The owner knew me because her store used to be across the street from my house. For variety, replace the chocolate chips with an equal quantity of M&M's or chocolate chunks. I was 15 years-old and looking for my first job in the real world when I walked into a little chocolate shop in my hometown. How did grit and resilience lead to your eventual success? You learn to develop strong bonds quickly and you cling to those friendships through thick and thin. I like the Mother Teresa quote that if you can’t feed a hundred then feed one. Cast. view all. Chocolate Pizza Company supports a host of local charities and those are all important. You never know what your idea can trigger. You want to go for a dozen deep red long stem roses at a minimum. These are great for family reunions, parties, barbecues, potlucks, or late-night snacks. At one point, I had 5 brick-and-mortar operations and it almost sank the ship. We are extremely adaptable and that has allowed us to earn some very big business. Wonderful. I made a semi sweet scratch frostng to go on top that really balanced well. My mom was killed when I was 9-years-old by a man high on drugs who ran a stop sign as she drove home from work. The most noticeable impact on my company is that I am far more in control of the operation now — not from a micromanagement standpoint but rather from a confidence perspective. Sales are more than 5 times what they were in 2010, and last year we saw online sales grow by nearly 300%. I’ll give you an example. Learn more, Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. My journey to own Chocolate Pizza Company started with stacks of dirty dishes. I have definitely incorporated these 5 things into how I lead and how my company operates. We sat in her living room and worked through numbers, timelines, payouts, consequences. Long story short, we loaded 9 semi-tractor trailers filled to the brim with 31,000 Chocolate Pizzas a week ahead of schedule. I played sports all my life but my experience in college as a walk-on place kicker at Syracuse University cemented that intense respect and fondness for a team. I didn’t want it to be about me or the novelty of a twenty-something owner. We have been featured on Food Network, Hallmark Channel, National Geographic, CNBC and more. I knew the direction I wanted to take the company and I had a plan to get us there. I wish someone had told me to succeed first, expand later. To cast them on all the children on Halloween eve. The last 5 years we have put our focus on building the brand and found that was how we would grow the business. October 27, 2012 at 4:12 am. Reply. – Joe. Today, my sales are 5 times what they were back then and we do it all from our one facility in Marcellus. Ben Crawford. He is a 40 Under Forty awardee and was honored as “Young Alumnus of the Year” by SU’s Whitman School of Management. The 2021 season of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! My family’s influence has obviously been paramount — I am not successful without their unconditional love and support. The education and advisors I had at college helped me write an outstanding business plan. Avocado Cucumber Maki and... view review. amee1122 5 comments. On the positive, they say bold, original, and practical are natural strengths of an Entertainer as is a vibrant embrace of life and a highly social skill set that is happiest spending time with family and friends. in the role of. They could make a sale on their own. I trained hard and in my travels was fortunate to meet a professional kicking coach from Virginia named Paul Woodside. And I did. My mom (stepmom), Jeannette, is also my godmother and a very special person in my life from a young age. Bake up the ultimate shareable cookie. I’m working on … About The Interviewer: As Exec. I made that first payroll and every payroll since, but you must be ready to dance along the edge of the cliff more than a few times to keep your doors open. view all. One of their buyers had dealt with us in the past at a previous company and had great things to say about the quality of our products and team. October 25, 2012 at 9:21 pm. By that I mean that there is a difference between making a sale and earning a customer. Shaking his hand, we said, “Thank you for your service.” He opened the pizza box, saw the special Chocolate Pizza and could barely compose himself to reply, “Thanks.” My late grandfather served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 so this was personal for me too. won't premiere for a few weeks, but the list of stars appearing on the show have already leaked. My godmother, family, friends, neighbors, teachers all rallied to my side and kept me from being consumed by the grief of her loss. So, each time I’ve made this, it’s been kind of a mess; it never looks like the pictures in the books or the pretties I’ve seen online.And each time it’s come out of the oven and been brushed with that sugar syrup, it looks like I meant to do … Every person who has ever worked for my company is part of our success today. It is an evolving environment where some things work, some don’t, some don’t work like you expect so sometimes new faces and skill sets are necessary. My first hurdle was just being able to buy the business. I had a dream coming out of high school to make the Syracuse University football team as a place kicker. Thank you for your patronage. Chocolate makes people happy and I wanted to be in a business that made people smile. They’re a sweet-salty culinary contradiction that should not work but do and people go crazy for them. These are our top-selling chocolate specialty and are rippled potato chips covered in creamy peanut butter and drenched in milk or dark chocolate. Today, I enjoy as many sunsets as I can. Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? One of his six strategies is “Celebration” because of the impact it has on staying positive. Starting as a junior copywriter and moving up to Exec. Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? So, any advantage or nugget of wisdom that makes the lift a little lighter has value in itself and that’s where I hope some of what I’ve shared today can be useful to others. I definitely had Chocolate Pizza in my blood from a very young age! We summited just in time to scramble for cover under a nearby overhang while Oden unleashed a barrage of thunder and lightning the like of which I had never seen. I asked the owner to teach me everything about making chocolate and about her business and over the years she did. We’re going to make it this way going forward. Cast; The Creative Team; Ben Crawford. I’m cold, soaking wet, ducking with every bolt of lightning and crack of thunder but somehow incredibly proud that we made the trip, stood on the summit and were somehow surviving the apocalypse. The barrier now is that elevated minimum wage mandates are forcing employers to reduce the number of entry level hires and cut hours of existing staff. Authority Mag is devoted primarily to sharing interesting feature interviews of people who are authorities in their industry. I’m even writing a book! Thank you so much for joining us! He demonstrated the kicking motion he wanted me to perform — pushing off with my left leg as I swung my right leg forward as if kicking an invisible football. In the exuberance of my youth, I set out to grow the business by adding more retail locations. The alchemy that turns butter, sugar, eggs, and flour into cake … October 27, 2012 at 4:09 am. Vegan Black Bean &... view review. When the name of your company and your signature product is “Chocolate Pizza” communicating what you actually are can sometimes make you smile. I wanted to replicate the close environment and keep my team intact. I said, “Of course!”, hung up the phone and wondered what had I just done. She died when I was 9 but she started me down this path I’m on now as a leader. In 2010, six years after being hired as a dishwasher, she gave me that opportunity. Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard? Whatever they call them, we smile and explain that there is no chicken here but trust us these wings will be your new favorite. (Roasted pieces in a cast iron pan with a few drops of liquid sweetener.) Now that you have gained this experience and knowledge, has it affected or changed your personal leadership philosophy and style? We set out to summit a challenging peak near his home in Durango. You are a person of great influence. The scenery was stunning — an impressive peak nestled in a remote range, no trails, no park rangers, no benches at scenic outlook spots — every spot was a postcard as we made our own way up the terrain.