01907_Fall_2019

08 | 01907
FALL 2019 | 09
"I think it's always a risk when you open up
a business — it's a financial risk," McCormack
said. "Obviously, you want to be successful and
you want to make sure you're using your time
and energy in the best way possible to grow
and maintain your business."
Calvo-Bacci, 48, got her start in 2003 by
taking over Chocolate Truffle, a retail store
in Woburn that she eventually sold. She then
rebranded the manufacturing company Bacci
Chocolate Design into its current incarnation,
CB Stuffer, which has an online retail
component and sells its products in specialty
stores across the country.
CB Stuffer is known for its peanut butter
cup, which is the largest in the market and
available in some 18 flavors.
Sixteen years ago, Calvo-Bacci was a young
mom itching to go back to work. When she
saw the opportunity to take over the Woburn
store, she thought it would be easy. But its
location was terrible and the store was losing
money.
The awful site was a mixed blessing. She was
able to connect with another female business
owner in the building who taught her the value
that mentorship could bring. Her success is due
to connecting with other women, she said.
Three years after starting in Woburn, she
moved to a better location in Reading. A year
later, she launched Bacci Chocolate Design
in Swampscott. That evolved into CB Stuffer,
named after husband and business partner
Carlo Bacci, the company's Peanut Butter
Production Chief and the most important
person in her life.
Making enough money to pay the bills and
keep the business going was a major challenge.
It took years for the couple to see a profit and
reap the rewards. Calvo-Bacci remembers the
stress financial difficulties brought.
"There were many days when I really didn't
know how we were going to be able to get
through the night, how bills were going to be
paid," Calvo-Bacci said. "I'm proud that we're
actually still here, still around and actually
successful."
She worked to meet payroll even as business
slowed during summer months, an off-season
for chocolate sales. She faced the choice of
laying off staff and running the store herself to
cut costs or selling the Reading store. Calvo-
Bacci chose the latter. That's when she started
CB Stuffer.
Financial challenges weren't the only ones
Calvo-Bacci stared down and conquered.
When she was breaking into a maledominated
field of manufacturing, she found
that some men didn't take her seriously,
comparing the experience to a young girl
walking into the advertising agency on the TV
show "Mad Men."
Erin Calvo-Bacci is the owner of CB Stuffer, which has
an online retail component and also sells its products in
specialty stores.
Calvo-Bacci recalled attending a trade show
for manufacturers in Atlanta, where she sought
advice and insight from professional men, but
was instead met with stares and dismissive
comments such as "Aren't you cute."
"There weren't many successful women
chocolate manufacturers at the time," Calvo-
Bacci said. "It was really challenging for me.
That's why it's so important for me to pass it
on to (and help) other women. Now, times are
changing, but we still have a long way to go."
Pezzano, 28, also struggled with not being
taken seriously early in her career, saying that
was why she left her position as an assistant
manager of cosmetics at Nordstrom. She said
she felt unsupported and underappreciated by
the older, male store manager.
She decided two years ago to partner with
her mother, Laurie Pezzano, who for 12 years
has owned Lincoln's Landing, a restaurant
on Humphrey Street known for its delicious
breakfasts.
Before making the switch, Pezzano worked
as a business account manager at Wayfair Inc.,
where she managed her own accounts and did
well.
"I wanted to take that a step further and
do that with my family, with something that
was more of my own," said Pezzano. "I always
had entrepreneurial tendencies throughout my
career."
The move was a natural transition for
Pezzano because she had always been involved
with the restaurant, waitressing there during
high school and continuing to work on nights
and weekends while employed at other jobs.
Laurie started out at Lincoln's Landing as a
waitress as well and decided to buy the place
when the owner became ill.
"THERE
WEREN'T MANY
SUCCESSFUL
WOMEN
CHOCOLATE
MANUFACTURERS
AT THE TIME.
IT WAS REALLY
CHALLENGING
FOR ME.
THAT'S
WHY IT'S SO
IMPORTANT
FOR ME TO
PASS IT ON
TO (AND
HELP) OTHER
WOMEN."
Ashley Pezzano said she was attracted to
the familiarity and family-like atmosphere of
the restaurant, where she gets to interact with
customers and build relationships with regulars.
Pezzano said she and her mother have
been able to enjoy the success of the business
during the last few years, citing the exciting
accomplishment of celebrating their 12-year
anniversary.
The milestone was especially rewarding
because they had to overcome a lot of obstacles.
Her mother, the restaurant's head chef, was
diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago,
leaving them scrambling to find help.
Unable to find a good cook meant Laurie
had to work throughout her chemotherapy
and radiation treatments. Thankfully, she's in
remission now.
With her mother in charge of cooking,
Pezzano focuses on the business side.
When she became a joint owner, she
focused on revamping the menu and restaurant
decor and worked to increase the restaurant's
presence on social media. She hired people who
were customer-friendly, and intentionally kept
the waitstaff all female.
"(We) had financial and health challenges.
It's important to have a good team around you
and keep going forward," Pezzano said.
She'd advise other female entrepreneurs to
follow their passion and take a risk. Starting
a business is a huge financial gamble, but it's
important to keep at it, she said.
"Even if you fail, you're going to feel
Breathtaking water views
good knowing that you took that risk," she
said. "You're always going to see some type
of challenge and you just have to keep going
forward."
PHOTOS | SPENSER HASAK
The daughter/mother team of Ashley and Laurie Pezzano co-own Lincoln's Landing in Swampscott.
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