Earn Your Leisure The INSANE Reality of Being the Poster Child for Funding You Can't Get
Feb 15, 2026
Jessica Spaulding, founder of Harlem Chocolate Factory and maker of a local-to-national CPG brand. She recounts rapid early demand, crushing production limits in a tiny kitchen, shifting between retail and wholesale, and the harsh realities of chasing funding while public recognition grows. Short, candid stories about scaling, grant red tape, and launching a community GoFundMe.
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From Tabletop To Too Many Orders
- Jessica Spaulding grew Harlem Chocolate Factory from a six-foot table to major tourist venues after winning a $15,000 business plan prize.
- Rapid media exposure and a six-figure Amazon interest outpaced her production capacity and revealed capital constraints.
Retail Is A Different Business
- Switching from wholesale to retail is a fundamental business-model change, not just an extra sales channel.
- Retail added customer service, packaging, distribution, and margin pressures that eroded profitability in a small space.
Find Volume Partnerships First
- Identify partners and contracts that deliver the volume and price points needed to reach profitable break-even margins.
- Use scalable partnerships to negotiate co-packer terms and prove scalability to funders.