Mornings with Chocolate Storybook owner Meg Shearer

When you're running a candy business, you can't be afraid to let your ideas get a little wild .

Driving the news: In 2001, entrepreneurs Meg and Steve Shearer took a "leap of faith" and purchased Chocolate Storybook — a popular West Des Moines lacking broad name recognition.

State of play: Since then, they've reached national distribution thanks to their creative ideas with sales at popular shops like Macy's, CVS, T.J. Maxx and Five Below.

• Some of their most popular creations have also been the most creative like " Muddy Pigs " — a chocolate-covered bacon treat and " Trump Hair Cotton Candy " — a controversial butterscotch-flavored sweet.

Here's how Meg Shearer starts her day:

⏰ Wake up: 7am.

☕️ Breakfast: Don't expect anything sweet. She just drinks coffee.

📚 What she's reading: Work emails and anything that pops up, ranging from People magazine to royal family updates.

💡 Her piece of advice: "You can't be afraid to come up with ideas and throw it out there and see what happens."