Berried in Chocolate

Shari Fitzpatrick, also known as the “Strawberry Lady,” oozes enthusiasm, optimism and sugary wisdom. With dozens of personal anecdotes describing her business journey, her background, and even her faith and favorite recipes, Fitzpatrick’s accessible, enjoyable tale provides basic business advice that could help almost any small business. As a former broker with little more than $1,500 and some big ideas about chocolate-dipped strawberries, Fitzpatrick founded Shari’s Berries, a multimillion-dollar business based on unique edible gifts. In her breezy book, she explains how she succeeded. She comes across as a fun, grounded, hardworking businessperson who would be charming to meet. As a result, her story – which targets newcomers to the business world, particularly women – is more of a pep talk than a dose of serious advice, though she details the quite serious loss of her original company. Since publication, her spinoff firm, The Berry Factory, also filed for bankruptcy protection. That news may detract a bit from the book’s lessons, although Fitzpatrick’s cheerful stories and warm approach to life and work should prove inspirational to most readers. And she’s right about always having a good lawyer and plenty of chocolate. getAbstract suggests her saga to budding entrepreneurs and small-business owners.