Girl Boss Betsy Thagard of B. Toffee

We’re getting a sweet glimpse into how Betsy Thagard started B. Toffee – if you haven’t tried it, you must. The delicious concoction makes the perfect gift or personal treat 🙂 and made this woman an incredible entrepreneur. How did she do it?! We love her ambition and tips – beneficial for any working woman to read.

Name: Betsy Thagard

Company: B. toffee LLC

Title: Founder/Owner

City: Newport Beach, CA

We love B.Toffee! What led to you starting your own company?

I have always loved to cook, and started creating a beautiful toffee dessert to gift to family and friends during the holidays. Everyone continued to urge me to share it with the world. Especially my sister who is a dentist. You’d think because most toffee’s are harmful to the teeth that she was just asking for more business, but she has always favored B. toffee’s quality and consistency, and how it is forgiving on your teeth, as it doesn’t feel like it is going to pull out fillings.

Where did you start your career? Did you always have a knack for making sweet treats?

My career originally started when I was 15 yrs old. I pestered the local McDonalds into hiring me before the legal age of 16. I became an assistant manager by the age of 17 yrs. I then progressed into the fashion world, always eager to work my way up into management.  My parents are both fabulous cooks and I grew up in the kitchen which shaped my passion for cooking and entertaining

Where can we find your yummy treats?

Many specialty stores and resorts such as Whole Foods in Southern CA and Dean & Deluca nationally from Napa Valley to New York, as well as resorts like Bacara in Santa Barbara, The Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach, and of course through our website, where we can ship our product throughout the USA.

How did you grow from a small start-up to being sold in stores nation-wide?

Our business has continued to grow through word of mouth. The wonderful thing that occurs when a client gifts our toffee is that a new customer is created. Whether it comes from a corporate gift at an event or a gift favor at a wedding. The sweet spread of B. toffee continues forward. Social media has become significant too. We have people contacting us throughout the US that have seen our product through our Instagram account, Twitter and our Blog – B. toffee.

Your Blog is full of recipes using your amazing toffee – what should we make for our next party?

Our Ice Cream Cake! Every time it’s made our guests go crazy. It’s devoured instantly! If you really want something quick, easy and so delicious, make a box of brownies, but before you place them in the oven add our chopped B. toffee B. bits on top. So yummy!

What’s your favorite part about your job?

The interaction with people! I love sharing my passion and story about B. toffee with others. It is such a joy to see the pleasure on peoples faces when they taste B. toffee for the first time.

What’s the biggest challenge of owning your own business?

Keeping up with the growth and expansion of the business. Our presence continues to grow throughout the country. Figuring out the logistics as to how and when to take it to the next level. A bigger commercial kitchen/warehouse, hiring more quality people to add to our team, evaluating potential opportunities that are presented to us.

What business advice would you give to entrepreneurs like yourself attempting to start their own company?

Share your product with family and friends first. Get their honest feedback. Make sure there is truly a need or desire for your product or services. Start off conservatively. Have a passion for what you do, and your business will have a greater chance of success. Surround yourself with advisers and mentors to bounce ideas off of, or receive advice from. Be willing to admit you don’t know it all. Create balance between work, family/friends and personal time.

What you wanted to be when you grew up:  I always wanted to be a business woman and have a career in sales and management.

What gets you going on a monday morning: Definitely a Latte! Getting through my ‘To Do’ list.

If you could work with anyone, it would be: Any one of the sharks from Shark Tank, and the CEO of Nestle’s.  I would love to learn more about how they have built their empires, and helped growing entrepreneurs and companies reach their full potential. Who knows, maybe they would like to acquire B. toffee one day?

Favorite Quote:  “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou