Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Wheeler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I was very unhappy at my corporate job, many of my colleagues were leaving and I was searching for my next career. One day a friend who had left the company called me about a job position at a chocolate company in Petosky which is not close to my house at all but it planted the seed for the chocolate idea. Our downtown had a chocolate shop at one time but the owner moved to Florida so I knew it could work. Another friend who had left the company actually had a small chocolate shop in the back of his restaurant so I asked him if he would teach me how to make chocolate. He agreed to train me and we worked on a plan for opening a shop in Downtown Owosso, It was really scary to leave a full time job that I had worked at for 13 years but I was miserable there and I had to take a leap of faith. Shortly after that I opened my chocolate shop in Downtown Owosso, MI We started slowly with a small shop and we stayed there for 5 years until we moved to a larger location in 2021.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into the chocolate business purely by a suggestion from a friend. We offer a full service chocolate shop which includes custom creations for parties, weddings, baby showers and other events. We have over 80 different selections on the daily just of things we make in house.

What I am most proud of is the love that we put into the chocolates we create. We bring our customers the best ingredients we can find. Our chocolate is fair trade certified which is extremely important to us no child labor is involved in the harvesting of the cacao beans. The nuts we use purchase are from a small family owned business in Wisconsin and are roasted and salted there. Our creams and caramel are made for us by another family owned company who makes it for us just before it is shipped.

Another thing we are so proud of is the relationships we build with our customers. Some are celebrating a new baby, a wedding, a birthday or anniversary. Some are coming in sad and need to take some chocolates to an elderly parent or someone who is sick and in the hospital. And this is the most important piece of that….WE LISTEN. We listen to our customers and their stories. We listen when they need to talk. This world is so fast paced and full of places who take your money without consideration of the person handing it to you. We slow down and listen and the blessing is truly ours because our customers become friends and we end up sharing our lives with them.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I love this question. Having been in management or business ownership for over 20 years I have a lot to say about this but I will try to streamline.

The first thing is to treat your employees with respect. Treat them as equals and ask them their opinions. Get them involved in the details. Too many businesses keep numbers, costs, ordering etc. so secretive that it ends up costing them money. Ex: I owned an ice cream parlor for 5 years. The kids who worked for me were…kids. So as I was working along side of them I saw them making a turtle sundae which has pecans on top. The kid making the sundae had more pecans on the counter than on the sundae. So after the customer left, I pulled the team over not to embarrass my employee but to educate the crew. I explained to them the cost of pecans and as I scooped up the pecans off the counter I told them as I held up my hand ” This is about $1 worth of pecans.” and I dumped them in the trash. After that I made the ice cream shop a profit sharing company with the kids and they had contested who could make sundaes without a single nut falling to the counter.

You have to take the time to share numbers on costs with your team. Education is key. It’s the why they need to be a better team member.

Praise is another key piece to managing a good team. Tell your employees when they do a good job and do it in front of others.

Collaboration. Ask your team for ideas. If a cashier is having an issue with the computer system, bagging, something not scanning properly, let them offer their ideas to fix it or make it better.

Clear communication. If a situation arrises and an employee needs to be corrected, use gentle correction, offer support and leave the meeting with good feelings. Don’t allow a disgruntled employee to leave your office, it poisons the rest of the team.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Offering a good product, great customer service, participating in community events, and most importantly- being open when we say we are open. Sticking to the hours posted on the door. People know they can count on us.

Contact Info:

• Website: Murtles.com
• Instagram: murtleschocolates
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/murtleschocolates

Image Credits
Melissa Wheeler Meghan Leonard