This is the Twitter transcript of Financial Bin’s chat with David Klein (@wwwcandyinvento), inventor of the Jelly Belly, on Sunday, November 20, 2011:
@FinancialBin: What is entrepreneurship to you? What does it take to be an entrepreneur?
David Klein: thinking outside the box…patience….publicity seeking…….novel product or service…luck luck luck luck
@FinancialBin: What was your first entrepreneurial experience?
DK: I was in the copy paper business with a man who was later arrested for burning down his warehouse.
@FinancialBin: Are you able to tell us why he burned it down?
DK: We would go to the trash bins of our competitors and dig out envelopes with a return address of their customers … he was heavily in debt and he wanted to collect the insurance……case of arson … I needed to know who had certain copy machines…this was before the days of plain paper copy machines. … I left before the arson took place….I was told that he was closing down..I started the business for myself … when I started for myself–I received a phone call that my legs would be broken if I continued in the same business … I waited one hour and called him back and told him that I reported his comments to me to the police department.
@FinancialBin: Is that when you went into the candy business?
DK: Yes — candy business much safer..although a man went to jail for tying up his competitors and telling them he … would burn down their business if they continued to compete with him….
@FinancialBin: What are some ways that the community can get involved in entrepreneurship?
DK: we have always attended street fairs, school and church functions to promote our candy product–Sandy Candy
@FinancialBin: So, can you tell us about how you came up with the Jelly Belly?
DK: The whole story by the way is now streaming on Netflix Candyman: The David Klein Story … the year was 1976..I had 800.00 to my name. I loved jelly beans and wanted to make them in different flavors …
@FinancialBin: What is your favorite quote on business or entrepreneurship?
DK: “Don’t give up your day job” … “You only need to be a genius for 15 seconds in order to come up with an idea.”
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Make sure to check out Financial Bin’s new book, Entrepreneur Intervention, available now in paperback through Amazon and CreateSpace.
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