Start a Cookie Business
When I was a kid, I was always looking for a way to make money. I hated chores, as most people probably do, so getting paid to do extra work around the house or for other people was not high on my “things to do for money” list.
Since selling my services was out of the question, I had to move on. I decided to sell goods, something tangible.
Of course, I tried the lemonade stand with my sisters, but failed miserably on my traffic dead street. The only customers we got were relatives who we were forced to give our goods away to for free. Free= no money.
A little earlier before that, I had watched my sister sell all my seashells that I collected from the beach to the neighborhood kids in her yard sale. (I guess those kids didn’t get to the beach much. You wouldn’t believe their willingness to pay for clamshells.) I didn’t see the benefit in this type of selling because no matter how much junk you have, it’s going to run out.
I was always a very crafty, creative person and therefore tried my hand at making stuff. I remember spending an afternoon with my friend selling homemade candles made from a kit. We made little animals out of wax strips. We sold nothing.
When I was in fourth grade and about 9 years, my mom gave me the idea to sell cookies. I was lucky because my mom worked at the private school that I went to and she was able to put the cookies for sale in the teacher’s lounge.
I baked a batch of cookies, and with the help of my mom, I sold 5 for a dollar. I placed the 5 cookies in a zip lock bag and we put them in a basket lined with a fancy dish towel. I made a little sign to prop up next to them “Five for a Dollar” and had some sort of canister with a slit in the top to put the money.
To my surprise, they were a hit! All the teachers loved them and one even bought them for his students. All those years of fishing for money, and I finally had an idea that worked!
I continued my business the next year, and even had a couple of associates. That didn’t work out very well, so I continued in 6th, solo again. Soon my cookies were appealing to other students, as well. Everyone knew about my cookies.
As smoothly as I wished my business would have gone, I did run into some obstacles from time to time. I discovered that, no matter how much fun it is to try a new cookie and no matter how much I like them, chocolate chip are the way to go.
People love chocolate chip cookies and are familiar with them. If they’re going to spend a whole dollar, they want to know they are getting something good. Peanut butter and sugar cookies do okay sometimes, but steer clear of anything unfamiliar, and always have chocolate chip!
Also, once you find the best recipe, keep it and stick to it 100%. You ran out of baking soda? Stop! Every ingredient is very important in making the perfect cookie. You ran out of vanilla? Don’t use lemon extract (unless they’re sugar cookies). Trust me, I know from experience.
If you do have a bad batch, don’t sell them. The few dollars you lose is not worth the damaged reputation. Also, try to sell only fresh cookies, not last week’s cookies. No one likes stale cookies.
Keep your cookies all the same size. If you have one bag with 5 - 2 inch cookies and one with 3 - 3 inch cookies, just because you think they’re getting the same amount, doesn’t mean you customers won’t feel gypped. If you sell sugar cookies, you may want to put 6 for a dollar because they tend to be a little smaller and cost less.
Don’t sell broken or smashed cookies! I’ve never know anyone who liked to eat a bag of crumbs. (Maybe unless they were free!)
As with any business, I kept things well organized. My parents picked up the ingredients for me and I paid them back. I used the previous week’s profits to pay for the next week’s ingredients.
I tried my best to keep things fresh and interesting. I changed up the lining of my basket every once in a while and for each season. No snowmen in the fall! And I always had fun designing a new sign.
I once made this super fancy sign out of foam pieces. It was colorful and exciting! When I got home one night, I noticed it was missing and the next day I found it in the grass all torn up from the lawn mower. It must have fallen out of my basket when I brought it home from school the day before. It was a sad day. I just thought I’d share that to let you know its not all glitz and glamour!
When competition got fierce, (another girl wanted to sell cookies and I had to stop and give her a chance) I just waited it out. I had put in many years and developed lots of credibility with my business. She eventually gave up from lack of interest and business was back.
When I graduated from that school, I moved my basket to a friend’s small business. After a year or so from that and dropped sales, I ended up getting a job and my cookie business retired.
I always wished there could have been a way to keep going, who knows maybe in the future there will be? For now, I will continue to bake on occasion and satisfy my fans, but I will always remember my first and best experience with a successful small business.
I hope I have inspired you to take the plunge!
