Some people dream of an early retirement, and for one Cornell named Daniel Oranger that might very well be the case. Deemed by the Ithaca Sun as “one of the ten most business savvy Cornellians of the recent decade, and possibly of all time,” Daniel Oranger keeps it modest when describing his snowcone empire.
What started as a small stand in Ho Plaza, selling fresh snow mixed with syrup, quickly grew into Dan’s Snow Balls; one of the largest and most popular businesses in the Ithaca community (surpassing CTB in both size and Capital in early 2010).
When asked about the founding of his business Oranger offered these words, “you know, the idea just came to me, I mean I was sitting in econ. one day, and my mind was wondering around when suddenly it hit me, if people are willing to buy water when its a liquid, then they sure as hell would be willing to buy it when its snow.”
Oranger then described how he went on to present this idea to then roommate, Arthur Clout, who simply laughed at Oranger calling him foolish. It would not be until a year later that Oranger would get to call Clout a fool for not investing.
