Cindy Sanche calls herself an entrepreneur by nature. In 2008 she purchased her first business, Choc’oWrap, and dove head-first into the chocolate industry.
Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Cindy is a one-woman show, designing and selling custom-wrapped and personalized chocolates. Her unique bars make memorable giveaways for businesses at corporate events and trade shows. (Some of the company’s bigger clients include the Toronto Blue Jays, Toshiba and McDonald's.) And they’re a one-of-a-kind addition to celebrations like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and holidays.
Wherever Cindy ships her sweet packages in Canada and the U.S., recipients savor them. Just check out the customer testimonials on www.chocowrap.com, including this one from bride-to-be Barb in Calgary:
“Thank you very much, the Chocolate Bars look EXCELLENT!!! Your attention to detail is superb, from the packing of the bars, all the way down to the card for Dave & I. I will definitely be recommending you to my many other bride-to-be friends. Thank you again sooo much!”
Getting to work with chocolate all day might sound like a delicious dream job, but Cindy — a certified master chocolatier and self-described “family lady who loves animals and randomly pets cows and horses on the side of the road” — says she enjoys the creativity and everything it takes to run a successful business just as much.
Chocowrap.com: an online showcase
Cindy says she takes an organic approach to promoting her business, starting with her website. It’s where most new customers learn about Choc’oWrap and enjoy their first experience with the company. “A website is how I do all my business,” Cindy says. “That’s where I get all my sales.”
Chocowrap.com serves as a showcase for all the amazing products and services the company offers, provides customers with pricing information, and helps Cindy close sales. The website’s advanced e-commerce features enable customers to place orders online, and they can feel confident that their information is safe while they shop because the website is secured with an SSL from GoDaddy.
Cindy says more than 75 percent of her sales come from out-of-province orders, customers who have found her online. She credits some of that success to her descriptive, easy-to-remember .com domain name:
“Having the perfect website and domain name means people remember who I am with ease, which makes me stand out.”
And while she already has the perfect domain name for her business, Cindy’s entrepreneurial spirit means she’s bought more than one, with help from GoDaddy’s domain name services. “I tend to buy a few domain names in case I need them or want to sell them,” she says.
Importance of email
Small business owners know how important it is to stay in close contact with their customers using email, and Cindy is no exception. She offers her customers the choice of placing their custom orders directly on the website or contacting her via phone or her professional, domain-based email address.
Due to the personal nature of her business and the uniqueness of each wrapper design, Cindy says most of her customers end up contacting her directly through email. “There’s just so much back and forth, having to receive graphic files and many different types of questions,” she explains. It’s a process that lends itself to the precise nature of email.
24/7 website support
Cindy updates her website independently. She feels comfortable maintaining certain pieces of information on her website, such as prices for her products and services. But when making larger changes or more complex updates — especially to parts of her site she is unfamiliar with managing — she knows she can call on GoDaddy Support for assistance and advice.
“I’m relieved every time I call,” she says. “There is always a learning curve when you do something new, and GoDaddy understands what I’m saying. They’re very knowledgeable, and they walk me through everything. It’s great to have the help and know you have someone in your corner. It’s all been a great experience.”
And what’s next for Cindy? She hopes her master chocolatier certification will open up new business opportunities, including more custom work. Always the entrepreneur, she envisions launching another company — and you can bet this will be a sweet venture, too.
Want to hear more from Cindy? Check out her recent article in the Edmonton Examiner about the dos and don’ts of online stores.
