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Women.com presents

Entrepreneur Michelle Weitz
Starting Your Own Business

August 8, 1999

Entrepreneur, Michelle Weitz, talks with us today about how she started her own gourmet dessert company, Cordially Yours. Cordially Yours, was featured in the August issue of Victoria.

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HomeArts: Good afternoon, and welcome to our on-line chat with entrepreneur Michelle Weitz. Michelle's gourmet dessert company, Cordially Yours, was featured in the August issue of Victoria. Welcome Michelle!

Michelle Weitz: I'm pleased to be here and would be happy to share my experience that I've had in starting my own business. If I can be of assistance to anybody traveling down that road, I'd be happy to.

Sugarpie: Where did you come up with the idea for your business?

Michelle Weitz: Sugarpie, baking has kind of always been my passion; I just really love desserts - unfortunately for me - and I had some cake recipes that were particularly delicious and when I would serve them people just said, "You should try to sell these". And I started doing it in my own kitchen and it grew to the point where I really couldn't do that any longer. Launching a primarily mail and phone order business was really the route that I chose because I have two school-age children and that allowed me the freedom to not have a store front, you know, a retail location.

Samsmom: Did you find it hard breaking into the dessert market offering only cordial desserts?

Michelle Weitz: Samsmom, In some ways, yes. There is a segment of the population that will not try these desserts because of the liqueurs that they are made with, even though they cook out in the baking process. But we certainly have enough customers that really do love our cakes and we have a lot of business because they are so delicious. But we are now offering several non-liqueur flavors.

Loveschocolate: Did you create all of your recipes? If so where did you get your ideas from?

Michelle Weitz: Loveschocolate, well, one of the things that I do is I try to look at some of the different cordials and liqueurs that are on the shelves in the liquor stores and just try to imagine what those flavors would taste like with, say, a chocolate cake or a yellow cake - and also just family recipes that I've had.

Slowmotion: What kind of training or schooling do you have in the field of business and culinary arts?

Michelle Weitz: Slowmotion, well, actually I have no culinary training whatsoever. I have an undergraduate degree in French and Spanish education and I worked in the banking field for 15 years (I retired from banking in 1990; I was a Vice President).

Simpleton: How many different products do you market? Do you think it is better to be more diverse in selection or just have a few great products?

Michelle Weitz: Simpleton, well because this is what we do, I would say that it is better to be more of a specialist and have a few things and do them very well.

Blairsbabe: What kind of setbacks have you experienced and how did you overcome them in setting up your business?

Michelle Weitz: Blairsbabe, one of the setbacks that I've had is in the way that I've marketed the product. My initial approach was to exhibit at different holiday bazaars, - they call them "juried" shows - and you are not guaranteed to be admitted as a vendor year after year. And one of the things that I've had to learn is to try to explore other markets - going after corporate business with corporate gift-giving at the holidays and throughout the year, and also wholesaling.

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