Steal This Job
Sweet Tooth: Confectioner
Heather Dressel (above) is the owner of Severna Park, Md.-based clevergirlconfections.com.
(Claire Duggan)
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Who's Blogging  |
Monday, December 5, 2005; 4:08 PM
HEATHER DRESSEL, 29
JOB: Owner of Severna Park, Md.-based clevergirlconfections.com
SALARY: "All the chocolate covered pretzels I can eat," Dressel joked. Running a one-woman start-up means that most of her earnings go straight back into the business.
EDUCATION: Bachelor's in theater from American University
WHAT SHE DOES: Dressel launched Clever Girl in 2004 as a Web-based business specializing in custom chocolate and candy gifts for holidays and special occasions. In addition to the day-to-day operations of the company, Dressel cooks up her own goodies, such as the gourmet caramel apples above, and constructs elaborate gift baskets. Since the candy business typically thrives during the holiday season, she fills the slower spring and summer months with goodies for weddings and baby showers. Recently married herself, Dressel enjoys working with brides to come up with unique favors, like edible chocolate boxes filled with truffles (done in the wedding's colors, of course). And then there's the tasting -- "lots of tasting!"
WOULD YOU WANT HER JOB? Life isn't always a box of chocolates. Dressel juggles many mundane responsibilities, such as placing orders, keeping the books and making deliveries, so good time management is a must to survive. And though she does hire some freelance help, she mostly works alone, so loneliness can set in. "It would be nice to have someone around constantly to bounce ideas off of," she said. This also presents a challenge when whipping up sweets. "Last Christmas I did 150 petite caramel apples for an event, which couldn't be made ahead of time since I don't use preservatives," she recalled. "I was up for two days with a one-hour nap in between."
HOW YOU CAN GET HER JOB: Dressel comes from a family of entrepreneurs -- Mom owned her own candy store in New Jersey -- so she's learned a lot from experience. For those not so lucky, she recommends taking a chocolate-making class to see if you have the stomach for it, because "chocolate can be temperamental." Try L'Academie de Cuisine for classes.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: The National Confectioners Association and the Chocolate Manufacturers Association.
This article originally appeared in the Express on September 12, 2005.
