Shawn and Shelsey are the faces behind Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee and Kona Ice of NW Ellis County in Texas. They live and work in the community they serve in Ellis County, south of Dallas. This married team loves being part of local schools, businesses, celebrations, and events. As a truly family-owned and operated business, they even have their 9-year-old daughter helping on the truck whenever she can. Shelsey has a background in healthcare and business development. Shawn worked for the Railroad for 15 years and has since expanded his background into sales and customer service.
When they are not working events or running the business, they enjoy traveling with friends and family, seeing new places, and staying busy with their firework stand, where they love putting together pyro-musicals.
They have three trucks and 10 employees.
We talked to Shelsey about what owning three Travelin’ Tom’s trucks in Texas is like.
What made you decide to look into purchasing a franchise?
Shawn and I looked into purchasing a franchise because we wanted to be our own bosses and build something that could create a legacy for our family. We are true hustlers and entrepreneurs at heart, and we loved the idea of bringing something to our area that would create incredible experiences for our community. Franchising allowed us to challenge ourselves, grow with proven brands, and scale different businesses while still making them feel personal, local, and true to who we are.
When researching franchises, what criteria mattered to you most? How did your franchise meet that criteria?
When we were researching franchises, two of the biggest things that mattered to us were the level of support we would receive and the overall perception of the brand from the consumer’s point of view. We wanted to invest in something that people already trusted, enjoyed, and were excited to see in their community.
We found out very quickly just how much support we would receive from Travelin’ Tom’s. Everyone we spoke with described it as feeling like a family, and while I, Shelsey, am naturally a little skeptical, we quickly saw that it truly was. The support, training, and guidance we have received have been unmatched in my opinion. I have worked for large corporations that did not provide the same level of training and support that this franchise offers. That support has played a huge role in helping us grow quickly and confidently.
Financing can be an obstacle and/or intimidating factor for aspiring entrepreneurs. How did you find financing options to purchase your franchise?
We had personal savings we used to invest initially and used a finance company to finance the trucks.
Which of your prior skills and experiences do you use in operating your business today?
Customer service, marketing, and business development skills have definitely set us up to hit the ground running. One of the biggest lessons I have learned previously is that business development is not just about making sales or booking events — it is about building relationships, creating trust, and becoming part of the community. I use business development as a way to keep our brand visible, connected, and meaningful. Every school visit, corporate event, fundraiser, festival, or conversation is an opportunity to show people who we are, what we value, and why our business is more than just a truck. It is how we build long-term relationships, grow our reputation, and create a brand that people remember, support, and invite back.
Business development, to me, is planting seeds before you ever need the harvest. It is showing up consistently, serving people well, and building a brand that people trust long before they are ready to book.
During your research, did you use FBR’s website to compare franchise opportunities? What other resources did you use?
I briefly compared franchise opportunities, but I really came into Tom’s knowing I wanted Travelin’ Tom’s. I wasn’t hunting for a franchise. I wanted Tom’s. If the numbers didn’t work or the gut feeling wasn’t there, we didn’t have another franchise as backup. This was our first experience in the franchise world. But FBR did give us good insight once we started to do the digging. 2024 was when Travelin’ Tom’s was open to investors outside of their Kona Ice brand. It has only skyrocketed with awards since then.
When doing your research, which questions did you ask the franchisees?
When we got into Travelin’ Tom’s in Oct of 2024, there were no other franchisees that only had a Tom’s Truck. They all had Kona Ice first, then Tom’s. So the questions we had as someone who would only have Travelin’ Tom’s were very different and often hard to answer.
1) How long did it take to build a customer database
2) What marketing strategy worked best to get your truck booked/seen
3) What was the hardest thing you found out starting out
4) Biggest piece of advice to a brand new owner who is eager and determined to grow
Which questions did you ask the franchisor?
What is the total investment?
What do the yearly fees look like?
What support do we get to grow from the royalties we pay?
Is there help on the marketing side?
What does training and operational support look like?
What did the YoY growth look like on average?
What were your first 90 days like as a franchisee?
The 1st 90 days for us was a roller coaster, truly! We hit the ground running Nov 22, 2024, and had our 1st event Nov 27, 2024. We had 32 events in December alone on the books before we even got the truck home. Then January and February hit, and it was like a switch was turned off: hardly any events and no emails coming through. I was going everywhere to meet people and get bookings, sending out emails, joining chambers. You name it. We also spent the time to build a marketing plan and asked our mentors what worked for them, what didn’t, and what we should be focusing on during this slow time. By the time our 90-day hit, we were already ramping back up and getting ready for our first end-of-school season.
At what point did you feel like you “got the hang of it” and settled in as a business owner?
Wait… that is an actual feeling a business owner feels???
Joking aside, we have been doing this for almost 2 years, and while we “got the hang of” RUNNING the business, creating processes and handling operations pretty quickly, we are still actively learning and seeking ways to GROW the business. I never want to feel “settled” when thinking about growth. My first mentor in sales and now a dear friend told me the golden nuggets of all golden nuggets early on: GET COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE.
How does the franchisor support and encourage your success?
The franchisor does an amazing job at being transparent about what’s coming, why it’s good, and how we as the franchisee can benefit. Not to mention the annual convention that is held every year that brings all those of like mind business owners together. THAT is where the growth and magic happens.
They also do an amazing job at listening to us (the franchisee ) for feedback and implementing it to better help us reach our business goals.
What are you most proud of and why?
Wow, that question never gets easier to answer. I am very forward-thinking and rarely celebrate a win/accomplishment/goal reached.
I think we are most proud of 3 things:
1 being that we fully trusted God on this adventure and He showed out.
The 2nd being that we crushed our 5-year plan in our 1st year. Finally, we are proud of the business we built that gives everyone an incredible experience, from our staff to our customers.
What advice would you give to potential franchise owners?
Believe in the brand or company you want to buy into.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable because that is where growth happens.
More About Travelin’ Tom’s Franchise Ownership
Travelin’ Tom’s consistently ranks high in franchisee satisfaction. Franchisees love owning their trucks, and we at FBR have their complete satisfaction report available for you to view.
Franchisee Satisfaction Highlights:
In the latest Franchise Business Review survey, the brand received the following ratings:
- 96% of franchisees agree that their fellow franchisees are supportive of the brand
- 96% of franchisees believe that senior management acts with a high level of honesty and integrity
- 96% of franchisees agree that they trust their franchisor
