Today we’d like to introduce you to Alessandra Signani
Hi Alessandra, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Alessandra Signani, I am Brazilian, 55 years old, and I worked for 30 years in Brazil
in large companies, managing teams and developing insurance products. An exhausting
routine of meetings, deadlines to meet, and other tasks that an office requires.
During all this time, I saved up a sum of money each month so that one day I could fulfill my
dream: to have my own business. What I didn’t expect was to fulfill this dream in another
country, and the chosen one ended up being the United States.
At the age of 47, I decided to leave Brazil and go on an adventure in the United States.
I chose Orlando-FL for a few reasons: the climate, the city is calm, clean, safe, and has a large
Brazilian community, where I believed it would be easier for me and my children to adapt.
I landed in this country with my suitcases full of dreams, confidence, and the money I had
saved during 30 years of work.
But reality is not always what we dream of. I have encountered many obstacles and challenges
along the way.
Many people think that money can do anything, but that is not true.
Among the many challenges I have encountered are cultural difficulties, language, fear,
insecurity, trustworthy people, strengthening my faith in God, and many others that money
cannot buy.
Planting in unfamiliar terrain, even with all the favorable conditions, your faith will certainly be
put to the test.
I have learned many lessons and I still know that I have a lot to learn, but I can emphasize that
knowledge is worth money and shortens paths. I lost a lot of money and time until I acquired
important knowledge.
Every day I try to find new things to offer on my ice cream truck. I often put soap bubbles, a
smoke machine, and lively music. Always ready to welcome my clients with a big smile on my
face because I have a slogan
Peter Johns sells joy because ice cream can be found in any store
Although I worked for many years in large companies, where the rules and processes were
already developed, creating your own company and taking on all the risks alone was a huge
challenge with many lessons learned.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The most important thing is to never stop, no matter which way you go. I learned to make
decisions on my own, often right and often wrong, but I kept going. I like to say that if you’re
scared, take a deep breath and go, even if you’re scared. As problems started to appear, many
people advised me to give up and try something else, but I couldn’t give up. Faced with a
completely impossible scenario, I decided to take all the risks and keep going. I can’t say that
I’m still a successful company, the road is still very long, but I can guarantee that it’s a personal
success story.
Note: I have a very inspiring video that shows the entire construction of the food truck step by
step (it is really very inspiring) and when I think about giving up, I watch the video that makes
me very proud of the road I have traveled so far.
Regarding prices, I can say that I try to work with fair conditions and I try to offer generous
portions.
For closed and corporate events, I can offer more advantageous conditions and reduced
prices.
As you know, we’re big fans of PETER JOHN’S SOFT ICE CREAM LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Peter Johns was developed entirely by me and with great care, thinking about every detail.
The name originated from the names of my children: Peter and John
The colors of the logo are the three colors of Neapolitan ice cream, pink (strawberry), brown
(chocolate) and white (vanilla).
The color blue was thought to bring freshness and refer to ice.
Remember that the colors blue and pink are colors that refer to children.
I bought a completely destroyed truck that needed a lot of repairs to be able to open its
windows. It spent almost 8 months parked in a warehouse until I was able to get it the way I
wanted. And when it was finally ready, COVID appeared, where everything stopped. But Peter
Johns didn’t stop, he had just been born and I needed to get him out on the streets. That’s
when I used social media to look for communities to sell ice cream to people in quarantine. It
was during this period that I really got to know my business.
Peter John’s is specialized in SOFT SERV. I am an immigrant who decided to invest in the United States and I am here legally through an investor visa (which opens up possibilities for other people to consider investing in this country).
I have more plans for Peter John’s, seeking to franchise my brand and spread this business throughout the country.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
A complex topic because what happiness is for one person may not be for another.
Finding happiness is a constant search for everyone, but I can consider that I have managed to
achieve a certain level of happiness where I look back and see all the path I have traveled to
today being able to be the owner of my time, my life and independence.
For me, happiness is making each day different and no day being the same as the other and
going to bed without knowing what tomorrow will be like, how much money I will make, who I
will meet, what places I will visit. And with my business, this is possible every day.
Surprises are one of the most exciting things in life. Surprises strengthen the feeling of trust
and faith in God.
I still have some dreams to fulfill, to write a book about all these positive and negative
surprises that I witnessed on my journey. I can assure you that I have amazing stories.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.peterjohnsicecream.com
- Instagram: @peterjohnsicecream
- Other: contact@peterjohnsicecream.com
