Making chocolate can be a great business venture.
Chocolate is loved by millions, is sold for the majority of holidays and can be a great product for a home business. Here are a few tips for starting your own chocolate business.
Instructions
1. Do a bit of brainstorming first. Do you have a favorite chocolate candy, cake or cookie recipe? Do you have a well-stocked kitchen or would you need to purchase a large amount of utensils, cookware, molds or other supplies? Do you have an area that is suitable for storing your chocolate products, as well as packaging and shipping supplies? There are all things you'll need to consider before deciding on a catalog of treats, not to mention a budget for supplies and marketing.
2. Once you've decided on a few products to make, set up a test kitchen. You may find that your favorite recipe or specialty requires too much money or time to mass produce. Invite family and friends to review your test products. Chances are they won't even balk at being asked. Adjust your expectations and recipes as needed.
3. Create an online presence for your new chocolate business. You may decide to sell your products directly from your website or on eBay. If so, utilize social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook or MySpace to advertise your products and provide a link back to your site. Consider having an open house tasting event with a small restaurant, wine and cheese store or other business that will allow you to use their facility or restaurant. You can use MerchantCircle.com, Craigslist, Backpage.com or a variety of other sites to list your event free.
4. If you'd prefer to start a chocolate business that is ready to go out-of-the-box, you may want to consider Dove Chocolate Discoveries. This is a fairly new program centered around in-home product parties. You can sign up for their chocolate business kit, for a fee, which contains everything you'll need to get started. Using their kit, you can book your first party in a few weeks.
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