Customer Service Is The Key to Success for One Small Business Owner

Jan. 29, 2013 - PRLog -- For one small business owner in Monmouth County, every day is an opportunity to help her customers with personal or business success. For a company that specializes in homemade chocolates and confections that is sometimes a challenge, but one that owners Susan and Stan Hordych are up to task with. Suzi's Sweet Shoppe is a fun and unique experience for anyone entering their shop for the first time. Susan began making homemade chocolates at home when she was first married after having worked in a candy store as a teen, which is how she met her husband Stan. According to Susan, “One day I decided to take my shot at owning my own business, which I started as a franchise for the first five years at which time we transitioned to a non-franchised business. That was 15 years ago.” She continues, “I think not starting off as a franchise would have provided me with the flexibility to create the shop that I really wanted right from the beginning. As a business owner that is one thing I wish I could have done differently when I first started.”

Owning a chocolate store presents a myriad of challenges from large chain competition and chocolate manufacturers to production coordination of products for major holidays that run in succession, but Susan and Stan take that all in stride, because the rewards for their hard work are the compliments they receive from customers for a job well done. Believing that her success is a result of understanding what her customers need and suggesting several product options that fit their needs and budgets, Susan prides herself and staff for their level of customer service and ability to make custom products that customers want in the timeframe they need it. “A woman came into the shop on a Saturday morning absolutely frantic. She had ordered Sweet 16 party favors from a well known candy store at the Freehold Mall and was supposed to pick them up that morning. The store did not have them ready, as their special orders are shipped to them and the favors did not arrive. The woman was barely able to speak as she asked if she could get 150 favors of some type by that afternoon. I suggested several choices and she made her selection. I told her to come back in two hours and they would be ready. All hands were on deck (my husband and son) to get to work on the order as soon as she left. The favors were ready for pickup that afternoon, as promised. Needless to say the woman was overjoyed and has been a loyal customer ever since”, Susan beams.

Having her husband and children as an intricate part of operating Suzi's Sweet Shoppe gives Susan the peace of mind that any business owner needs when they are not physically at the store. “With both of my children playing an active part in running Suzi's Sweet Shoppe, it gives me a level of comfort that they will handle customers and production just as I would. I absolutely see myself handing the business over to them in the future, but in between Stan and I like to get away once in a while and my kids know just what to do while we are gone”, according to Susan. Susan knows that her customers, whether they are business customers or individuals, are the heart of what she does. They know that Suzi's Sweet Shoppe will give them the attention to select the perfect gift for their friends, families and occasions. They love what they do and who they do it for and that makes all the difference.