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Don't miss out on the inspiring talks and ideas at TEDxLogan Circle 2024 – secure your tickets today!
Sarah Dwyer, Owner and Founder of Chouquette Chocolates
What does the Washington D.C. community mean to you?
I grew up in the DMV and have lived here for most of my life. The D.C. community is the one that helped me start my business, gave me ideas, and eventually helped the company flourish into what it is today.
What fun facts may your fans and customers be surprised to learn about?
I actually trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris! This is where I learned how to make the chocolates that can be found in our store today. We also proudly employ individuals living with differing abilities. It's not charity, it's smart business!
Why do you think highlighting community innovators is important?
Community innovators are the ones who will advance our society and transform it. If these people aren’t highlighted and given a space to grow, our society will stay the same instead of improving and becoming something new! Everyone deserves a chance to be highlighted for their achievements and ideas, and TedxLogan Circle does this!
Why was your company created? What is “your why”?
I am a chocolate lover - from my first memories of making gingerbread houses with my mom in the early 1970s, to the halloween hauls of the 1980s, truffle gorging in the 1990s, to finally creating my own inspired treats in 2010. Making caramels in small batches, slowly cooking sugar to the perfect color, and infusing cream with real and natural ingredients, my team and I handcraft delightful and beautiful treats from the inside out.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received was to be myself and not be afraid of changing careers to do what I was really passionate about. I had a career in sales when I came out of college but I never really enjoyed it. I would work all day at my job and then come home and experiment with chocolate. My friends enjoyed the fruits of my endeavors, ha. But one of them came up to me one day and told me that it was okay to want to change careers in order to do what I loved to do. So I followed her advice. I quit my job, moved to Paris to train at Le Cordon Bleu, and then came back and established Chouquette Chocolates.
What’s your advice on building a good company culture? What values are important for your company, and how did you build that culture?
Building a good company culture is all about the people that work at the company. I employ lots of individuals with differing abilities and they all bring so much to the company. I hire many high school and college students who are looking for a job that they can do at the same time as school. And many end up staying with the company for years. I encourage everyone to be their true self and to not hesitate to tell me when they aren’t feeling well, when something is going on at home, or when they simply need to talk to someone.
What is your favorite advice on how to manage your time and energy?
Know when you are most productive and when you need to stop. Over the years, I have realized that I am most productive in the mornings until about 1 or 2 p.m., and then I slowly become less productive and concentrated until about 3 - 4 p.m., when I usually go home. I am also most creative when I first get to work in the morning, so my first tasks are always the most creative ones. It is okay to become less productive and focused as the day goes on, it is simply how most of us work. Once I realized and accepted that, I became so much more confident in what I was able to do. I no longer felt embarrassed or guilty for not working long days, but my days are always over nine hours anyway. Knowing myself and my capabilities is the most important thing I realized when I started this business and it is also the thing I have carried over all these years.
ChouQuette Chocolates
Chouquette Chocolates creates chocolates for all occasions and has stock and custom options ready for weddings, events, gifts, hotel amenities, gift shops, celebrations, and so much more!
Don't miss out on the inspiring talks and ideas at TEDxLogan Circle 2024 – secure your tickets today!