Today I have the honor of interviewing Cheryl Sandberg of An Occasional Chocolate. Cheryl, like many women, loves chocolate. But instead of buying it at the store like most of us, Cheryl made her chocolate treats from scratch. The more people raved about her treats, the more her desire to share her "secrets" grew. Today Cheryl has taken a passion for chocolate to new heights. Discover how you, too can turn your dream business into a reality...

How did you get into Chocolate Candy Making?

When I made a basket of four flavored truffles and gave them to neighbors, friends and family they all said the same thing, "You MADE that?!" They were so impressed with my skills and my product, not to mention the taste, that they began asking me, "How did you do that?" When I told them how EASY truffle making was, they didn't believe me!

I started teaching friends and family how to make the candy, including molds, dipped fruits and other fun creations. Then I went to a class taught locally and that's when I knew, "I can do this! I can teach people to do this!"

I had experience in web design and graphic design from years past, so half of the battle was over. Designing a website and making it great was easy! Once I realized I was going to start a business, the sleepless nights and the THINKING came. Ideas flowed into my head like a faucet! (Or shall I say, like a chocolate fountain!) The name, An Occasional Chocolate, came to me at 3AM and that's when I knew I was in trouble.

I gathered three other professionals with same passion as me, and we brainstormed for months. We researched products, came up with ideas based on things we read or saw on the Internet, and sough out our competition.

What I discovered was that there wasn't much in the way of information or products for beginners and intermediates. It seemed you either had to read an over-your-head website or dig deep to find different ways of doing things. I knew I could help people make these beautiful treats, and help them get as excited as I was! I could even offer all the really hard-to-find ingredients and teach them how to use them. So my business began...

What has been your biggest struggle finding customers and how did you overcome that struggle?

My biggest struggle was finding people who already love to make candy, but were looking for more ideas, new recipes, and things to add to their recipes. I began to write and write and write! I wrote articles, blog entries, and recipes. I posted comments in recipe-related blogs, candy forums, local chat rooms and tons of other places. I designed my web pages with the search engines in mind. I wanted people to find me on the Internet.

Once people got to my website I wanted them to bookmark my website, sign up for my, or order something! So with that in mind, I began my marketing strategy and continue to market my business today. And you know what? It's working! I now have a large following of customers and it's really exciting to watch the momentum grow!

If you could share just one tip with our readers about the value of persistence, what would it be?

Persistence is the key to momentum. Never relax, and always be working: talk about your business, write articles, blog, ask for link swaps from similar companies, network, and network some more. The toughest time to be persistent is when you don't feel you are getting any results. Even if you haven't had a sale in five days, keep moving! Your time will come!

Visit her at http://www.anoccasionalchocolate.com/

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