Bean to Business
We started a chocolate factory with zero experience in chocolate.
Bean to Business is a weekly show from the team at Hill Country Chocolate in Fredericksburg, Texas. We make bean-to-bar chocolate—starting with raw cacao beans and turning them into finished bars right here in our production facility.
Every week, we pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to run a small manufacturing business. The wins. The mistakes. The stuff nobody warns you about.
We talk about sourcing ingredients from around the world, working with Italian production equipment, building a brand in a tourist town, and figuring it out as we go. Sometimes we bring in guests. Sometimes we just answer your questions.
If you're running a small business, thinking about starting one, or just curious what happens inside a craft food operation, this show is for you.
New episodes drop weekly.
Bean to Business
How to Get More Reviews for Your Small Business (And Why They Matter More Than Ever)
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Why do customer reviews matter so much for a small business—and what should you do when someone leaves a bad one?
In this episode, Melanie asks Dan everything small business owners need to know about reviews. They cover why reviews now affect how you get found on Google and AI search tools like ChatGPT, whether it matters if customers leave reviews on Google versus Yelp versus TripAdvisor, and why you legally cannot offer discounts or incentives in exchange for a five-star review.
Dan explains how reviews feed into generative search and why responding to every single review—positive or negative—actually helps your search rankings. Melanie shares what she learned from her years responding to reviews at Twisted Sister Bakeshop, including some responses she's not entirely proud of and the mindset shift that changed how she handles criticism.
They also discuss why a 4.8 star rating might actually be more trustworthy than a perfect 5.0, the difference between text reviews and video testimonials, and the three-step rule Dan uses before responding to anything negative: holster your weapon, slow your words, assess the situation.
Whether you are just starting out and have almost no reviews or you are trying to figure out how to handle a negative one that just came in, this conversation gives you a practical playbook for making reviews work for your business.
Bean to Business is the podcast where Dan and Melanie spill the beans on running Hill Country Chocolate, a artisanal chocolate factory in Fredericksburg, Texas and home of the Premiere Wine & Chocolate Experience.
Read the full article: Why Every Business Owner Should Respond to Every Review - Even the Negative Ones
Visit hillcountrychocolate.com to learn more.
Check out our chocolate factory and book and experience or class at hillcountrychocolate.com
