If you think chocolate is simply chocolate, you haven’t yet met Phillip Ashley. Founder, CEO & Master Chocolatier Phillip Ashley Rix started his business nearly 10 years ago as a way to merge his love of food and people with his knowledge of consumer packaged goods, sales and supply chain logistics.
Phillip believes that every chocolate should tell a story – and his do. From fantastical flavors like Savoy (which pairs chocolate with French bleu cheese) to more traditional ones like Dark Chocolate Pecan Turtles, spirit-infused options like the Nice & Neat (which uses Woodford Reserve Double Oak Bourbon) and much more, Phillip Ashley Chocolates are artistic, luxurious and delectable.
Running The Business
Before using Finli, Phillip and his team used a variety of tools to manage operations. They used Quickbooks for invoicing (which they found to be cumbersome) and a number of different customer relationship management (CRM) tools and ecommerce platforms. Since the company specializes in custom corporate gifting, and Phillip does a lot of Celebrity Chef appearances, they wanted another tool that would be more in sync with their needs and began looking at business payment methods. After researching online and on social media, they found Finli’s payment management system.
Ease of Use & Streamlined Operations
As Phillip looked into what Finli had to offer, he was drawn to the fact that the platform is user friendly and, from an administrative standpoint, that other people could be added to it as his company grows. Once a customer, Phillip had a great experience with easy onboarding.
As he’s started to grow this part of his business, Phillip has also discovered the need for more of Finli’s customer management tools. He explored other solutions like HubSpot but the costs were far too prohibitive. He wanted something useful, robust, and affordable – Finli checked all those boxes.
“Any transactions between myself and a customer need to be seamless,” Phillip said. “Whether that’s a communication, an invoice or a payment, it needs to be smooth and efficient. I get all this with Finli, and really like the fluidity of the interface.”
Eyes on Growth
Phillip is clearly a visionary in the world of chocolate, and he also has a big vision for the future of Phillip Ashley Chocolates. He said he’s always wanted to be a tech-savvy company, which is why he’s prioritized e-commerce in his business. Phillip ships his chocolates around the world – check out his storefront here.
He plans to continue using technology, like Finli, to optimize workflows, improve operations, and keep delivering an excellent customer experience. As he and his team continue to work with companies and founders to customize gifts and drop ship them, they are building a culture of “thank you” and making the world a more creative, delicious place.
Are you using Finli for your business’ payment needs? Try us today!
