# From food stamps to a $47.5 million exit

> Ashley Tyrner-Dolce bought a pink ice cream truck to get off food stamps, then built the produce company that made her daughter wealthy.
- Title: From food stamps to a $47.5 million exit · Business Insider
- Summary: Ashley Tyrner-Dolce bought a pink ice cream truck to get off food stamps, then built the produce company that made her daughter wealthy. Watch for the…
- Keywords: entrepreneurship, startups, single moms, wealth, health food, business, technology, food, stamps, million, exit, Business Insider
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/sold-company-daughter-equity-trust-fund-generational-wealth-2026-9
- Author: Kelly Burch
- Published: 2026-09-14T13:25:01.287+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: entrepreneurship, startups, single moms, wealth, health food, business, technology
## Beanie Babies to first car
As a teenager working at a Starbucks in the Phoenix airport, she bought rare Beanie Babies from the gift shop and flipped them on eBay. That paid for her first car.

> You've either got the entrepreneurial spirit, or you don't.
## A pink truck beat food stamps
Pregnant and newly abandoned by her husband, she spent about $3,000 on an ice cream truck. A few hours each afternoon brought in roughly $500, enough to get off assistance and save for New York.
## New York on a thin margin
She landed a fashion job through a friend of a friend and shared a one-bedroom with 6-month-old Harlow. Her under-market nanny stayed a friend, and got raises as the income grew.
## No good produce at 2 a.m.
Coke could be delivered in the middle of the night, but fresh vegetables could not. She downsized her apartment to buy runway and started a CSA-style delivery box.

> I could have a bottle of Coke delivered at 2 a.m. in New York if I wanted to, but I couldn't find good produce.
## The pandemic rule change
After eleven hard years, new federal rules let insurers offer food as a health benefit. She dropped direct-to-consumer and sold produce boxes to insurance companies instead. Last year the company sold for $47.5 million.

> Making the change was scary, there were lots of tears.
## A trust with a condition
Harlow owned 30% of her mother's stock, so the sale made the 15-year-old wealthy. The money stays locked until she does something meaningful: work, art, or volunteering. College optional.

> She might have a trust fund, but she's never going to be one of those spoiled rich kids.
## Key takeaway

Watch for the regulatory shift that turns your mission into a market, then move fast even when the pivot scares you.