From Spark to New Venture
From Spark to New Venture is a student-driven podcast from the University of Mary Washington (UMW), where undergraduates share the stories of entrepreneurs and their journeys from idea to venture. Each episode uncovers the sparks of inspiration, the challenges they faced, and the mindsets that helped them overcome obstacles in their journey. The goal of this podcast is to inspire students to learn entrepreneurial mindsets and bring them into everyday lives, taking action and learning from every step along the way.
From Spark to New Venture
Echo Chocolate: From Childhood Passion to Award Winning Chocolatier
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We had the pleasure of interviewing UMW’s softball pitching coach, Coach Echo, as she gave us a deep dive into her chocolate business. Echo has always had a love for chocolate, and turned her passion into profit, with Echo Chocolate opening in 2016. Echo shared her favorite moments as an entrepreneur, as well as some moments where she was not as confident with herself, painting a clear picture of ups and downs as a business owner. Business was booming! So much so, it was overwhelming as a solo chocolatier. Currently, her business is temporarily closed; however, she plans to reopen with reinforcements in the future. Coach Echo’s words for future entrepreneurs is to surround yourself with supportive, and honest people. She encourages others to “just go for it”, and “fail forward.” We loved the opportunity to take a look at the behind the scenes of being a chocolatier and entrepreneur.