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Chocolates for Chocoholics

Description of Company:

The demand for chocolates and gifts is traditionally much greater at Christmas and Easter so we concentrate on developing two specific ranges to take advantage of these periods. We have also recently developed a new range of Celebrations products and favours that are aimed at weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, retirement parties, business incentives etc. Most of our products are developed 'in house' by our own staff and are not available via the normal retail trade. We pride ourselves on producing products that are of premium quality, visually very attractive and offer excellent value for money. We operate out of 20,000sq ft of offices and storage we are able to hold substantial stocks during key periods.

Work Description:

The majority of the distribution of our products is carried out by self employed entrepreneurs who are  given the opportunity to create a thriving business in their own locality. With prices starting at 25p to 30p and rising to £20+, we aim to be able to offer  something for every gift buying occasion. The range is also split into categories e.g. boys, girls, mums etc and this makes it easy to select suitable gifts. With a collection this appealing the role of the Distributor is not really as a 'salesperson' but is better described as marketing. With so many prospective consumers out there, the key task for a Distributor is to identify suitable locations to promote the range.  For the great majority of people arranging Chocolate Parties is easy as fortunately there is never a shortage of potential hostesses. In line with any business you will also need to allow sufficient time for summarising your customer's orders, financial control - eg banking and also sorting your weekly delivery into each individual order. All of these tasks will take time but can be fitted around your other commitments.

Average hours per week:

This really depends on whether you view this as a ‘hobby’ or a way to earn a reasonable income. The demand for Chocolate Parties during the lead up to Christmas and Easter can be high and many of our Distributors could book parties every night if they wanted to. As a self-employed distributor the choice is yours, if you would like to maximise the business you do then you could easily put in as many hours a week as you would by doing a full time job. If your family circumstances do not allow this then you will need to limit the Chocolate Parties that you book.Since our Distributors normally only operate for 17 weeks a year the majority of them take the view that they will work harder during that period if it means that you do not have to work at all during school holidays or the long summer break if you choose not to.

Investment required:

In order to organise successful events a Distributor will need a display kit and we supply them with a comprehensive range of products at the start of each season. The cost of this kit varies from season to season and we will be happy to advise prospective Distributors of the current investment if they contact us. It is supplied at a discounted price and is normally sold off by the end of the season to allow the Distributor to recoup their original investment.  There is other no 'up-front franchise fee' to pay and no monthly admin fees. 

We also include FREE with the starter package:

• An initial ‘familiarisation ‘ day at Hurst where you learn something about chocolate and how we work.
• Sufficient brochures to last you for a typical season, typically several hundred copies. 
• Selected tasting samples to hand out to guests at Chocolate Parties,
• Gifts for hostesses, and customers who collect brochure orders, who achieve specified sales levels,
• Deliveries to your home during our two seasons,
• Leads from our website,
• Support and backup from our office as required. 

Earning Potential:

This is where you set the limits. During our Winter 2007 season the average Chocolate Party our Distributors held was just over £ 400. If you were to do three parties a week with that average you would sell about £1,200 a week. As we supply our Distributors with a substantial number of free brochures each season you are able to hand them out to local fundraisers, playschools and nurseries, scouts etc and these can easily produce orders worth a few hundred £’s a week.  Over the course of the ten-week season this could produce a combined sales of around £15,000. This would generate a gross profit of £ 2,250. Your main costs to come out of that would be your postage, telephone and fuel. Realistically this should leave you with a net profit of about £ 200 a week 

Experience Required:

None whatsoever, in fact sometimes we find that people who approach this from an open mnded point of view are more successful than others with lots of previous experience. Amongst our current Distributors we have mums with small children, others with teenagers, and some whose children have all left home. We also have some retired and semi-retired couples. The only real criteria is a desire to be successful and make lots of money!

Training & Support:

All new Distributors are invited to attend a free one-day 'Familiarisation' meeting at our offices in Hurst. On that day we cover a wide variety of subjects that are designed to help you be as successful as possible. This meeting is normally held on a Friday and is timed to coincide with a twice yearly product range launch that takes place the following day. In cases where an overnight stay in a local hotel would be appropriate, this is supplied at our cost. 

Car Required:

You certainly need to be able to drive and have your own vehicle to carry your display kit and make deliveries.  

Storage Required:

You also need suitable storage facilities at home for your display kit and deliveries.  As chocolate is a perishable food product it needs to be stored in a cool dry place, away from strong smells. During a Christmas season it is not uncommon for a new Distributor to sell £1500 to £2000 a week and you will need adequate room at home to sort and store this amount of stock. If you are well organised you should be able to sort and deliver the bulk of the stock within a day or so but it will help if you have somewhere to store excess stock or undelivered orders.

For more information:

E-mail:chocolates for chocoholics
Telephone: 01189 321043
Website: chocolate parties income opportunity

Name: Melanie
Location: Bridgend, South Wales
Family: Leah 5 and Isabelle 2

I discovered Chocoholics after picking up a brochure at my children’s playschool and decided to buy lots of Christmas gifts for my family. I then thought that if it was good enough for me to buy then maybe there was an opportunity for me to get involved selling the range. I contacted the company and one of their team came down to Bridgend to explain how it all worked. I talked it over with my husband and we decided to give it a try and we have not looked back since.

Having two little girls meant that I wanted to find way of earning money that did not affect them too much. This meant that I preferred to be out in the evenings when they were in bed or during the day  when they were at school/nursery.  My work  as a Chocoholics Distributor   met this requirement perfectly and as it  is concentrated in the winter months I do not have to work at all in the summer or over school holidays.

When I first started selling the Chocolates for Chocoholics range I did not realise just how popular it was and as I was reluctant to turn away business. The unexpected demand meant I probably worked more hours that I expected  but all the while I was working I was also earning money T h e work is very flexible  so  I tended to spend most of my spare time  involved in some aspect of my business  but was able to stop when I needed to be with my children. It was hard work but the money I earned made it worthwhile.

I am free to work wherever  I want to but with a product like chocolate it is not really hard to find lots of customers close to home. I find that most of my business comes from the Chocolate Parties I book but an increasing amount also comes via  the  brochures I distribute. In my area there are lots of places like churches, charities, playschools and nurseries, scouts and brownies, choirs, hospitals etc and they are all looking for ways to generate funds. As they can earn a commission on the sales of chocolate they make I find that they are very keen to collect lots of orders and this helps to boost my turnover.

I have never had to spend any money on advertising as I get lots of contacts via personal recommendations. The only form of advertising I have ever done was to put up a small laminated poster in my car!  Chocolate is one of those product that sells itself  

I attended  the company’s head office in the Reading area for a day to learn all about the range  and as I live quite a long way from their offices they offered to put me up in a hotel so that I could also attend their new product launch the following day. There were quite a few Distributors from all over the country who were there as well and it was interesting to meet and talk to  them.

The only downside I found was that it was very intense for a short period  but  I enjoyed the challenge and made lots of new friends. Certainly, I would recommend this to anyone who is prepared to work hard to achieve what they want.