Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

Inventory Expenses

$350

$14,750

Software Expenses

$150

$2,794

Website Costs

$13

$215

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$2,450

Total Startup Costs

$513

$27,209

Chocolate.com

chocolate.com

83,014

Totally Chocolate

totallychocolate.com

551,368

Harbor Sweets

harborsweets.com

582,956

L.A. Burdick Chocolates

burdickchocolate.com

763,820

Norman Love Confections

normanloveconfections.com

854,385

COCO

cocochocolatier.com

921,495

Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co.

oliveandsinclair.com

972,947

Bridgewater Chocolate

bridgewaterchocolate.com

1,508,969

Ridiculously Rich by Alana

ridiculouslyrichbyalana.co.uk

2,079,726

Abdallah Candies

abdallahcandies.com

2,221,237

Gourmet Chocolate Gifts

johnandkiras.com

2,238,447

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Little startup costs required

The cost to start a handmade chocolate business costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 12 to 27,209.

Rewarding work

Starting a handmade chocolate business can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

Traffic to your website

A handmade chocolate business gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you!

Crowded Space

Competition is high when it comes to your handmade chocolate business, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.

Finding The Right Supplier

Most businesses in this space go the supplier/manufacturer route, which isn't a bad thing! However, finding the right supplier can take a lot of time, energy and trial/error. If done properly, this process can save you months (if not years) of time and energy. More on this below in the "finding a supplier" section.

Security Issues

With any Saas business, data loss and security issues may arise throughout your process of building your product. It's critical that you understand exactly what you're responsible for and how to avoid potential issues down the road.

Lack of benefits

With a handmade chocolate business, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.

Isolation

Often times, as a handmade chocolate business, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.

Taxes

As a handmade chocolate business, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.