The Sweet Side of Life
Tali Abkowitz
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Freestyle Academy for giving me the opportunity to do such amazing projects like this, and also to Laura and Michael Chan for so graciously answering my many questions about their store.
3
Table of Contents Preface
7
Introduction
9
Chapter 1
11
Chapter 2
17
Chapter 3
23
Conclusion
27
Works Cited
29 5
Preface I first noticed Gourmet Works a few months ago while I was walking down Main Street in downtown Los Altos, California. I was intrigued by the colorful window display. It was lined with colorful bottles, decorative fabrics, and delectable chocolates. When I first walked inside I was immediately surrounded by the sweet smell of chocolate. Being a chocolate lover my whole life, I was in heaven. In January, when we were first introduced to the Documentary project here at Freestyle, I knew exactly what I wanted to explore: Gourmet Works! This Shangri-La of sweets doesn’t only sell delicious confections but they also offer oils, vinegars, lotions, and much much more. When I was first given this assignment I was honestly oblivious to the process of making a book. Writing for print is difficult, and it not only takes knowledge but passion to be successful. Designing this book in InDesign was by far my favorite part. Choosing a color scheme and choosing the photos was very fascinating for me. Overall, I have put a tremendous amount of effort into putting this book together. I hope that through reading this book, you not only learn about what goes into creating a small business, but how to make a business unique. I encourage anyone who reads this book to visit Gourmet Works, you won’t regret it! Remember, chocolate makes everything better. I hope you enjoy reading my book :)
7
Introduction Imagine yourself walking down Main Street in downtown Los Altos. You smell the sweet scent of choco late in the distance and you follow the scent until it leads you into the store. You walk in and your heart drops, there are specialty chocolates everywhere... You see milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and even white chocolate. You’ve never seen a sight so deliciously beautiful before. You are in confectionary heaven. Not only do you see sweets galore, you see teas, lotions, spices, oils, vinegars, books, crackers, aprons, and dips. Now, back to reality. Creating a successful culinary business is not as easy as it may sound. It takes hard work, dedication, and lots of motivation. Gourmet Works was started by two people who had a passion for sweets and specialty gifts. But how did they create such an honorable enterprise? How did the owners market this business in order to cater to all customers? How did this store come to be? Gourmet Works sells artisan chocolates, specialty foods, and unique gifts. They have have been a family owned business in downtown Los Altos for over 25 years. The store has formerly been called Cheese Works, Fudge Works, and The Works, before eventually settling on Gourmet Works. This mecca of sweets is nestled deep in the town of Los Altos, using excellent marketing techniques to sell amazing products. “It’s important to know what your brand stands for, what makes it special, and its benefit. You also need to know who your target audience is and make that benefit clear and obvious to them” (Neill). The author of Tips for Building a Powerful Brand Identity for Your Small Business, Ms. Neill, states the first step to creating a successful business is understanding what your brand stands for. She talks about how you need to just be yourself. Neill goes on to state that “creating a brand voice and social media strategy is essential.” Marketing is based on thinking about the business in terms of customer needs and their satisfaction. In order to effectively market a business you must make sure your store is accessible both online and on paper. Small businesses such as Gourmet Works depend on good marketing, receptiveness of clients, and variety in products in order to thrive. 9
Chapter 1 How To Create & Market a Small Business
T
he world of small businesses is extremely complicated and can change in an instant. “There are about 30 million small businesses in the United States and employ just over half of the country’s private workforce” (Benefits of Purchase). According to business experts, “of all the small business startups, one-third of them are profitable and successful, a third of them just about break-even and the rest of them are down with negative earnings” (“Benefits of Purchase”). Small businesses are the heart of America; small businesses are needed in order
for towns to survive. They help bring charm and small town life to any place. So how do we create them? How does a small business come to life? What goes into creating a business? What about branding a business? Will your merchandise cater to the majority of people? These are all questions you must ask yourself before creating a small business. The number one first thing you must do, before opening a store, is have a sellable idea that caters to the greater majority of your clients. Next you must connect with your customers and be
memorable. “Create compelling communications that emotionally connect with and motivate your customers to love your brand and buy from it” (Neill). When you walk into a store the first thing you usually hear is, “Hi, how are you?” This is the first step to connecting with your customers. Start the conversation. Then you can sell your product more effectively. Neill states that a “strong brands possess credible, relevant and distinctive brand promises.” Deliver, deliver, deliver. In order to keep a solid customer base, you must keep up quality merchandise. 11
Now that you know what it takes to start a business, let’s talk about how Gourmet Works plays into this. For Gourmet Works, their sellable item is chocolate and specialty gifts. They have both a website and a sign outside of their store to advocate for their store. They have a variety of cool things to buy from, a cool window display, and an amazing way of connecting with their customers needs. If you are familiar with downtown Los Altos, you would know that stores come and go quite often. Gourmet Works has been around for twentyfive years, which is remarkable for a store in the current demographics of Los Altos. The owner of the store, Laura, even says, “the greatest challenge in the last 2.5 years that we’ve owned Gourmet Works is staying ahead of the constantly changing merchandise, balanc12
ing trends and clients’ tastes” (Chan). Gourmet Works clearly knows how to run a business. It takes hard work and diligence to be a successful small business in a small town like Los Altos, and Gourmet Works has mastered that.
13
15
16
Chapter 2 Catering To Customer Needs, Including Those with Diabetes
A
ll your friends go to the local sweet shop after school every day. They spend all day at school thinking about homemade chocolate, candy, and sugar. But, you can’t eat the chocolate, candy, or sugar. You must exclude yourself from the edible extravaganza. This is because you have common condition called diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolic disease where your body has an inability to produce enough insulin, which results in elevated levels of glucose in your blood. Sounds scary, right? Keep reading. “In 2012, 29.1 million Ameri-
cans, or 9.3% of the population, had diabetes” (Statistics About Diabetes). In California alone, there are “3.9 million (13.8%)” people living with diabetes (The Mission Of The California Diabetes Program). Not only does diabetes restrict many aspects in an individual’s life, it also costs billions of dollars. DiabetesCoalitionofCalifornia.Org writes that “diabetes costs in California exceed $24 billion each year”. With an increase of stores that sell sugar-related items, paired with the fact that Americans overeat sugar infused foods, candy stores are helping to
make diabetes a growing problem in the United States. You would think that Gourmet Works, being a store that specializes in chocolates, must have a problem catering to the needs of people with diabetes. Laura Chan, who owns Gourmet Works with her husband, Michael, even states that “the greatest challenge is staying ahead of the constantly changing merchandise, balancing trends and clients’ tastes.” However, despite the everchanging tastes and dietary requests of their clientele, the owners of Gourmet Works have found a sweet solution: 17
sugar-free chocolates. They sell many different varieties of flavors of sugar free chocolates to their customers. Gourmet Works sells an assortment of flavors from Asher’s chocolate company, a specialty sugar free chocolate. One customer of Asher’s chocolates recalls that, “these are the best sugar free chocolates I have ever eaten” (Randall). Another frequent customer of Asher’s chocolates remembers that, “this is some of the best chocolate I’ve ever found” (Sugar Free Milk Chocolate Bars). Both of these sources discuss how they couldn’t tell the difference between sugar free chocolate and regular chocolate. It has become in18
creasingly popular to eat sugar free chocolate and Gourmet Works is right in line with the latest trends. Like any successful business, Gourmet Works is adapting to help their customers stay happy. Gourmet Works does
an excellent job of catering to their customers’ needs. A frequent customer, Melanie Abkowitz, even states that although she does not have any dietary restrictions, “[for] those that are chocolate lovers but are diabetics, there is
something special there for them. So there’s something there for everyone”.
“Diabetes costs in California exceed $24 billion each year.” -DiabetesCoalitionofCalifornia.Org
19
22
Chapter 3 It’s So Much More Than Just A Sweet Shop…
A
lthough Gourmet Works is primarily known for its in house hand-made decadent chocolates, they also specialize in other delights. When you walk in the store you first see an enormous glass case to the left filled with their speciality chocolates. You look to the right and see the walls lined with lotions scented from tangerines to peppermint. In the middle of the store are many tables, all decorated perfectly with other items such as olive oils, books, balsamic vinaigrette, and even teas. Laura Chan states, “I wish more people would know that we are so much more than just
a candy / chocolate shop, but that we also do make custom chocolates or candy packages perfect for gifts or party favors. We also carry a range of items for those who have dietary restrictions, including glutenfree and sugar-free (chocolates, candies, and various food items)”. Melanie Abkowitz, a regular Gourmet Works customer, recalls on many occasions seeing sugar free items in the store as well as gluten free items. Clearly, Gourmet Works is able to effectively promote and brand itself as way more than just a sweet shop. Gourmet Works is different from
other sweet shop type stores in that they sell much more specialty items other than just chocolates and candies.
23
Conclusion Creating a business is not an easy task. You must have a sellable item, a creative way of selling it, and a way to promote your shop. Gourmet Works does this remarkably well. Their sellable is homemade chocolate as well as specialty items such as jams, oils, vinegars, and lotions. Their store display is intriguing to the eye and they promote themselves both on the internet and on paper. Gourmet Works has put in a tremendous effort to become one of the latest and greatest specialty food and chocolate stores around. They have upheld the family oriented feel of the store as well as the numerous delicious home-made specialty items they sell. Gourmet Works not only knows how to create, market, and maintain a small business but they also know how to cater to their customers needs and go above and beyond for each and every single one of them. I feel very privileged to have done my project on them!
27
“There’s something there for everyone!” -Melanie Abkowitz, Customer
“We also carry a range of items for those who have dietary restrictions.” -Laura Chan, Owner
28
Works Cited Abkowitz, Melanie. Personal Interview. 10 March 2015. Apfelbaum, Joe. “Marketing Budget For Small Businesses.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 06 Mar. 2015. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. “Benefits of Purchase.” Business Management. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. Chan, Laura. Personal Interview. 26 February 2015. Chan, Michael. Personal Interview. 4 March 2015. “Looking Ahead: Opportunities and Challenges for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Owners.” N.p., Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. Neill, April. “Tips for Building a Powerful Brand Identity for Your Small Business.” Naperville Sun. N.p., 26 July 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. Randall, Kathleen. “Asher’s Sugar Free Milk & Dark Chocolate Assortment.”Robot Check. N.p., 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 02 Apr. 2015. Robinson, Nicole. “Five Things You Should Know Before Starting A Business.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 06 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. “Statistics About Diabetes.” American Diabetes Association. N.p., 19 Feb. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. “Sugar Free Milk Chocolate Bars.” N.p., 25 Aug. 2012. Web. 2 Apr. 2015. The Mission Of The California Diabetes Program. “2012 California Diabetes Program Fact Sheet.” 2012 California Diabetes Program Fact Sheet (n.d.): n. pag. Mar. 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. 29
About the Author Tali Abkowitz is a Junior attending Los Altos High School and Freestyle Academy. She lives in Mountain View with her mom, dad, brother, and dog. In her free time she loves to hike, ski, listen to music, and hang out with friends. Tali aspires to one day go to her dream college and study to become a pediatric nurse. 31