Darren Fishman shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Darren, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
You do really require all three, but energy is really the starting point. Without that you do not have the drive to achieve by using your intelligence and hopefully your integrity to succeed in whatever endeavor you are pursuing. So I do believe they are all important, but for me, I pride myself on both the energy and the resilience to keep moving forward despite any or the many obstacles one may encounter along the journey to success.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
After many years in the marketing and design worlds, I have utilized those skills to create a new gelato brand and we have just opened our first store in Palm Springs. Named “Gelato-A-Go-Go”, it’s doing everything with a very Italian aesthetic in order to differentiate from the multitude of American-style family-oriented ice cream shops around.
We are instead a more European, sassy and cheeky brand, not only selling gelato, but also fresh espresso coffee, tasty Italian pastries like cannoli, and Frullato gelato smoothies, all within a gelateria located in a 1950s deco building on a prominent corner in downtown Palm Springs.
I designed the shop to be a gelateria time machine where you can discover a swirl of funky flavors, served up in a space where mid-century modern meets slick 70’s glam. It all starts beneath your feet with Italian terrazzo floors, space-age ceiling tiles above, and our cheeky “Lips On Legs” pin-up wallpaper. Our funk and disco soundtrack is always groovin’ too, with a lighted disco ball spinning to make the colored lights dance.
Meanwhile, parked inside is our vintage 1963 gold and black Vespa, positioned perfectly for that “ciao, bella!” Insta moment, while the brand’s “Life is for licking” motto is writ large in neon on the wall.
To date people have been wowed by both the aesthetic of the shop, which being retro in aesthetic is very Palm Springs – although mixed with some European style – as well as the tasty products we offer themselves.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents taught me most about work. They always had a super strong work ethic with a chain of women’s shoe, handbag and accessories retail outlets back in the day. My business acumen came from my father, while my creative side I developed from my mother, so it gave me a superb grounding – with both that yin and the yang – in order to achieve the success I have enjoyed to date!
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
It has been my fear of failure. Having that aforementioned integrity meant I was reluctant to take on work where I doubted my ability to deliver what was required. I did not want to promise someone the world and deliver an atlas!
But over time, my confidence grew, and moving to the United States from Australia has contributed to that greatly, It was not just the achievement of moving countries and setting myself up with business in a brand new environment, but Americans in general seem more encouraging of entrepreneurial pursuits, and are generally more outgoing than Australians.
This in turn has encouraged me to be more outgoing, more confident, and back myself in each and every situation.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I think the public version is the real me as I have what many people refer to as “no filter”! So you will always get the genuine article, and maybe sometimes it means I am TOO honest, which can get you into trouble on occasion.
That said, there is the fun-loving social me, and then the serious business me, but I think they sit well side-by-side, and there is not a hard line between those personas. It’s definitely more of a fuzzy blur!
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
When I am lying on a floatie in the pool on a warm day, music playing, and staring up at the clouds and palm trees. It’s seems to be an odd combination of sublime relaxation and reliving your childhood that, for me, cannot be beaten.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gelatoagogo.net
- Instagram: gelatoagogo
- Twitter: gelatoagogo_
- Facebook: gelatoagogo.net
- Other: TikTok: gelatoagogo
Image Credits
Mollie Kimberling
