Who Owns the Ice House?

Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur

By: Gary G. Schoeniger, Clifton L. Taulbert

Narrated by: J. D. Jackson, Michael Beck

In the late 1950s, Glen Allan, Mississippi, was a poor cotton community. For many, it was a time and place where opportunities were limited by social and legal constraints that were beyond their control. It was a time and place where few dared to dream.

Based on his own life experience, Pulitzer nominee Clifton Taulbert has teamed up with entrepreneur thought leader Gary Schoeniger to create a powerful and compelling story that captures the essence of an entrepreneurial mindset and the unlimited opportunities it can provide.

Drawing on the entrepreneurial life lessons Taulbert learned from his uncle Cleve, Who Owns the Ice House? chronicles Taulbert’s journey from life in the Mississippi Delta at the height of legal segregation to being recognized by Time magazine as "one of our nation’s most outstanding emerging entrepreneurs". Who Owns the Ice House? reaches into the past to remind us of the timeless and universal principles that can empower anyone to succeed.

©2010 Gary G. Schoeniger, Clifton L. Taulbert (P)2019 Gary G. Schoeniger, Clifton L. Taulbert

Excellent Read!

Ya gotta Love Uncle Cliff. We all used to have one in our families. That person who gives great support and advice. The strong male figure who suffered from peoples lack of integrity, but kept his dignity.

Makes you see life in a different light

Problems present great opportunities for people to be entrepreneurs and improve the world around them. This book really put things in perspective for me...i am sooooo grateful I came across it at age 35... s lot of what my Dad told me growing up is actually right (author similar age as my Dad). Well-written and can apply to any age group to help give people purpose in life without hurting other people (or being another sheep lol). Much love -JAMESJAMESJAMES

Great, Practical Read

loved it and can't wait to do the online course. I loved how relatable Uncle Cleave was

This book needs taught in every High School

This book, placed in the hands of a young person experiencing multi-generational poverty, or just plain looking for direction period, has the power to change lives, both in rural and urban communities. It successfully packs some powerful lessons in personable, easily digestible form, without ever feeling like a dry business book or a fluffy self-help tome. It's maximum beneficial content at minimum runtime at a time when many books on entrepreneurship are light on actionable content but long in the tooth on page count (or in the case of Audible, runtime)

The story of Uncle Cleve is a lesson that fulfillment and success is possible even in the harshest of circumstances and environments, regardless of where you come from, what you look like, where you live, how much money you have in your pocket, etc. As poverty continues to increase all across rural America, this book provides anyone who might listen a way out. This book needs taught in every High School in America.

Very good read

Book really kept my attention and I found to provide great substance. Will recommend to friends.

A story of hope

This book would be a great addition to anyone’s library. A true story of grit, strength, and perseverance helping you to rise above expectations and create your own path.

Amazing story -took some time to get to it

This book is truly for the budding entrepreneur or soon to be entrepreneur. It details the incredible odds a Black man in the Mississippi Delta during legal segregation had to face in order to maintain his own business and way of life. There are life lessons taught by him that will carry over to anyone. The story will motivate you to pursue your dreams and goals.

The format of the story was explained at length in the beginning and acknowledged throughout the book. It took away from the powerful story itself. Despite this, I recommend the book.

A Guided Journey into Entrepreneurship

It’s quite an unusual way to look into the story by way of chapter lessons and a recap of key points. Literally, this is a collection of powerful quotes and wisdom derived from life-time journey. I enjoyed listening to it, taking notes along the way.

At times, I’d find it hard to track Cliff’s change of professions from the Ice House to a bank, then military, then book-writing, it was going back and forth, without any chronological order, as I was trying to track his timeline too, but it wasn’t the core point of the book.

What mattered was his journey and how his youth lessons got him where he wanted to be - in his FUTURE. I enjoyed the narration and voices, such vivid descriptions of the Uncle and his “brand” and his personality. I could vividly see those cotton fields, the areas pictured in the book, those proud moments of dignity and choices.

It’s so inspiring - that Entrepreneurial Mindset is something that can set a person to succeed in life, irregardless of whether it’s about choosing a profession or opening a business.

I appreciated the summary of key points at the closure of each chapter. It helped focus on core entrepreneurship concepts and compare notes too.

This book would be so good for anyone who feels stuck, does not feel strength to move forward, has fears about the present and future or is found In a wrong place with wrong people. It’s about that magic of discovering possibilities in problems.

It made me feel so good about the changes I pursued in my life, knowing where I want to be and who should be my close circle of friends.

It will take me some time to digest more of the book as I keep on my own entrepreneurial journey.

What I gathered is that things happens to those who make them happen by hard work, knowledge, effort, action, response rather than reaction, perseverance, and determination. And that personal brand that once set up is important to keep up to and be consistent with what you’d say you’d deliver.

Thank you so much! It’s a great and inspirational book!

Great Book!

The way Gary view's entrepreneurialism is facinating. He is on a mission to understand what drives an entreprenuer to thrive when their resources are constrained. He found a way to capture these personality strengths and turned them into fundamental building blocks to having an entreprenierial mindset. I love it and I recommend it to many of my friends and colleagues!

overcoming obstacles and perseverance

The story felt like my store, like my history, like what I wish I had in my life as far as a role model of family and male businessman.