Paramedic says ice cream side hustle helped save his mental health

A British paramedic has built a successful ice cream business as a side hustle, turning to the sweet treat trade as a way to cope with the pressures of emergency medical work.

James Shemmeld, 46, now runs four ice cream trucks that bring in an average of about $80,000 a year, news agency SWNS reported.

That’s in addition to his private ambulance and paramedic service, which generates roughly $270,000 annually and operates out of his home in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England.

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He first returned to selling ice cream during the COVID-19 pandemic after struggling with the emotional toll of his job.

“It was really difficult … and it got to the point where I realized my mental health was being affected quite severely,” he told SWNS.

Looking for a way to cope, Shemmeld bought a secondhand ice cream truck for about $17,500 and began selling treats in his spare time.

“In 2020 the ice cream truck was a side hustle, but from 2021 onward it really took off and I had to buy more trucks to keep up with demand,” he said.

He said the business now makes up the bulk of his work, while he continues to take on paramedic jobs as needed.

With the ice cream trucks, he said, the experience is a welcome contrast to his medical work.

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“None of the stresses of the medical side exist,” he said.

Shemmeld’s connection to the business dates back to his childhood, when a local ice cream vendor became a mentor and father figure to him.

That same mentor later gifted him the first truck he worked in as a child.

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Today, Shemmeld operates his ice cream trucks several days a week — sometimes fielding medical questions from customers along the way.

“You’re never not a paramedic,” he said, noting he keeps a defibrillator in the truck in case of emergencies.

Despite the success, he said the business was never about the money.

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“I don’t want to charge too much … it was about improving my mental health,” he said. “I love what I do.”