Candykaren

30/05/2024

After running a successful Chocolate fountains business for 12 years I decided to to sit down and work out what I was charging people to what it was actually costing me in items I supplied to run it, the chocolate skewers napkins plates table table clothe strawberries dinky doughnuts marshmallows grapes pink wafers fudge the time it takes to shops for all these items and prepares not to mention the time it takes to drive to the venue, the heavy lugging all the equipment into the venue, and when it’s upstairs with no lift oh man that’s a trek, thr 2 hrs setting up the 3 hrs running time the hour to pack up and drag it all back into the car to drive home to them unpack and start to wash everything down, oh did I forget I have to have business insurance of the car, be registered with the local council( 5 star rating go me new kitchen that cost a fortune) liability insurance 5 million incase little Daryl stick his fingers in my chocolate and gets them stuck !! 🙈 pat testing so little Daryl doesn’t go bang when he sticks the skewers to far in 🤨 and after all the sums -+=%£££££ you find out what you really have made of all that time spending time and effort for that one booking.
Seriously guys if anyone ANYONE !! Says they can find cheaper Congratulations because I know for a fact !!!! There making absolutely nothing unless they 1 don’t have the correct paperwork needed for venues to operate. 2 there’s reusing the chocolate and thinning it down with horrible oil and 3 this is the best bit, they know absolutely nothing about profit margins because they making no profit at all !!! So what’s the point ???? Everyone in business can undercut other established companies but what I don’t get is “ why work for nothing ???? “ and while I’m being undercut with other smaller bookings my established businesses gets all the corporate well paid jobs ££££’s. It’s a hard lesson to learn but I’m sure in say 4 or 5 years time when the penny drops, they will be writing similar on there pages as well 😂😂😂💥

13/05/2024

What can I say the Scruffy Duck Norton Wedding showcase was amazing it was absolutely boiling

07/05/2024

This Sunday guys if you wanna pop down I’ll be there.

05/05/2024

Been a very busy weekend but a big thank you balloons &beyond for the table balloons and pena entertainments for the letters and numbers been great to work with you all not forgetting make it personal with Beth. Thr party was a huge success.

20/04/2024

What a great night last night hall smashed it !

20/04/2024

Nice little setup for the weekend celebrating Happy 1st birthday 🎁

12/04/2024

Wow I tried to quickly record how many places we had visited over the 13 years some we visited more than once but here we go !!!
VauxhallDurham Joe rigatoni's Barclaycard British steel working men's club Bannatynes hotel Darlington Sedgefield racecourse waterhouses community hall swan at Billingham Westfield farm redcar Saint aidens Darlington Hardwick hall Normandy hotel Elmtree Wnyard George Washington hotel mercury kings Darlington gisborough hall red hill children centre borough hall Hartlepool primrose community centre LEXIS teesside signals saltburn roseworth workmen's club whale hill community centre tree bridge hotel rockcliffe hall buccaneer Thistle hotel Newcastle seamer village hall blue lounge redcar judges wynyard golf Club Saint John the Baptist school South Bank community centre roker hotel Southlands centre blue flame sport club north ormsby workmen's club catterick Garrison signatures Italian restaurant Sunderland rockcliffe hall Spennymoor leisure Bowling Club Stockton hallgarth Manor rush pool hall Durham University Sowerby hall top corner Middlesbrough wainstones hotel river tees water sports Kiora hall primrose community hall Oxbridge social club Lumley castle elephant on the Tyne ramside hall Dickens in Winstone bridge Masonic hall Stockton Stockton critic Cricket Club little haven hotel Glebe centre Stockton red hall Community Center park Moore hotel sporting lodge castle gate shopping centre crathorne hall crinkle park acklam green centre Middlesbrough Hardwick hall Grange bar Darlington liberties Middlesbrough Chester Sunderland Great North museum Hancock parkwood dormans club black hall community centre Bolton hotel Newcastle rugby club Marriott Sunderland Croft hotel active life cocktail sporting lodge tees water sports south courtesy in shotton hall Beamish park old village club thornaby Avalon Darlington worsell village hall Whitworth hall and Anniston pub Wallsend George Pierce bridge Harlan place Norton noir drinks lounge catterick Garrison Renton Meadow malleable Norton assembly rooms Newcastle Billingham synthonia gisborough rugby club Bishop Auckland marketplace R OF59 aycliffe business park jury’s inn gold lion Hartlepool spa hotel Saltburn King's Academy Coulby Newham horden social welfare club grangefield school Hart village community centre Blackpool Grange hotel Northumberland hussar Falcons rugby club Haworth primary school Belmont social club hallgarth Manor Tracerco Holiday Inn Washington Saint chads college Durham whale hill verdant leisure dale view Bishop Auckland Grand Hotel Gosforth Norton Bowling Club Stockton Cricket Club slaley hall College of Saint Hilda St. bede Durham Golden Lion Northallerton Stockton sixth form college Teesside caravans bluebell acklam north field school barretts home grey towers home house prison Vermont hotel rudding park Harrogate little haven hotel van milbert college Marriott seaburn summer hill Bowling Club municipal Golf Club shildon railway club Wallsend hall South caused inn hallgarth Manor hotel pittington roker hotel Grand Hotel South Shields bowburn hall Beamish hall Durham cricket ground Westgate sports centre Webster row Perry penny black heartburn river tease water sports hartlepool rugby club Crowne Plaza Newcastle ramside hall West Auckland workingmen's club thisk lodge Oxbridge social club Southern Cross Teesside Golf Club Norton village club headland social club eston social club Ponteland Methodist Church Sedgefield community centre Masonic hall linthorpe redworth hall dormans club shotton hall Sheraton pub Stockton mile house Stockton acklam hall buffs social club Middlesbrough Grayhound jarrow stainton hotel Newcastle northshire Saltburn Holiday Inn Gosforth Sirkas Middlesbrough Blackwell Grange club crathorne hall Kirk leatham walled garden Eston and Normandy social club Borges Stockton

07/04/2024

When you promised no more buying 🙈 wonder what I’ve bought this time tiding up the garage and came across this box 👀

28/03/2024

As everyone knows logarithms within Facebook have changed and we are closing a few accounts down and concentrating on just a few yes we have a lot !! And as a business moving in a different direction this account won’t be updated so if you want to move with us this will be our main page.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063895761817

Operating for 12 years we like to give the best advice and service and have a good laugh along the way, Chocolate fountains large and small, open photo booths, popcorn, snow cones, Glitter and Flower walls.

28/03/2024

Happy birthday to me 13 years in the Party industry wow hasn’t it been amazing I still absolutely love what I do, we are evolving as a business but please be mindful I still work and run a business working 6 days a week and will try to answer all inquiries ASAP, thank you for your patience.

01/03/2024

It is with great sadness that I’m having to increase the prices of all Chocolate fountain’s hires from today by 20%.
And please if I hear well so and so is doing it a lot cheaper well good for them !! Because I’ve worked the sums out and trust me if you suppling like for like what I do I know what profit there is that’s why the increase is needed. And remember the time spent at bookings it not what actually time we use to make the magic happen.

24/02/2024

Sorry to be a pain again but we really need a venue date and guest size before I’m going to be able to quote anyone, also as from March we won’t be giving any prices or taking bookings from last minute (supposedly) bookings, my supplier is here there everywhere living his best life lucky guy so we need at least 2 months to be able to order our Chocolate. What I hear you say don’t you reuse it, over and over again ! 🙈I have been in the catering industry for 35 years contamination not on my watch !!so NO we don’t, never have never will.
Another biggy my business &car loan comes to an end in March after 10 long years ! so do I carry on or retire?, decision decisions.
I’m leaving you with a picture from my holidays last year the only proper holiday I’ve had in 12 years so when you see all the other companies undercharging giving away freebies the grass isn’t always greener 🤯

19/02/2024

Over the next 6 months we are going to be moving into new territory’s trying different things so watch this space, exciting times ahead I think well I’m excited

18/02/2024

Aw what lovely pictures

18/02/2024

So I would say when I go out of my way to be nice !! and take a last minute booking and cancel all my other jobs to accommodate this person then I get a txt 2 days before to say they don’t want me any more loosing £300 for all the jobs please don’t be upset when you try to book me last minute and I say no way hosay 😂😂😂 never again!!!! will I do this for anyone ! But on the plus side I’ve just left a very good Xmas party yes a Xmas party in February? where I’ve danced the night away with amazing people so all isn’t lost.

17/02/2024

I had a dream but it’s stil the same to offer a service for people to get pleasure and fun out of chocolate chocolate all the way 13 years ago wow what a start to my enterprize
I’m glad to say still hard work but more fun nowadays.

16/02/2024

I always wanted to offer services that are fair and great value but one thing we don’t do is work for nothing. I was asked from a customer to price match as everyone seems to be desperate for work they said ?(definitely not me !😂) after all it’s only for 3 hrs work !!
I wish ! 2 hrs to setup 3 hrs running time 1 hr clean down, not to mention all the cleaning when I get home, also we supply The Chocolate the marshmallows dinky doughnuts pink wafers fudge strawberries grapes skewers plates napkins, but they don’t get delivered or prep themselves I have to go to the warehouse and prepare everything when I’m home, then there’s the travelling many a night we’ve driven 1 hr to get there 1 to get back home so the 3 hrs you get supposedly really turns into 10 hrs plus.
I worked it out a profit of £25 !!!! For 10 hrs work for the price they were asking, you do the sums things ain’t cheap now a-days neither is my time, so please before you say those fateful words it’s only for 3 hrs !!! And another company is gonna charge a lot less, I’ve done my sums and I’d rather get paid what I’m worth for all my hard work thank you. 😉 jog on.
And to all you companies who get there mates to waste my time checking out my prices, we are gonna check out your Facebook and block you I think after 12 years of keeping my mouth shut I’m done !

03/02/2024

Hi haven’t been posting in forever but I’m glad to say I’m BACK !!!! Busy month this month so I might be quiet writing but loads photos of bookings, all photos will now be copyrighted to the company heartbreaking as it is but so many scammers out there, I even saw a item I was selling on someone else’s profile they were trying to scam people, it’s not nice. So you know it’s me I would never ask for bank details it’s always bank transfer have a good day 😘

23/01/2024

Seriously no word of a lie first 5 people I’ve sent a message to I’ve had a look through there friends list and all 5 have friends that supply the same things as me, talk about getting your mates to do the dirty work, wasting my time !! Guess what guys fully booked February so must be doing something right. People that do this are getting blocked jog on !

23/01/2024

There’s one think I like apart from Chocolate and that’s ….. fully booked February 🥰

21/01/2024

Back sending out quotations and sorting diary out for bookings so glad to be back
If anyone wants to see our new exciting open booth and audio phone here they are.

18/01/2024

We have some fantastic packages available
https://partyhirenortheast.co.uk/

25/09/2023

What’s everyone’s most hated saying mine is I’ll get back to you, after spending time going through photos to send and correspondence for say 20 minutes on a Sunday taking me away from my family and a deserved break, 100% they never do after 12 years I’m right ! And 9/10 the majority are other companies checking out my prices, so if your wondering we get bookings because I’m good at what I do and I know how to place myself in the market.

17/09/2023

Never been here before it’s absolutely amazing 😻

02/08/2023

It seems we have web site technical difficulties don’t worry we are still running as a business.

23/07/2023

Please not the milk chocolate we use is :
Luxury Belgian Chocolate
THIS CHOCOLATE IS SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS
THIS CHOCOLATE IS KOSHER DAIRY
THIS CHOCOLATE CONTAINS NO GLUTEN AND IS
SUITABLE FOR CELIAC
THIS CHOCOLATE IS MADE IN A NUT FREE ENVIRONMENT

31/01/2023

Please remember this when you see your self employed friends or family who don’t always seem themselves.

“The unfortunate truth of owning and running a business”

Running a business is extremely hard.

What they don’t tell you is that it can cause severe stress and anxiety, and drains you mentally to the point of depression in even the most laid back people.

People will talk about you, compare you to others, use you, they will view you as a service and not a person anymore.

People expect you to be available 24/7 and at the drop of a hat because “you work for yourself so you can make time” unfortunately this is not the case most of the time.

Friends and family will expect discounts and people will value you and your hard work less than a big chain store.

You have to worry about if you forget to email/message someone back, are they going to think it was on purpose? Did you disappoint them? Will they hold that against you? When in reality you just can’t get to everyone’s messages and emails.

Starting up and running a successful business puts incredible strain on personal lives and relationships, many of which fail because there is just often no work life balance. You need to be the director, the worker, the admin, the marketing team, the accountant, the cleaner..... All whilst being a parent, a husband or a wife, family support, friend... it’s one of the hardest things you will try and balance ever.

There’s a reason you don’t see many people succeed in small businesses after 5 years. If they are successful they are overwhelmed. It takes a toll. It’s freaking exhausting. Especially the past couple of years when so much has been out of our control.

Here’s a small reminder that we are just normal people with hectic lives. Be kind, be patient, support small businesses…….and hopefully more of us will stick around!

2023 - supporting small business ❤️

30/01/2023

When I ask people booking is there parking outside the venue to be told yes when they clearly wasn’t I’m now paying the penalty of some uninsured person whom damaged my car, my premiums have now doubled because of this, not only this kick in the teeth I had to cancel a booking because of Pneumonia unable to breathe took to myself to bed, to have this person contact/harass me on every social media platform demanding her deposit back, she wouldn’t wait a bloody day or give me a break the last contact of harassment was 1am in the morning. So we are going to introduce new rules and this is to protect me from now on everyone will agree to my terms and conditions for every booking, and if it’s not safe or acceptable to carry out the booking, it gets cancelled with NO REFUNDS !!!

23/10/2022

North shire a first for me here today beautiful venue. Check this amazing place out

https://www.northshire.co.uk

17/08/2022

Congratulations to this very happy couple 😍