A Hot Entrepreneur-Katrina has a different meaning

[howard_two]

I came accross her story when reading an article on entrepreneurship. This is a great story. The Story of Katrina Markoff who was a chemistry major at Vanderbilt University when she realized as most of us entrepreneurs do that her interest in the subject was waning. After graduation, she decided to pursue her real love: food. Following a move to Paris to study at Le Cordon Bleu, and time in kitchens in Australia, Asia, Spain, and Italy, Markoff returned to the United States intent on creating something distinctive in culinary arts.

She researched the chocolate market and saw that it wasn’t being served well. There was a need. :idx: She discovered a niche to do a more interesting concept through chocolate with spice while exploring different cultures. So she launched her venture from her Chicago apartment in 1998, Markoff created a makeshift chocolate factory with $15,000 she had saved and borrowed from the SBA. Inspired by her global apprenticeships, she experimented with different ingredients— wasabi, chili, fennel, and tropical flowers—and shipped products from her living room.

SHe built on her previous experiences. “I had worked for my uncle in Dallas, buying products for his mail order catalogue, and through that I learned so much about marketing, copy-writing, and photography styling,†Markoff, 32, says. “It was a random job experience, but sometimes it’s through those things that you find yourself standing exactly where you should be.â€

With loans from the bank, the SBA and Markoff’s parents, Vosges Chocolate took shape. Six years later, the company, named after the Palace des Vosges in Paris, the oldest and arguably the most serene square in the city, has evolved into a multi-million dollar business, with boutiques in Chicago, New York, and Las Vegas and a website (vosgeschocolate.com ) that sells haute chocolate, apparel, and accessories.

her advice to Young entrepreneurs is: "If you’re not sure that you want to run a business, definitely don’t do it, because it’s a lot of hard work.†Having the ability to support charities, including V-day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls, and carry out artistic visions are Markoff’s true rewards.
“It never was about making money for me. It’s about trying to make a difference in the world and for the people around you. If you’re in it just for the money, it’s soulless.†she states.

Read more here:
http://www.womenforhire.com/advice/entrepreneurs/women_entrepreneurs/katrina_markoff

 

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[howard_two]

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