Business Startup

Sharlotte Bamber was made redundant from her job as a Senior Lean Engineer for Leyland Trucks in April 2009 having worked there for almost 15 years. Sharlotte, 38, decided to take the opportunity the redundancy presented and saw it as the ideal time for a change of career.

A self-confessed chocoholic, Sharlotte dreamed of running her very own chocolatiers, but with no business or confectionery making skills as such, she didn’t quite know how to go about achieving her dream.

After six months of redundancy, Sharlotte’s husband encouraged her to go on a local chocolate course. Meanwhile, she also gained help from South Ribble Council’s Business Venture Group (BVG), which provides support and advice to small businesses, both at the start up stage and beyond.

In December 2009 Choco-Lotty was born, offering bespoke chocolate gifts ranging from seasonal goods, such as Easter eggs and chocolate snowmen, to fully edible chocolate boxes, wedding displays and daffodils.

Sharlotte says: “When I was made redundant I realised it was the perfect time for me to look for a more creative role that would allow me to have a better work life balance. I've always loved chocolate and I thought my engineering skills would come in handy as a chocolatier as they enable me to be much more creative and adventurous than most chocolatiers would be.

“BVG helped me with business matters that I really didn’t have all that much experience in, such as financial planning and management. They also acted as business mentor to me, so I was able to bounce any ideas I had off them and get their honest, but supportive, feedback.
 

“Best of all, BVG effectively act as a holding hand for new start ups. They were always there for me when I needed them, encouraging me and providing helpful advice. They took the time to understand my vision for the business from day one and really helped me in any way they could, even with generating publicity for Choco-Lotty, for which I’m extremely grateful, as it’s helped raise awareness of my product range.”

Sharlotte also specialises in creating one-of-a-kind chocolate gifts to order. Recently she created a fully edible chocolate camper van, which was just under one foot long. The 3D chocolate creation was a wedding gift from the bride’s mother, as she had hired a camper van to take her daughter to the church on her wedding day.

Sharlotte adds: “When I have a particularly big chocolate creation to make like the camper van, in addition to all of my other orders, it can be challenging, plus, as a food manufacturer there are lots of legal matters which I have to be aware of, but the advantages far outweigh any qualms I might have about the day-to-day running of my own business.

“I’m now much happier because I have a job which I’m really passionate about. I can also pick and choose the hours I work which has allowed me to have a better work life balance and I take great pride and reward in seeing my customers enjoy my products.”