Working Chocolatier Q&A
Posted in:
Opinion
1. For me, it all began with the bees. My husband and I decided to become beekeepers. I ran into a problem feeding the bees. Standard operating procedure is to feed them sugar water. Problem is if bees aren't careful, they will drown. I started experimenting with making a solid honey and sugar based candy I could insert into the hive. I made hard candy. And while the bees couldn't benefit from it, it tasted good. I handed out pieces to people, just to get rid of it. My brother stated, "This is really good, it needs a stick." Thus I began to make honey lollipops and selling them at the local farmer's market. After a few weeks, I got the comment, "You know, if you were selling chocolate, I'd buy it." Thus, my fate was sealed. LOL I began experimenting with truffles and found out I love making candy. I still make the lollies as well as my chocolates. I've added pralines and caramels. There is more in the works. I made an official business out of it 2 years ago. Fortunately, I can, in my neck of the woods, do this from my home. I also am unusual in that I am supported by my husband while I make a go of this.2. My original strategy was to sell at the farmer's market and local craft fairs. The response has been positive, but it's certainly not enough to make a living at it.3. I am finding that selling that way is not enough. I am currently looking into what it would take to do the business online as well. The funding required for a brick and mortar retail location is beyond my budget. Since my initial investment, I am strictly a bootstrap operation.4. Other than the dearth of craft shows for 6 months out of the year, things have gone pretty much as expected. I have, during the time when I have no external venue available, taken to going "door to door" at local businesses with my brochure and order forms. I am providing a service. They order candy for the holiday (Valentine's, Easter, Mother's Day). I make it and deliver it to their place of employment. It saves them time and I get sales. This works particularly well for Valentine's Day because then they can bring something special home for their significant other without having to go out and shop.5. My vision is a sweet shop on Main Street, 2 doors down from the theater. It would take pages to describe the whole thing. I'll just leave it at a basic level for here.6. My target market is, right now, the locals. Tho' as mentioned, I'd like to expand beyond my local area. I have regular customers who want certain items that I sell. They don't want to try anything new, they just want their coffee truffles, or their honey lollipops, or their chocolate caramels.7. Here is where I failed Business 101. I didn't figure, I guessed.8. No, it wasn't enough, but again, that was my fault because I guessed.9. While it was a bit slim, with chocolate arriving only 2 days before a craft show, and having to share booth space at craft shows, I managed. Since I only guessed, it's not really surprising.10. I'm not in the black because I can't support myself with the business yet. On paper, I'm in the black because more money is coming in than going out. But, that doesn't tell the whole story.11. Don't give your product away. Really, even to family and friends. They'll steal you blind. They come to expect that you will provide them with your product and then you'll find yourself doing them a favor and providing truffles for 200 wedding guests at their best friends wedding, free of charge. Don't do it. The only person who gets my candy without charge is my husband. Everyone wants to be taste tester. What they really want is free candy. As Robert posted, you have to please yourself, not the masses.12. See the above post. I ignored it to my detriment. I lost a lot of money letting people taste before buying.13. Fortunately, I figured this out fairly quickly and only lost a few hundred dollars worth of product rather than thousands.14. I'd have started this years ago. Making candy is so much fun. I realize it's not about art, it's about business, but I just have fun making the stuff. I also enjoy selling the candy.15. What I like the most, is, as I said, actually making the product. The house smells of caramel or chocolate or honey. I have a smile on my face and life is good. The least favorite part is keeping track of everything. And I mean everything. The bookkeeping is a chore. It's not just money in and money out. It's figuring out how much it costs to make a given batch of candy, ingredients, time, utilities. Then there is figuring taxes and as a business collecting sales tax for the state. All this has to be figured out. I always prided myself on being good with math. But, I find the whole thing tedious. And yes, that was a surprise.
