, an entrepreneur advocate and president of digital marketing agency Clocktower Advisors, worked with Rysticken on her business and nominated her for a Women of Influence award.
“Emilee is articulate, smart and wants to start businesses not only for herself but also to inspire other young people to stay in their community, start businesses and try to make life better for all,” he wrote in the nomination.
For those still uncertain about pursuing their dreams, Rysticken — a true groundbreaker — offers one last piece of advice: “It’s really just going for it, trusting yourself, and if you put the work in and the time, it will pan out in some regard. Even if it doesn’t pan out to your wildest expectations, it’ll be an experience — whether you fail and learn a million things, or you succeed and also learn a million things. Just start. Just go for it.”
