The Hustle
Years in Tampa Bay
Approximately 33
Hustle (job)
Co-founder and Director of Marketing
What do you do?
Champagne Truffle Co. makes truffles with lots of love. We can ship or hand deliver for those in Tampa Bay. Each order arrives with our premium packaging and includes a personal note, our words or yours. While we are currently offering cookies and cream, mint, and peanut butter chocolate, our small but mighty business is able to be innovative and experiment with new flavors all the time.
Why do you do it?
Saying how we feel in our family hasn’t always been easy. We have an unspoken love language of good food, wine, and yes, lots of chocolate. In those moments when we gather in the kitchen and bake, so much gets expressed. Our number one reason for doing what we do is our love of eating indulgent foods that we want to share with the world. A close second is that we saw first-hand how this very unique gift can help grow a small business. After selling our home care business in 2017, we still have referral sources calling to ask about our truffles.
What was your Catalyst? (How did you get started?)
My mom, head baker at The Champagne Truffle Co., has inspired multiple generations by helping to develop a love of baking and chocolate in all of us. Our family puts a premium on starting traditions, and mastering the art of self-care through baking. One holiday season, after having excess inventory of truffles, my husband began gifting our chocolates to his clients. Almost instantaneously, we were bombarded with requests to purchase our product. The excitement of the overwhelming response, coupled with my family’s interest and vision to start a business, allowed for the perfect catalyst to start The Champagne Truffle Co.
What’s a common misconception or unknown aspect of what you do?
The flavor profile of our truffle can be perceived as simplistic. They melt in your mouth and everyone swoons over them, but often times people assume they know the ingredients. The process to make our truffle is actually very complex. People often times incorrectly assume they are easy to replicate. Unless you know how to do it, it’s impossible. Don’t try these at home.
What’s the most challenging part of your Hustle?
Building a luxury/high-end brand through social media.
What’s the most valuable piece of business advice/insight that’s helped you?
I’m married to a business coach who is passionate about growing small businesses. So, luckily, I’m getting valuable pieces of business advice all the time. The number one principle that helped The Champagne Truffle Co., was taking the time to create an accountability chart. Developing clarity on each of our roles within the company, has allowed the leadership team to efficiently and respectfully hold each other accountable in a manner that is open and honest. This structure and organization allows us to compartmentalize the “to-do” list, making each person’s responsibilities seem less daunting and more manageable.
