Erin Andrews
indi chocolate
Seattle, WA USA
"Don’t let perfect get in the way of good. Sometimes you just have to start."
Career Roadmap
Erin's work combines: Food, Entrepreneurship, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Chocolate makers generally have another career before they begin making chocolate. I'm very thankful that I took accounting classes and I earned my CPA during my pre-chocolate making career. Understanding business, especially accounting, is really important if you're thinking of starting your own business. It’s been very helpful and I encourage everyone to take a few accounting classes to understand the language of business.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Economics, General
University of California, Berkeley
Bachelor's Degree
English Language and Literature, General
University of California, Berkeley
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
My first career was in the corporate world, working as a senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers and doing SAP implementations in companies around the world.
2.
I also spent seven years as an at-home parent—when my youngest entered kindergarten, I decided I wanted to get back into something that would engage my brain more.
3.
I didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur, but a family trip to Belize sparked something I couldn’t ignore.
4.
When my daughter asked where chocolate comes from, I followed that question all the way to starting my first chocolate company.
5.
I started indi chocolate not with chocolate, but with cocoa butter lotion I made for my daughter’s sensitive skin.
6.
Building my shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market took years, but I never gave up.
7.
I bootstrapped my way forward, buying used equipment, making mistakes, and growing with intention.
8.
I created a community space where people connect over chocolate, storytelling, and shared values.
