Y day she's an anonymous cog within the administrative set-up of Capital G, vetting the bank's customers and approving credit.

But at weekends credit card officer Lyvette Greaves is known to thousands of the island's children as something completely different ? the ice cream lady.

And next week the Southampton businesswoman will see her Lickety Split empire expand when a second ice cream van takes to the roads, delivering cool confection to sweet-toothed youngsters and adults alike.

It's been Mrs. Greaves' dream to run a mobile ice cream business ever since she was a little girl.

"It started out when I used to go to New York all the time to visit an aunt and the ice cream truck, Mr. Softie, used to come around," she said.

"I was a young girl and I remember saying to my aunt, 'One day I'm going to own an ice cream truck'. I knew I loved ice cream and had never heard of an ice cream truck in Bermuda so that became my dream. Every summer in New York as soon as Mr. Softie came out I was there with my money. I was just fascinated by it."

The trailblazing mother of two encountered several bumps in the road on her journey to get an ice cream truck up and running ? simply because no such thing existed and the authorities did not know if it could be operated legally.

"When I reached the age of 18 I brought the matter up with some MPs who had never heard of the idea before ? it was something new at that time," she said.

"I kept talking to them and in 1991 I actually sent a proposal to the Transport Control Department but again they said there was no such thing ? it was something they said they just couldn't do.

"But a long time ago we used to have a person coming around selling vegetables or selling milk or selling ice ? they went around mobile. I just thought, what's the difference?"

Overcoming obstacles is nothing new for the Bermudian entrepreneur.

"I remember selling snowballs many years ago and there was never such a thing where you could park up on the side of the road and set up your stall," she recalled.

"I remember setting up on the road and a policeman came along and told that I didn't have permission to be on the road. I went to Works & Engineering and they told me, 'Well you know, we don't really do things like this' and I said, 'Well, let me be the first'.

"I remember having a push cart. It's really funny how back in 1980 I set up on the roadside and the police used to make me move and now all of a sudden you see on every corner people selling snow cones, clothes, drinks."

Finally, in 1996, Mrs. Greaves achieved her goal and had a truck shipped over from the US after her auntie, still living in New York, hooked her up with a company that supplies the special vehicles. "Then it was just a case of bringing it in. I remember going down to TCD and they had never encountered anything like it ? they didn't know how to approach me and they were saying, 'Take this sticker off' and take that sticker off'.

"I was really angry. They made me take all the stickers off and there was a little piece on top of the truck that they said reminded them of the regular ambulance. They said I had to take that off because people would be confused thinking the ice cream truck was the ambulance ? but an ambulance isn't pink and white. I couldn't figure it out. I wanted to let them know how stupid they were being."

And there were more pitfalls to come. Mrs. Greaves' business was sidelined after one of her drivers accidentally filled her precious diesel truck with regular gas ? putting it an the business out of commission for three years.

"A lot of the garages didn't know how to fix it," she said with a shrug.

"But now we're back with a second truck ? one travelling from one end of the island to the middle part and the other truck will pick up from the middle part to the other end of the island.

"Our season starts in March and we've been out in the cold. Last week we were up at Prospect and the children came out in their raincoats. But they still bought ice cream ? regardless of the weather it still sells."

Although she and her husband, Gregory, operate the truck at weekends, Mrs. Greaves has 16 members of staff running the Lickety Split business, including three full-time drivers.

"Working full time makes things very difficult," she said.

"The trucks will be out from ten in the morning until ten at night, seven days a week. Before, my husband and I were only taking on part-timers but we've realised we cannot work full time, come home and start running another business full time.

"What we decided to do this year is hire people full time. I can remember leaving the office, getting home, jumping in the shower and then going out in the truck and maybe not getting home until 11 o'clock. You have to clean up the truck and stock up for the next day ? it was too much.

"I do all the paperwork. Today I got a shipment and I couldn't go so I had to get a cousin of mine to pick up all the supplies. It can be very nerve-racking.

"A business never runs as smoothly as people think it does. You get a lot of interruptions and a lot of things that come up in a split second so you have to always be on top of everything. There's an awful lot of headaches. The most important is to have the right staff and if you don't you could end up trying to put 48 hours into a 24-hour day.

"I have a daughter away at university and I'm hoping she will come home in the summer and help out. When you have family you always think that they're there to help out but sometimes they just don't have the time.

"But I want to thank James Gibbons here at Capital G who's sat down with me and helped me a lot and I thank God for making my dream a reality ? he's been there to help me through it.

"People think it's so easy and it's a nice idea to own your own business but you really have to think about the pros and cons. The first thing you have to do is some homework. Sit down and work out financially if it's viable.

"But once you have decided what you want to do, follow your dream. Don't let anybody deter you by saying it's not going to work out because if you do, a year later that person could be running your idea. You have to follow your dream and don't let anybody take that from you. Focus on your own dream."

Hard work, long hours, and coming up against brick walls might not sound appealing, but for Mrs. Greaves the rewards are priceless.

"Just seeing the children with their faces, their smiles ? it's just amazing," she said.

"Because we have so many customers you might not remember them individually but they will remember you. I can be in the grocery store and I'll hear a little child saying, 'Hello Mrs. Ice Cream Lady'. The children remember. I love the ice cream business, I really do.

"But I love it the most when I see the children. The parents allow their children to come on their own to make them feel all important and they're an adult and it's just really funny."

And there's another perk that Mrs. Greaves enjoyed for many years until recently ? free ice cream.

"Every day, when I came home from work I would have a banana split before my supper, although for the last two years I haven't done that," she said.

With two trucks covering the island and also catering for regular events such as Harbour Nights, the ice cream delivery business has defied the odds and is now booming. But Mrs. Greaves believes she can take her business further.

"I want to take it to the next level ? and that means more trucks," she said.

"I also want to cater to the tourist market. I want people to remember Bermuda and remember that they enjoyed a Lickety Split ice cream, making it a part of an enjoyable stay and helping to make them want to come back to Bermuda. That's my dream now."