Higher education: a sweet spot for chocolate entrepreneur

by Kate Pritchard - Tuesday, 1st July 2008 -

Hotel Chocolat entrepreneur Angus Thirlwell has one big regret. He wishes he’d taken a strategy course at Cranfield School of Management earlier in his career. “I used to spend too long meddling in the day-to-day running of the business,” he admits.

The story of Hotel Chocolat is one of reinvention. Set up by Thirlwell and Peter Harris 14 years ago, the pair started out selling little packets of mints to corporate clients. “We had one product and one market,” says Thirlwell. “You couldn’t have found a more niche confectionary company than that.”

The duo then added chocolates to their range, before launching a mail-order business. Next up, they hit the high street, opening their first Hotel Chocolat store in 2004. Today, the company employs 500 people in 27 shops and owns a 140-acre cocoa estate in St Lucia. Sales will hit £40m this year.

As Hotel Chocolat blossomed, Thirlwell’s biggest challenge was how to avoid getting sucked into the day-to-day running of the business. “It’s very seductive to think that if you’re busy, you’re doing a great job,” he says. “But sometimes you need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.”

So Thirlwell enrolled on Cranfield’s Business Growth and Development programme. The 11-week course costs £9,500 and is designed for owner managers of businesses that are at least three years old and have a turnover of between £0.5m and £20m.

Yes, it’s pricey. But Thirlwell says it was worth every penny. “It’s something I’d recommend to any budding entrepreneur.

“Nobody likes the type of boss who gives you autonomy to do something and then is forever fiddling around on the sidelines, trying to second guess what you’re doing. That’s a classic model of an entrepreneur who can’t let go.

“It was a great investment. Frankly, I wish I’d done it sooner.”

Angus Thirlwell was interviewed as part of the My First Million series, in association with Orange. Check out our vodcasts here.

WHAT NEXT?
Sign up for our newsletter and get our weekly pick of business news in your inbox!
Subscribe to our magazine for in depth interviews and advice from leading entrepreneurs!
Join our forum and talk business with other entrepreneurs!