Back of the Napkin unfolds the ideas and innovations that help small business owners drive customer loyalty, develop, and retain employees and grow revenue—as told by the people who risked it all to chase their dream. Hosts Karen Stoychoff from SurePayroll and entrepreneur Dusty Weis talk with small business owners from across the country about their inspiration, success, hard knocks, lessons learned and relentless entrepreneurial spirit. The insights shared by the small business owners featured on Back of the Napkin are especially important as the number of new business start-ups are increasing dramatically across the U.S. According to a recent report from the National Bureau of Economic Research, new business applications from the second half of 2020 through May 2021 mark the greatest on record since 2004. At SurePayroll, we empower the dreams of small business. From online payroll, health insurance, 401(k), workers’ comp, pre-employment screening, and more, SurePayroll makes it easier for small business owners to focus less on payroll and taxes and spend more time doing what they love and do best. Subscribe to Back of the Napkin on your favorite podcast app.Read more »
Back of the Napkin unfolds the ideas and innovations that help small business owners drive customer loyalty, develop, and retain employees and grow revenue—as told by the people who risked it all to chase their dream. Hosts Karen Stoychoff from SurePayroll and entrepreneur Dusty Weis talk with small business owners from across the country about their inspiration, success, hard knocks, lessons learned and relentless entrepreneurial spirit. The insights shared by the small business owners featured on Back of the Napkin are especially important as the number of new business start-ups are increasing dramatically across the U.S. According to a recent report from the National Bureau of Economic Research, new business applications from the second half of 2020 through May 2021 mark the greatest on record since 2004. At SurePayroll, we empower the dreams of small business. From online payroll, health insurance, 401(k), workers’ comp, pre-employment screening, and more, SurePayroll makes it easier for small business owners to focus less on payroll and taxes and spend more time doing what they love and do best. Subscribe to Back of the Napkin on your favorite podcast app.Read Less
Renata and Andrei Stoica from tinyB Chocolate in San Francisco, started a business based on the brigadeiro, a Brazilian confection. A brigadeiro is similar to – yet distinctly different from – fudge, ganache, truffles, or bonbons. The sweet, creamy, intensely flavored bite is perfect to scoop from a jar (spoons optional), gently shape into a ball, and roll in a variety of sweet or savory toppings.
The Stoica’s leveraged their passion for the brigadeiro into a virtual team-building experience that has since expanded to 52 countries and more than 31,000 orders, unwrapping a sweet spot in the competitive boutique chocolate marketplace. While company growth has been impressive, the Stoica’s at times traveled a rocky road.
Bytes of Chocolate
When tinyB Chocolate first started, tech entrepreneur Andrei was used to working in an arena where a solution was almost self-explanatory. Coding either worked or it didn’t. With their chocolate company, Andrei stepped into a business in a very crowded category where you had to differentiate. “Differentiation in marketing was a much bigger part of the business,” said Andrei. “And I wasn't as prepared for it as I should have been.” Read More ...
In addition, in the tech industry you tend to let a product come into its own before you come out with a 2.0 or 3.0 version. With chocolate, it is much easier to make changes by adding a new flavor and get instant feedback from customers. This allows for more experimentation and a constantly evolving product line. “In the beginning, I developed five flavors of chocolate and he (Andrei) wanted to keep only these flavors in the menu,” said Renata. “That's how technology works. If you have that product, let's sell that product. Chocolate is different, you have to be more creative and bring more different experiences for the customers.”