Ep55: Howard Cadmus - Sweet Jenny’s, 1811 Comics, and Building a Life You Actually Love

John sits down with Howard Cadmus, owner of Sweet Jenny’s chocolate and ice cream shop and 1811 Comics and Collectibles in the historic Williamsville Mill. Howard is one of the funniest, most self-aware people to sit across from John in 56 episodes. He runs two beloved businesses out of a 215-year-old building with a waterfall out the back, guides every decision by two questions he has asked himself since he was young, and genuinely believes the income is not the point - the outcome is. The conversation covers all of it: growing up on public assistance in Brooklyn, the hustle instinct that never left, how he and his wife Tara went from a chocolate shop in Snyder to rescuing the Williamsville Mill from near demolition, what it really means to be in business with your spouse, and how Brutus the Barber Beefcake started a chain of wrestler appearances that now includes nine visits from Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Howard also makes a strong case for therapy, talks candidly about imposter syndrome, and explains why 70-hour weeks don’t feel like work when you love what you do. Enjoying the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share Angles with John Richmond with a friend. Visit www.richmondvona.com/angles-podcast/ for more 🎧 New episodes every week. 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @anglesjohnrichmond @johnrichmondlaw @richmondvona 🎥 Follow us on TikTok: @richmondvona @johnrichmondesq 📺 Watch on YouTube: @angleswithjohnrichmond Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the guest and host are their own and do not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. 00:00 --- Introduction 01:07 --- The two questions Howard asks himself every day 02:06 --- You are where you’re supposed to be 04:22 --- Has Howard always thought this way 04:49 --- Accepting that control is a fallacy while still planning 06:17 --- Therapy 08:32 --- What practical first steps look like for someone who wants to think differently 09:11 --- Genuineness, honesty, and balance as the foundation 11:42 --- How Howard balances 70-hour weeks, two businesses, two kids, and a marriage 12:26 --- Not drinking and not watching TV as time multipliers 13:55 --- What effective use of time looks like day to day 16:32 --- Growing up in Brooklyn and Middletown on public assistance 18:26 --- Coming to Buffalo for law school and what led to buying Sweet Jenny’s 19:27 --- How Howard actually knew about making chocolate and ice cream before buying the business 20:21 --- Tara’s background studying chocolate in Europe and working for Sweet Jenny’s 20:46 --- Starting Pour L’Amour de Chocolate and the conversation with Deb Hanni that changed the plan 21:31 --- Buying Sweet Jenny’s, the move to the current location, and the mill buildings 22:28 --- When kids arrived and why Howard semi-retired from his practice 23:24 --- Entrepreneurship as riding a unicycle and chewing glass: the honest version 25:23 --- Two rules for would-be entrepreneurs 27:07 --- The fix-the-step principle 30:55 --- Celebrating your wins and why Howard’s therapist says he doesn’t let the joy in enough 32:01 --- Marriage, unconditional love, and the kidney test 34:16 --- The Williamsville Mill: 215 years old, five iterations, one of the oldest commercial structures in Erie County 34:59 --- How Howard and Tara got the deal done in 2014-2016 36:30 --- The nearly $1 million project and the day of closing 37:41 --- 1811 Comics: the nostalgia philosophy and why hunters and gatherers still need a purpose 40:35 --- How Brutus the Barber Beefcake started the wrestler appearance chain 41:40 --- The full wrestler roster and the upcoming Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Tito Santana events 43:04 --- The friendship with Sheamus 44:04 --- Why these events cost nothing and earn nothing, and why the payoff is everything 45:20 --- Cole showing up to school career day in a Sweet Jenny’s apron 47:34 --- Would Howard let go when his sons are ready to take over 49:07 --- Danny DeVito-ing his way into the future: the figurehead vision 50:20 --- It’s not about the income, it’s about the outcome 51:46 --- Running a business with your spouse: the honest, unfiltered version 53:09 --- How different socioeconomic backgrounds affect everything in a marriage and a business 54:32 --- The Good Neighbors Fund, free ice cream for cancer patients, and why humanizing the business creates loyalty advertising cannot buy 55:53 --- Howard runs all the social media himself: what that looks like and why Tara sometimes says just post the cone 57:34 --- What people don’t know about Sweet Jenny’s: small batch, made on site since 1985, local cream, real butterfat 59:12 --- The science of ice cream: freezing points, butterfat, tannins, flavonoids, and how flavors get tested 01:02:07 --- How new flavors are created and why the lobster ice cream idea is not happening 01:05:58 --- Where to find Sweet Jenny’s and 1811 Comics and the upcoming wrestler events