Ice man Ateeq says: ‘Follow your dreams!’
A DAD-of-four who set up his own ice cream parlour has urged young people to think about their futures and follow their dreams. Huddersfield-born Ateeq Hussain opened Scooplicious in Thornton Lodge Road, Thornton Lodge, last July.
Ateeq, in his mid-30s, grew up in Thornton Lodge and went to Moor End High School and Greenhead College before studying molecular and cellular biology at the University of Huddersfield.
After that he went from job to job, unsure of what he wanted to do, until he decided to strike out and follow his dream.
“I am just a Huddersfield lad. I’ve not had an amazing education or background but I’ve found that if you really want to do something and you put your mind to it, it can be done,” he said.
Ateeq always had a sweet tooth and decided to learn about ice cream making, just as dessert parlours were starting to grow in popularity.
He was going to set up in business with friends but the timing wasn’t right for them.
“We were at different stages in life,” said Ateeq. “One had just bought a house, another had just had a kid but for me it was just the right time to make my dream come true.”
Ateeq, who has three brothers and three sisters, comes from a large and close knit family.
He enlisted the help of wife Farhana – and their children aged 10, eight, five and four – and launched Scooplicious.
Ateeq works as a taxi driver during the day and serves ice cream, waffles, cookie dough, milkshakes, smoothies and freshmade cupcakes in the evening.
“You don’t need a lot of money to start a business,” said Ateeq. “There are lots of business gurus on YouTube where you can learn what you need to know.
“But don’t expect everything to be perfect from day one. You will learn and improve as you go along. You never stop learning.”
Ateeq wants to be a role model for young people on what they can achieve with hard work and determination.
“There were some naysayers when I said I wanted to launch a business but that’s just because they wanted to look after me and didn’t want me to get hurt.
“But life is not a safe journey. Yes, you could just sit in a corner and you’d be safe but that’s not much of a life.
“One thing’s for certain, no one gets out alive so you might as well enjoy the ride! Get out of your shell and go for it.”
Ateeq described his business journey so far as a “rollercoaster” but said: “I love it. It’s about continuing to learn and improve and trying to stay one step ahead. Use your noggin, get those brain cells working.”
Ateeq is passionate about wanting youngsters to get on in life and added: “When young people come in the shop I ask them what they want to do with their future, get them thinking. They need to have a vision and believe in themselves.”
Ateeq also wants to change public perception about Thornton Lodge.
“People say it’s only an Asian area but I want to change that,” he said. “It’s for everybody.
“There’s nothing to worry about, nothing to be scared of and I want to bring other people in and change people’s opinions.
“For me this is not just about opening a business and making a bit of money, it’s about more than that.
“I want to show people what is possible, that you can experiment and be creative. Too many people settle for the status quo when they don’t have to.”