Meet the Makers – Andie & Jason Moore of Andie’s Specialty Sweets

Chloe Tate

This week in our Meet the Maker series, we’re getting to know Andie and Jason Moore, the decidedly wise, creative and sweet (pun intended) couple behind Andie’s Specialty Sweets!

 

Meet the Maker - Andie & Jason Moore of Andie's Specialty Sweets

 

LBC: What inspired you to take your leap as an entrepreneur?

Andie + Jason: In the winter of 2011, while still in our R&D stage, Andie introduced our Candy Vintage Buttons. The demand was immediate, with steady increase from month to month. Even though there were many uncertainties about the direction we would take and how we would structure our growth, we new we were on to something great. Jason sold his business of 15 years and jumped in, fully committed to the adventure and discovery that lay ahead of us.

 

Meet the Maker - Andie & Jason Moore of Andie's Specialty Sweets

 

 

LBC: When you first got started, how did you envision your business would be defined?

Andie + Jason: Sometime early on, Andie had developed a compelling motive to attain two goals, two distinctives: a candy that is 1) hyper-realistic, and 2) scrumptious. It was not a time of business plans, direction, and goals, as much as it was thrilling discovery and possibilities. At some point, the sugar settled and we moved on to solutions; and that is when we began to define what we made as confectionery art.

 

Meet the Maker - Andie & Jason Moore of Andie's Specialty Sweets

 

 

LBC: How would you describe what you create?

Andie + Jason: We make hand-made, made-to-order, true-to-life, confectionery art for gift giving and confection embellishing.

 

LBC: Where can we find your products?

Andie + Jason: Etsy, for now. So much on the near horizon, though!

 

Meet the Maker - Andie & Jason Moore of Andie's Specialty Sweets

LBC: Walk us through your typical work day.

Andie + Jason: Our work day, in a nutshell and grossly simplified,usually begins at 4 a.m. – or by the time our heads get clear by a cup of coffee. We move from customer emails to candy production to shipping, and this is the priority of our day. Any time left in the day (which for us, is at least about a 14-hour workday) is dedicated to our kids and checking off to-do’s toward our next big step for growth.

 

LBC: What are 3 things makers should think through when they initially decide to start a business?

Andie + Jason: If you are going to be committed to something, you should first ask yourself, “Am I willing to give my life for this thing (am I willing to get some gray hairs)?” Next, “Does it meet a need or serve a purpose that will give it staying power, or will it be another in a sea of products?” Lastly, you will need help. Can it be scaled past your physical ability, or will your production be limited by your capability, only?

 

Meet the Maker - Andie & Jason Moore of Andie's Specialty Sweets

 

 

LBC: When you’re overwhelmed, what brings you back to focus?

Andie + Jason: When we are overwhelmed, we remind ourselves with some basic words, and a truth. One, we learned from a dear friend, but it may have come about in the Depression era, and it is, “Do the next thing.” These little-but-mighty words produce a shifted focus on one thing, and soon the “impossible” whole is conquered. And when things go awry, which sometimes they do, and sometimes during a time when we’re already repeating, “Do the next thing,” we remember our peace with God. It’s a peace that surpasses and overrules circumstances. It’s a subjective, experiential peace, a tranquility of the soul, that aggressively affects the circumstances of life. This peace gives us the fortitude to persevere in difficult times, and allows us to think about our customers’ needs first.

 

LBC: Tell us about a few of the best business decisions you’ve made to date.

Andie + Jason: I wish we could tell you about the ones we wish we had made. In all humility, we think it is by little acumen on our part, and more of a falling-in-our-lap, that we have made some good decisions.

1) We’re glad we researched the name of our business, to make sure it was not being used, so we could invest in it and protect it at the start.

2) We decided early on to replace any entertainment with business education. Because we’re excited about our business, it has been entertaining to do so.

3) Every business is different and there are so many variables to consider. For us, it was a good decision to not jump in to everything most small business conventionally do to position themselves (I.e. trade shows, a website, advertising, retail store). We did what we could do, without going into debt. If we had to borrow to do it, we waited. This waiting, although it felt wrong sometimes, allowed us time to rewrite our business plan a jillion times, and we now have no debt moving forward on what will be a leap, in a solid direction.

4) Glad we have kept a customer list. This not only brings value to your business, but also allows you direct access to people who have an interest in your product.

Meet the Maker - Andie & Jason Moore of Andie's Specialty Sweets

 

LBC: Please share one mistake or obstacle from your business experience. How did you bounce back/overcome it?

Andie + Jason: We have quite a story about our lowest point, and the overcoming might sound like a “lucky break,” but we’re persuaded it was a saving grace. We worked a long time and were diligent to save up for our first wholesale purchase of ingredients, and then bought the largest quantity (to secure the lowest price) from an overseas company. It arrived, but was speckled throughout with debris, and/or was damaged in some way and completely useless. When we tried to contact the company, the email and phone number had been changed, and our login info was rejected. This was a real blow, both psychologically and financially. But at our lowest point, when we thought, “okay, maybe this is it – we’re finished,” an amazing thing happened. The very next day, we were contacted by Martha Stewart Weddings, inviting us to showcase at their 2012 Wedding Party. We didn’t know how we could possibly commit after the financial blow and with the new, urgent need to purchase the same ingredients with our savings depleted and deadlines in our midst. Deciding not to spend money we didn’t have we asked the Martha folks if we could confirm in two days. We got off the phone and prayed. The very next day, we received a large overseas order, for one baby shower, that supplied us 11 times in profit what we had just lost on that bad delivery. We were able to go to NY, which in turn provided many more opportunities. We became strengthened and energized by that experience, we haven’t stopped praying, and we now purchase all our ingredients within the U.S. and as local as possible.

 

LBC: What are 3 essential resources in your business toolbox that you can’t do without?

Andie + Jason: 1) LivePlan

2) A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to: Building a Great Business, Being a Better Leader, and Managing Ourselves, by Ari Weinzweig (Zingerman’s Publishing)

3) Each other.

 

LBC: Suppose we had a time machine. If you blasted ourselves forward a few years, where would we see your company?

Andie + Jason: Making an improved product and offering a better service. The rest is on a pencil-sketched slip of paper, hidden under our hats.

 

Meet the Maker - Andie & Jason Moore of Andie's Specialty Sweets

 

LBC: Your musical playlist is full of…

Andie + Jason: Lots of podcasts and things that will make us look very uncool to anyone under the age of 60.

 

LBC: Share one of your guiltiest pleasures.

Andie + Jason: It’s not even guilty, and so simple. But, it’s something we don’t get to do very often. Go to bed at a decent time, with bedside lamps on, cups of tea, a cozy clean bed, and take turns reading to each other while the other drinks their tea. As you can imagine, we really are very hip among the septuagenarian crowd.

 

LBC: If you were given a million dollars, but were not allowed to keep a single penny for yourself, friends or family, how would you spend it or give it away?

Andie + Jason: Easy. We would use it help fight the deplorable crime of human trafficking.

 

Thank you, Jason and Andie, for sharing your talent with us!  We absolutely love your work and we look forward to all the wonderful things ahead for Andie’s Specialty Sweets! We’re cheering you on…

 

Want to see your brand featured in our continuing “Meet the Maker” series? Drop us a line: hello AT luckybreakconsulting.com. Please use “MEET THE MAKER” as the subject line and be certain to include your web address. We look forward to hearing from yout!

 

About the Author

Chloe Tate

Once described as “relentlessly cheerful,” Chloe is a lover of all things colorful and practically every fruit known to man. She lives in Atlanta and divides her time between supporting Lucky Break clients, keeping shop at a local artisan market, and event planning for business conferences. She’s also working on the launch of her skincare line while finishing her degree in Organizational & Leadership Studies. True story: Chloe shares 50% of Lela’s DNA and is poised to inherit her obscenely large shoe collection.

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