Success Story: John Scharffenberger
October 9, 2007 by admin
Filed under Success Stories
It is refreshing to read about the ingredients of a person’s entrepreneurial success. U.S. News and World Report has a very interesting article, albeit last year, on John Scharffenberger, who founded several businesses including wines and gourmet chocolates. He co-founded Scharffen Berger chocolate with Robert Steinberg, the leading American fine-chocolate brand out there in the market today.
The article chronicles his pursuit of his passions, showing disregard for “conventional wisdom” and willingness to put in hard work and dedication. His story showcases the importance of giving customers the best quality products in attaining business success, and knowing the right routes to get these products to the consumers.
Some of the lessons he shares in the article include:
- Creating a good product is only half the battle. Distribution is the hard part
- Listen to your gut — even if it means ignoring conventional wisdom
- Expand gradually, ensuring quality and controlling costs along the way.
- Luck and timing counts in business success
As Scharffenberger said in an interview in The Early Show,
“Failure was never an option. We’ve just tried to look at life and make one little aspect of life as good as it could possibly be – and that’s chocolate.”
You can read the long article here
Related posts:
Yeah, it is always important to minimize expenditures and to gradually expand a business. In business, goods/services, niche market, customer service, plan, timing and luck are all required in order to succeed.