It was great meeting Ben and learning about his company Five North Chocolate. I’ve always wondered about what it would be like to start your own company. Overall, it seems like a lot of work, but it is also rewarding. For me, I think the hardest part would be coming up with an idea that is marketable and something other people would want to buy. Ben’s story behind his company was equally interesting. It was cool that he went from making chocolate in his dorm to starting his own chocolate company. I also liked how he touched on some of his struggles along the way like getting supermarkets to promote your product. I had no idea how hard it was to get supermarkets to sell your product. This probably explains why there aren’t many new chocolate brands hitting the shelves other than the usual Mars, Nestle brands.

I would also highly recommend the chocolate! The flavor combinations are tasty and definitely do not taste like you’re eating dark chocolate.

Entrepreneurship is something that most people don’t dare to attempt due to the countless risks that are presented but after talking to Ben about his company, I realized that anyone who has a drive and a passion for a product can do it. Personally, the idea of entrepreneurship was always something that intrigued me but also seemed extremely daunting at the same time. Rather than having a secure job with a secure income risking it all for something that I wasn’t sure would succeed seemed ridiculous. It was interesting to hear Ben’s story, starting his business in his last year of university, I never expected someone wanting to revolutionize the chocolate industry at such a young age. His devotion to his product and his brand can be seen throughout his constant efforts to develop his product and how he personally works every single day to either market the product or produce something even better. We even got to sample some of the flavors that he produces and knowing that it was made to be good for you as well as helping the environment, I couldn’t help but want to continue snacking on the bite-sized pieces of chocolate. Seeing Ben go around the nation to help other entrepreneurs and market his brand while also promoting the use of clean, fair trade products is a feat that one who is only truly devoted to their product can do. I applaud Ben for all the hard work that he has put into the company and wish him the best for the future of Five North.

The owner of the Five North Chocolate company came to take about his experience creating a company and the obstacles that he has to go with. It was shocking to me that the owner of this company was able to create a business two years after graduating from college. I think that I can find that I tell myself that I should not go after certain things because I am still in college. I think we as people have a certain way of thinking things have to go. For instance, I think many of us think that we need to go to high school, then to college, and then pursue you career path or your dreams. However, that was not the case for Ben Conard, he developed an idea for a healthy chocolate brand in his college dorm room. He was not afraid that he was still a broke college student. He instead went with his idea and used the money he did have in his bank account to start his company. This was very inspiring to me because I think we can get afraid to pursue things in our lives, but I think that we have to be brave with our decisions and pursue whatever we want. Life is too short to not take chances. Ben ended his discussion by saying that life has a way of working out itself, so do not feel like you have to have everything figured out. I think this is really reassuring because it means we as humans want to control our future so much, but sometimes it is good to just let go.

During this week I was able to meet with Ben Conard, who is Co-founder and owner of Five North Chocolate Company. He came in to talk to members about entrepreneurship, product development, and his personal story on starting and developing his own brand and company.  For me, the most interesting aspect was his process of creating and designing his own chocolate. His products were mainly bite-sized cubed chocolate, which he created for easy consumption of the chocolate. As a UX design major, it was interesting to see the entrepreneur’s take on a user and product designing. His focus on the easy going and mindful healthy chocolate intake and how the company’s unique cube design of the chocolate supports that experience for buyers was very surprising. He talked to me about how he wanted the chocolates to be a sensory experience and gave me some by taking on the designing process. I was surprised to find that some of the design research methods were applied to actual product making. For me, I was doubtful if some of the research methods in designing were actually applied in real life. However, although very generalized, the majority of the design research methods I have learned were applied to create the sensory experience of the chocolate. It was interesting to see some of the educational information from school were being applied in real life. Another interesting aspect of the talk was package designing. Ben talked to the group about the package and how he wanted the design to be an interactive experience. By changing simple parts of the packaging, such as making the bottom part of the pouch a different color with fun FAQ about the chocolate, the packaging became an interactive tool for the company. It was unique and also gave me some ideas on what I want to create for future product development. Overall the talk and conversation was very inspiring to me as a future designer, who hope to create unique designs.

Today, I got the chance to talk with Ben Conard, the founder of Five North Chocolate. I’ve always been interested in entrepreneurship, but I feel like it is a field that is very open and vague- I know what it is, but I don’t know exactly how to be one or what it entails. However, after talking to Ben, I realized that because it is so open, YOU are ultimately the one who defines and drives what is accomplished. Of course, there are many challenges and insecurities that can arise because of it, but seeing how much Ben enjoyed what he was doing and how much drive and passion he still held despite all his obstacles, I was inspired. In fact, the biggest lesson I took away from this talk is that life is too short to make excuses and to pursue what you love because we only regret the things we don’t do. Especially with entrepreneurship where you are the one calling the shots, you have to go forth with it with a strong, determined, passionate mind.