![Woman holding plate of chocolate strawberries](_news-images/LibArts-February-2022-carlyyy-737x1024.jpg)
Carly Kahn ‘23 sold chocolate covered strawberries outside of her high school every Valentine’s Day. After realizing her success, Kahn decided to continue striving towards her chocolate-covered dream in Bryan-College Station once she began attending Texas A&M University. Her environment changed but her entrepreneurial spirit remained and she started Carly’s Confections, a small business that specializes in chocolate covered treats.
Carly’s Confections offers a variety of different desserts from chocolate covered strawberries to mangonadas. Kahn also sells chocolate covered pretzels and Oreos. She elevates her chocolatey treats and distinguishes her products from store-bought chocolate-covered desserts. Treats from Carly’s Confections are covered in all kinds of unique toppings such as Fruity Pebbles cereal, strawberry shortcake crumbles, walnuts, coconut flakes, and crushed Oreos. Kahn makes Aggieland a little sweeter by delivering delicious treats to Aggies and to Bryan-College Station residents alike..
While Carly’s Confections has quickly become a staple in Aggieland, Kahn’s decision to attend Texas A&M University and move her business to Bryan-College Station was not her original plan.
“I actually didn’t know I would be attending Texas A&M until I came to campus for the first time,” Kahn said.
After visiting Texas A&M’s campus on Family Weekend and Aggie Ring Day, Kahn was overwhelmed by the crowds decked out in maroon. She knew that she belonged when a sense of home washed over her during her visits.
As a student at Texas A&M, Kahn is vice president of finance in Alpha Epsilon Phi and belongs to a community of Brazos County business owners called 1MillionCups. She always knew that she wanted to be a part of something bigger than herself, and Texas A&M curated the perfect environment for her to do just that.
“I will always remember my first Midnight Yell,” Kahn shared. “It was the first week of classes and my newest friend that I made that night invited me to go to Midnight Yell with her before the first football game of the year. So I ended up saying yes on a whim, and had so much fun doing the yells all the way at the top of the third deck of Kyle Field, since the stadium was at capacity. I wouldn’t have changed a thing, as the friend that I went with is still my friend to this day, and it gave me an amazing first experience to feel like I understood Texas A&M’s culture and was part of it.”
Texas A&M provided plenty of new experiences for Kahn, and starting a business while attending college as a full time student was a new experience within itself. It brought unique challenges to her college transition.
“One of the main challenges in the beginning was learning how to operate a business successfully, which included getting a client base in Bryan-College Station and being consistent and involved on social media and in the community,” Kahn explained. “This was extremely difficult in the beginning stages of the pandemic, where people did not feel comfortable leaving the house. Nevertheless, I began hosting a booth public farmers markets, and continue to do so weekly. I had to navigate a pandemic and public health crisis, while single handedly running my own business.”
As a communication major, Kahn credits her success as an entrepreneur to the classes she took within the Department of Communication.
“I’ve learned valuable skills on making social media campaigns and communication skills while working in different groups of people with different backgrounds,” Kahn said. “I take pride in being confident to communicate effectively with anyone, and this comes with knowledge from my communication courses. These courses have emphasized the importance of how to navigate today’s digital and ecommerce based society.”
After Kahn graduates in May 2023, she plans to continue her business in either Bryan-College Station or Dallas. She enjoys the freedom and flexibility that Carly’s Confections has given her and she plans to expand her entrepreneurship through the use of social media.
“I’m very excited to take the next steps of my business with expanding my client base, which includes launching my online website carlysconfections.net in the next few months, and starting to ship throughout the United States,” Kahn said. “My ultimate goal is to have a dessert food truck where I can drive throughout Texas and sell desserts and coffee. There are so many options with social media and ecommerce nowadays so I could definitely see myself starting other businesses and growing Carly’s Confections!”
While Carly’s Confections’ website is under maintenance, Valentine’s Day and Super Bowl orders can be placed by filling out the appropriate form on Kahn’s Linktree account. To keep up with what’s happening at Carly’s Confections, follow along on Instagram or Facebook.