12
WORK
LIF E
9 3
A�ONE-DAY�DIARY��
FROM�MORNING�LATTE
TO�LIGHTS�OUT
Kirsty Joly,
chocolatier
Kirsty Joly, 36, is a chocolatier and
the founder of Perfectly Tempered
bespoke chocolates. She lives in
London with her boyfriend Stuart,
34, a personal trainer
Three years ago I had a complete
career change. I’d spent 13 years
working as an accountant in the
City for a big private equity firm and,
although the money was good, I hated
it. They relocated me to Delhi and
I was commuting back and forth every
three months, so when the option to
take voluntary redundancy came up,
I took it as a sign.
I’d always wanted to run my own
business and do something creative,
so it felt like now or never. I was a
complete chocoholic, but very
particular and that’s how I came up
with the idea to hand-make individual
bespoke chocolates. It really was that
simple and also that logical.
I got a good redundancy payout
and had been saving my bonuses
for a house deposit, so that covered
the £5,000 it took to start up Perfectly
Tempered. I didn’t take a loan, I didn’t
����WWW�STYLIST�CO�UK
6
KIRSTY DOING
A WING WALK
rent premises and I didn’t have a
business partner. Instead I downsized
my life; working out of my own kitchen
for the first six months, banning
holidays and shopping, and becoming
a budgeting queen. It was a real shock
to the system. In the City I travelled in
taxis every day, now it was buses all
the way. It was terrifying watching my
savings dwindle away to nothing.
Thankfully, I slowly began getting
orders from the high-end corporate
market: hotels, banks and functions.
It was so exciting but overwhelming at
KIRSTY GAVE UP A
LUCRATIVE JOB IN THE CITY
TO START HER OWN BUSINESS
times too. My friends and family would
come in and help me package the
boxes at busy times. I’d have them
knee-deep in ribbons and white boxes
but I wouldn’t take any advice on the
business side of things. It was my
savings, my life, my future.
Two years on the company started
“There have been times
where I’ve felt that I
can’t cope but I’ve learnt
to break things down”
MY�PLAN�B��WING�WALKER
turning profit and now orders are
coming in thick and fast. I get up at
5am to get to my boxing or kettlebell
class, then I go to my studio in
Walthamstow, east London. For the
first two years I worked on my own.
I was so focussed that the days would
really fly by, but it was lonely. I missed
human interaction, so I started going
to a monthly networking breakfast.
Twenty five of us meet – lawyers,
bank managers, theatre CEOs.
We have become really good
friends and they’re the only people
I take business advice from.
Now I have an assistant, Alice.
She often makes the chocolate while
I go and talk to existing clients: the two
five-star hotels I look after, Gaucho
restaurants and some banks. We spend
a lot of time experimenting with new
flavours too. I take my inspiration
from things around me such as jasmine
tea from a Chinese restaurant. My
favourite flavour is Masala Chai,
which I took from an Indian cookery
programme. It’s really wintery and
warm with hints of cinnamon.
We get absolutely covered in
chocolate so there is no point wearing
anything nice to work. When I was an
accountant I used to eat about five
chocolate bars a day out of sheer
boredom but now I barely touch it
because I’m around it so much. I taste
everything I make though.
When you taste it’s important to
clear your mind of preconceptions.
Roll the chocolate around your mouth
like a wine and don’t take too big
a bite as it will overwhelm your
palette. A lot of men claim they’re not
interested in chocolate but it has to be
the right kind; we do ‘manly’ packaging
and focus on quite strong flavours:
boozy ones, chilli or dark truffles.
Changing careers was the best
thing I ever did. Now we’re making
money I’ve started treating myself to
little luxuries again such as the odd
pair of boots or a nice holiday. I’d like
to expand the business but I think part
of my success is delivering a personal
service. The Waldorf Hotel is my
goal though. If I could do its bespoke
chocolates I’d be happy.
perfectlytempered.com
I was 10 years old when I went to an air show and saw an aeroplane mid-flight with a woman balancing on
the wing and found out she was wing walking. I was spellbound. It’s an image I can remember even now.
It captivated my imagination and stuck with me for 20 years before I did anything about it. I first attempted wing
walking when I was still an accountant. I approached the Utterly Butterly wing walkers and got accepted onto the
team. When I was 32 I gave up my job to do it full time and went back to the City after a year, but I still do it in my
spare time. It’s the most exhilarating thing in the world. Being out in the elements, so free and open. It gives me
the biggest rush. One day I would love to do it professionally again. I feel privileged to have ever done it at all.
WORDS��AMY�GRIER���PHOTOGRAPHY��DEAN�BELCHER���HAIR�AND�MAKE-UP��ELLIE�TOBIN��ELLIEMAKEUP�COM��USING�DERMALOGICA
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