Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Hernan Lauber, Co-Founder of oodaalolly, located in El Cerrito, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Oodaalolly is a US-based, AAPI-owned Swiss chocolate maker that focuses exclusively on Philippine-sourced cacao and its ingredients. Our customers are chocolate lovers that are curious about Asian-inspired flavors and ingredients and who simply enjoy tasty, smooth, and interesting chocolate. Proudly Filipino but made for everyone. We put our own twist on classic chocolate combinations.

Tell us about yourself

I studied engineering, so I've always been interested in making and creating different things, and chocolate is my current focus. My father is a classically Swiss-trained pastry chef, chocolatier, chocolate maker, and business owner who has been involved in chocolate my entire life, so when I was young, I spent all my time working with and for him when I wasn't in school or studying. I never intended to follow in the family business, but there's something really incredible about making a product that people have an immediate reaction to - positive or negative. When people enjoy what we make, and you can see their faces light up, that's all the motivation we need. It feels good to spark joy in people with the products we make. My business partner, Jeremy Burnich, and I are always looking for what's new, interesting, or undiscovered, and we try to incorporate what we find in the various products we release.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

That's a hard one to answer because I am not sure we've achieved our biggest accomplishment yet, the goal posts always seem to move, but one thing I will say that is an accomplishment is when people just try and buy our chocolate in person... they have never heard of us, they aren't familiar with the brand, or that the Philippines grows amazing cacao, or they may not even be chocolate lovers. But when they taste it, and they are like, yum, that's good. I am buying one or a few of those; that is an accomplishment because that's why we do it.

We've had a few instances at pop-up events where someone will buy a bar for themselves on day 1 of the event, they will leave their chocolate at home, and their significant other will eat the entire bar without sharing, or they will eat the entire bar themselves even if was a gift for someone else. On day 2 of the event, they come back to buy more, and a lot of times, we've sold out because those flavors, in particular, are super popular. That shows us that we are sort of on the right track.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

The hardest thing is just constantly being able to bounce back from the emotional highs and lows that you go through as a business owner. Just like in anything else, win some, lose some, but regardless, you just need to put one foot in front of the other. Have faith that you can overcome obstacles.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Always ask more questions than you think you should - be curious about others and what they are interested in because that's how you learn the most and find the best win/win solutions for you and your partners.
  2. Be authentic - whatever that means to you. Everyone can spot a phony. No one wants to work with phonies.
  3. Make sure you have people around who can help pick you up when you need it because there are no silver bullets, and sometimes you are going to need help.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.oodaalolly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oodaalolly
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oodaalolly/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oodaalolly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oodaalolly/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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