EnTrends

Moffit says that his existing brokers
cover about 1/3 of the country and
the network is growing.

In terms of actual volume produced
and sold, Moffit says that he and his
partners bring in twenty-foot long
containers from Asia that hold about
1,000 cases of candy. While some
vending companies sell an average
of 2 bags per day, some coffee shops
sell as many as 30 bags per day.
"Every month, we get more sales
than the previous month. In April or
May, we plan on bringing in another
container of candy."

Moffit says that the problem with
most entrepreneurs is that they want
to do everything. Case in point, he
and his partners do everything from
sales to accounting. They usually
work a 24-hour shift. Monica tends
to work the middle of the day shift
from 9 A.M. until later at night.
Because Asia is on a twelve hour
time difference, Runi works all night
long, sometimes until 5 or 6 in the
morning.

As far as a typical workday for
Moffit goes, he says that each one
seems to keep getting longer. Right
now, he starts around 7:30 in the
morning and works until 7:30 at
night. His schedule changes based
upon sales and what needs to be
done at any given time. Typically, he
begins with checking his e-mail and
voicemail and, by the time the
afternoon rolls around, he is filling
customer orders.

When asked what individuals have
been instrumental to the success of
Moovitz, Moffit says that he and his
partners each have a father who is an
entrepreneur, so the seed was
implanted at an early age. The
partners also have a board of
advisors that consists of family, food
industry professionals, and former
instructors from the University of
Wisconsin.

Moffit says that he enjoys the
creative aspect of being an
entrepreneur. He enjoys seeing a
product through from inception to
sale. He also enjoys the flexible
scheduling that his job allows. "If I
had a 9-5 job, I could not run my own
life. I saw my father work all the time,
but if he needed a vacation, he could
take one when he wanted to. The
sense that you don't report to
anyone but yourself is great.
However, you can also be the
hardest person on yourself."

By far, the most rewarding thing for
Moffit is when customers e-mail him
to say how much they like the
product. "I get e-mails from people
on the other side of the country
telling me how much they enjoy the
product. Usually, I don't even have
salespeople in their region. Word-of-
mouth is incredible."

When he has free time, Moffit enjoys
spending it with his wife and
traveling. He feels that his business
is also a hobby and he finds himself
walking through stores doing
research on how other candy
manufacturers package and promote
their products. Moffit also enjoys
attending trade shows. In June of
2002, he and his partners will be
attending the NCA All Candy Expo
in Chicago, IL. "There is a lot of work
that goes into the shows, but we get
so into them, that we don't even
realize how long we are standing on
our feet. "

Moffit is not enjoying any
outlandish financial perks from his
endeavor yet. When the company
does make a big sale, he and his
partners think of ways to sell even
more candy and improve their
marketing. "I tell people, give me a
bag of groceries and pay my rent and
I will just work," says Moffit.

Moffit feels that part of the delay in
financial success is attributed to the
food and beverage industry he and
his partners have chosen to enter.
"There are so many people and there
are so few barriers to entry. It's
extremely competitive and all of the
money we make is invested back into
the company." Fortunately, Moffit's
wife works full-time and is very
supportive of his endeavor.

When giving advice to other
entrepreneurs starting out, Moffit
says, "Do your research and do it
thoroughly. It's important to write a
business plan, but sometimes you
get caught up in the theory. Get out
there and look at what the other
people in your industry are doing."
He also stresses the importance of
networking, saying, "People love to

talk about their businesses.
Sometimes they don't even realize
how good the information they are
giving you is."

One of the largest coffee chains in
America recently expressed interest
in carrying the Moovitz product line.
In the future, Moffit says he'd like to
expand the geographic sales reach of
the candies and have distribution
channels in every state. He and his
partners would also like to develop
new brands utilizing the same model
of intense consumer research. Moffit
says, "That's the driving force in our
company. We're small and we are
idealistic, but our ideal is to ask
people what they want and then give
it to them."

For more information, visit
www.moovitz.com or call 608-204-
0868.