Cookiepreneurship 101- Procrastination- The #1 Business Killer ..and a solution

If you ask any entrepreneur what their biggest challenge is, most of them will tell you procrastination.

Admit it... How many times have you put off making those cookies or cake until the last moment? Did you get around to setting up your Facebook page yet? Have you picked out a logo or ordered your business cards?

These are things that are fundamental for your business to look professional and to it's overall success. Some may only take you under an hour, so why are you avoiding them?

In today's post , I'm just going to cut to the chase.

In my last post, I told you about someone who mentored me when I was down in the dumps. She believed in me, and helped me dust myself off and pick myself up.  I promised to introduce her to you because I KNOW first hand the impact that she will have on your business.

Her name is Jennifer McLean and this woman is a business GURU but that's not even the best part about her. She is also a Heart-Centered entrepreneur, which means that her business model, is not just centered around making a profit, it's centered around helping others succeed.

Sound familiar?

Let me tell you a little about Jennifer in case you have not heard of her yet...

Jennifer is the creator of a new form of online media, producing the largest teleseminar on the planet, Healing With The Masters, reaching more than 700,000 in almost every country. She has interviewed some of the same teachers that have appeared on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday on that program.

Jennifer is also responsible for launching the ubiquitous portable memory USB Flash Drive device. Yep, she launched that entire category, plus some of the biggest names in the technology industry.

She is a business POWERHOUSE who has helped create thousands of millionaires. Can you imagine what she can do for you if you just want to make a good living at doing what you love?

Hey,  I'm not there yet but I'm on my way, I already broke my six figures into my fourth year, and if that's your dream , you must take your destiny into your own hands. It's not going to fall into your lap.

Well, actually it kind of did because guess what, She has agreed to give this book away to my peeps for FREE! She knows how motivated you are to succeed and wants to help.

I can't click for you though. You have to do it.

Don't block your own success by ignoring something that is so powerful and can turn your life around. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose except the urge to procrastinate, and then some.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret before I say goodbye for now.

You can "want" your business to succeed more than anything, you may work your butt off day and night for years and just spin your wheels if you are not in alignment.

What does that mean? Your thoughts, beliefs and desires have to be aligned in order for things to happen.  When things don't come together, often it's because you are blocked in some way or have a hidden set of beliefs somewhere in your subconscious that is not allowing you to move forward.

How do those blocks manifest themselves? Most commonly you tend to PROCRASTINATE ( I'll do it later.. Or tomorrow) or you will take on some other self-sabotaging behaviors,

Don't make that mistake. Nip it in the bud! Don't kill your business before it even gets off the ground. Don't let fear paralyze you.  Do yourself a huge favor and go get this book. It's free, but you have to click on the link to download it.




Wishing you all the best, and I am looking forward to hearing that every single one of you took advantage of this offer. There are no strings folks, only benefit for you here!

I'm holding up my end of the promise when you signed up for my blog by delivering only the best to you.

I want to see you at the top of your game.. Let's go!

The greatest key to success is, PERSISTENCE! Never give up, ever.

XO Aymee aka Cookiepreneur

p.s. Oh, and just so you know, if you sign up for the book, you will be invited to sign up for a live on the spot coaching with Jennifer herself. Just to give you an idea, she charges 25K for in person training sessions that she holds twice a year for a small group of elite entrepreneurs, so it's your lucky day!

My work with her changed my life, now you have the opportunity, don't pass it up. I hope you make the most of it.

Go get it! Here, Now!
       

Coming Out of The Closet

I have been chomping at the bit to let you in on this huge secret. If you have read all of my blog posts, followed me for some time, or know me personally, I have dropped many hints about it.

In all fairness I feel that I must come clean about the success I have experienced in my cookie business, and how I have pulled through the really hard times in my life (Like the past two years of illness that had me wondering when,  I would be able to come back). Hint: It’s not just hard work!

Sure, a business takes lots of work, but that does not guarantee success. Let’s be honest, most people work really hard their entire lives and they don’t get very far, but you know that, I’m sure you see it every day.

What about you? Are you working really hard, burning the midnight oil and just barely surviving? Are you undercharging for your work because you lack confidence? Do you feel fear when you get a big order, are you just scraping by, or maybe you just want to take your business to a new level ?

I have been though all of that and then some, only to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. I attribute everything I have accomplished to two things aside from all of my work.

1. Having a Mentor
2. Being a Soul/ Heart Centered Entrepreneur( Does that sound a bit New Age-y or Idealistic? Yup, that's me. My business must benefit people other than ME! That's my Credo in a nutshell..More about that later)

I’m only going to get into the first one today because this is WAY too much information to hit you with all at once.

Remember how I told you I had lost everything back in 2007 ?  So how did I recover from all of that?  I would be lying if I told you I did it on my own.

You probably know by now that I am a lifelong student of Human Potential and  Personal Development. Without growth you are not living, you are merely existing. That is my philosophy.

Right after my "Dark Night of my Soul" as I call it,  I attended a seminar in Austin, at which I happened to have the good fortune of sitting next to a lady at dinner, who happened to be a catalyst for a huge change in my life.

During the course of the evening, we spoke for a bit.  In spite of my circumstances ( Your current circumstances do not define you) she saw the greatness in me and did not hesitate to let me know.

She knew instantly, that I had the potential to not only come back, but come back stronger and better than ever. 

Being a Heart-Centered entrepreneur means I don't believe in keeping these kinds of secrets to myself , so I promise to introduce her to you tomorrow.

For now I will tell you that she was so genuine, giving and inspiring that she sparked something in me and I found a way to invest in myself and she in turn used her gifts to help me climb out of the dark hole I was in.

The truth is I’ve had many teachers over the years, however, some just stand out. I have always been a student of  Human Potential, that’s why I love helping people and that is why I am HERE, now sharing with you.

While I have been busy working behind the scenes preparing a really comprehensive and accurate pricing guide that you will only find here  ( more to come on that too) , my friend, and coach has put together a host of information that will help you jump start your business.

All the information needed to help you lay the ground work will be at your fingertips.  We want to make sure we help you remove any and  ALL of those pesky blocks that might keep you from succeeding no matter how hard you work.

So, over the next few days, I am going to share some REALLY valuable information with you that not everyone has access to. I truly mean this so PLEASE pay attention.

Some people just block their own success by turning away from new ideas, but I know you are a creative being, and you are in a creative business. What that means to me is that you are more open by nature.  

All you have to do is keep an open mind and an open heart. You have EVERYTHING to gain by just listening and paying attention. The best part is it’s FREE!

Look for an email from me tomorrow with all the details of how you can get your business started or how you can breathe new life into it!

By the way, for those of you reading this directly on the blog. In order to receive that information, you need to sign up in the box above as this information will exclusively be shared with those of you on my list for goodies and freebies and committed members of the Cookiepreneur community. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions at all , email me at Cookiepreneur@gmail.com . I love you and I want to see you succeed beyond your wildest dreams.

The greatest key to success is persistence, never give up, EVER!

XO Aymee aka Cookiepreneur. 

Fiesta de Salmonella and How to Avoid it!

Take a little trip with me, will you?

It's Saturday morning and you are putting the finishing touches on the cake that is due later this afternoon, when all of a sudden you hear your iPhone ding. You've Got Mail!

Being the disciplined Cookiepreneur that you are, normally , you wait to check them twice a day but what the heck, you need a break and decide to take a five minute breather and check in, after all it may be another quote request .

 $$$Cach' ching$$$  

You notice the sender's name is familiar. Wait a minute, it's the client whose cake you delivered yesterday. You are filled with anticipation, excited to hear about how much everyone enjoyed the cake you made for her little Prince. Her only son, David that just turned 7 . You know she is happy because you put your heart and soul into that cake and it looked flawless. After all, your skills are improving by the day and it was for him and 20 of his classmates. You know what that means, lots of kids, lots of moms, lots of referrals.

As soon as you start reading , suddenly, that icy/hot feeling comes over you when you realize it is NOT a note singing the praises of your gorgeous cake. Much to your chagrin and horror, you discover that instead of happiness she is now wishing a horrible death upon you. She is HORRIFIED and PISSED off.

Everyone who had cake at David's party got sick, especially her little Prince, who had TWO slices because he loved his GI Joe Military Camo Cake. He is now traumatized, and chances are he will not join the military because of the case of explosive diarrhea and vomiting your cake has caused him.

WHAT? Your Cake? Never, Impossible! Could it be true?

Ooops, Fiesta de Salmonella sucks.  If you have been there, you know it is NO party, especially for kids, it's downright dangerous.  So what happened? You are always so careful.

Well, when working from home, especially if you live with someone it else can happen, because you do not have 100% control of your kitchen space at all times so ....

Unbeknownst to you, this is what really happened:  Remember that awesome chicken your partner prepared for dinner the night before last when (s)he saw saw how hard you were working?  Well, after (s)he was seasoning that chicken on the cutting board, (s)he forgot to wipe down the counters with bleach and some of that raw chicken juice got on there.

You are working in limited space, and it looks like (s)he cleaned up pretty well so you deemed it safe to place your spatulas in the EXACT place the chicken was and BOOM ! cross contamination took place.

Those little suckers multiply FAST, and now it's in your icing , on your cake, or  in your cake because you sliced it with a knife that was placed in the same spot where (s)he put the raw chicken down and now it has spiraled into this.

So now she is threatening you. She wants her money back and she may even sue.  You are panicking,apologetic and mostly distraught because you don't understand what could have possibly happened but you have to deal with it.

Okay ,I  know I exaggerated, A LOT! I confess I really wanted to grab your attention. This is highly unlikely but by no means impossible. I know you are very careful about your kitchen and your cleanliness but stuff happens. That's what I'm here for. To help you think about all of these things so they don't come to pass.

Where Do We Go From Here ? 

If you take my advice , chances are that will not ever happen.

If the situation does occur, you apologize profusely, issue her a refund and you use solution number 2, if a law suit should arise (very, rare case). From now on, make sure to wipe down all surfaces you are planning on working on with a bleach solution.

1. Avoid that situation altogether by getting your Food Handlers Certificate.
2. Purchase Food Liability Insurance , to cover you in case of that kind of a situation.

Let's take a quick look at both.

Get Your Food Handlers License ASAP. 

It's incredibly affordable and you can do it online. You can take an online food safety course and download your Food Handlers certificate, once you pass the exam at www.Servsafe.com . It's the best $15.00 investment you will EVER make in your business, it just makes sense.

In a nutshell, you will learn about general food safety, food temperature, how to store your food in the refrigerator properly and how to place food so that it does not become cross contaminated. Loads of useful information that you will need and is practical for home use as well.  

There are other companies out there but,  ServSafe is my favorite. They have have a map feature if you click on the image below, you can choose the state you work from and they will give you the appropriate information about the certificate you need .

 Purchase Cottage Food Liability Insurance

This one is a no-brainier if you are baking 2-5 cakes per week for customers, you can afford it.  Sharpen up your pencils and do your math. Make sure to roll this into the cost of your product. Policies start at about $300.00 per year and quite frankly, it's better to be safe than sorry. Flip offers a great product to Cottage Food entrepreneurs

So , I will leave you with all of this in mind.  Safety is paramount.  I do recommend both, but at the very least, if you are just getting started and not making that many orders, get your Food Handler's Certificate and that will help you avoid a costly mistake that could ruin your reputation, and pocketbook.

So I hope you had a good laugh, but in all seriousness more than anything, I want you to understand the importance of food safety for your clients, and your reputation as a successful Cookiepreneur.

Remember that they key to success is persistence, Never give up, ever!

Aymee aka Cookiepreneur

Three Basics of Pricing for Profit

Happy Sunday!

I can't begin to tell you how good it feels to be back after my long absence.  For those of you who don't know, due to health issues I was away for almost two years, but I am back and so happy to be here.

I wanted reach out to you today with a video, that I made just for you where I discuss the basics of pricing for profit.

Synopsis of the Video:

Three Basics of Pricing for Profit:

DON’T GUESS

There are a number of well-meaning folks out there sharing their own price charts of their baked goods. While these give you a general idea about pricing, they may be nowhere near where you need to be in order to make a profit or conversely, you may be losing money by using another person’s model.While it serves as a general indicator, it simply may not work for you and is no better than guessing.

1. That person may not be in your area. A cake in Miami, is much pricier than a cake in Dothan, Alabama.

2. Other people do not use the same ingredients as you are. How can you know for sure that you are paying the same price, or using the same raw materials? This is fundamental, and we discuss it a little more in detail later. You have to figure out your costs before you even think about what to charge.

3. Not selling to the same demographic- If you make $500 dollar cakes but the median income in your town is 40K per year, chances are people will not be able to afford your product but the person who provided you with their pricing schedule may have a completely different socio-economic demographic.

4. May not have the same skill-set as you- If you are a beginner, (We all have to start somewhere) it is more difficult to command a high price for cookies or cake that do not look polished and professional. Conversely, if you are making these beautiful elaborate cookies that are taking you a long time to finish because of the detail that goes into them, you cannot sell them for the same amount as another decorator.

INVEST IN A SOLID COSTING SPREADSHEET OR PROGRAM (OR CREATE ONE) 

The difference between a hobby baker and a pro is profit.  If you want to create a profitable business there is no way around this. You must know the cost of each and every one of your products in order to price them for profit, otherwise it’s sheer guesswork.

Figuring out how much your raw materials such as flour, sugar, eggs etc.  per recipe, on your own may be a pain if you purchase in bulk, and that’s why I recommend that you either create a spreadsheet that is going to help you to keep track of how much each product is going to cost you to make . That includes Direct and Indirect costs, which we will get into in another post but here is a great spreadsheet that I invested in myself that helps me keep track of all my costs.

http://www.smallfoodbiz.com/shop/food-product-cost-pricing-spreadsheet-us/

Please note that I receive no financial compensation if you elect to purchase this program whose link I have included above. This is simply a recommendation based upon my experience. There are other spreadsheets out on the market and the Cake Boss Program. You have a bunch to choose from. Just make sure you are using something to keep track of all of your costs. It’s not a luxury, it is a necessity and I cannot emphasize that strongly enough.   

Here is a link to an article I wrote for Chef Julia Usher's Cookie Connection in my former Dough to Dollars blog feature on Pricing. 

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER/DEMOGRAPHIC

In order to price your products accordingly, you need to know who your customer is, what they spend their money on, how much they earn, and how they think.

If you are creating beautiful cakes that are worth $500.00 and the people who live in your area can only afford to pay $100.00 your business will not go very far. Clearly, talent or quality is not the problem, people only have a certain amount of disposable income available and are willing to spend on a custom cake or cookies.  These are luxury items, we should not forget that.

The opposite is true as well. You may be starting out and have a limited skill set. Perhaps your cakes are somewhere beyond amateur but not quite at pro level yet. There is also a group of people who are willing to take a chance on you and pay a bit less for your cakes/ cookies even if you have not yet perfected your skill set.

This is a mutually beneficial situation as they may not know how to even bake a cake out of a box and you can make them look good by helping them out, and selling them a cake at cost. Which honestly makes you money in the long run, because someone is paying you to practice.

Sure, you are not earning a profit, you are breaking even however, the practice on that cake is an asset because it adds to your education and skill set. That is as good as money in the bank.

 Just be sure to be upfront with them, if this is the case so there are no disappointments if your baked goods did not turn out as well as you expected. This happens to all of us at the beginning.

The key to creating a profitable baking business is striking a balance between your costs, what the market is willing to pay, and your skill set.  We live in a free market economy and there is competition everywhere.

The best way to get ahead of the game is by offering a consistently great product, knowing how much it is costing you to make it ( to the last penny), knowing who is willing to buy it and how much they are willing to pay.

Wishing you all the best this week and always remember this.. No matter how hard it seems

Persistence is the key to success, never give up, ever!
Aymee aka Cookiepreneur™

p.s. Don't hesitate to drop us a line with any questions. And be sue to check out our What inspired you to become a Cookiepreneur? Contest.

Join our Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/Cookiepreneur
www.Cookiepreneur.com

A Winning Formula For Success - Clarity, Focus and Goals

Running your business without having a clear vision or an end goal in mind  is like sailing a ship without a destination.  In order to create a successful business you must know where you are going , create an action plan and strategy , create clear and precise goals and take daily action steps that consistently move you toward your end goal.

While nothing in life is absolutely guaranteed, success is a formula and if you follow certain steps (You may have to tweak some here and there along the way)  you are sure to get it right eventually, so here are three common sense tips that are sure to stack the odds in your favor.

Tip #1 - Create a Clear Big Picture With an End Result in Mind.    

Create a crystal clear  mental picture of where you want to take your business and why. What is your Vision? Where do you plan to take this business? Write it down.

Are you looking to bake out of your home as a simple Cottage Food Operation, Licensed Home Bakery, Storefront or are you looking to be the Sylvia Weinstock of  Cookies?  Start with the big picture in mind. Don’t worry if what you truly want in your heart seems impossible at the moment.

Write it down, put it on paper and give yourself a time line. Don’t worry about whether or not you will be able to achieve it in that time frame or not, just get going.  Do not allow the Nazi in your head to stop you, so this is what I want you to do.

Take a piece of paper , preferably a notebook where you keep all your ideas and plans for your business and write this out.

Example:
My vision : To build a cookie EMPIRE that spans the entire east coast of the United States and 20+ franchises in Europe by December 2023.

Why do you want the big goal?  What is it that drives you? Why do you want this success?

It’s very important that you be just as clear about why you want your goal. What compels you to want this ?

Example:
Why: Because I LOVE baking and decorating cookies. That is my gift and and through my gift , I will build my cookie empire which will  provide a secure future for my family, a college education for my son, I will employ talented people and help them to reach their goals and help their families succeed. Through my success as an entrepreneur I will be able to contribute financially to those causes that are close to my heart and I will be able to assist others, hence leaving the earth, having done my part to fulfill my highest potential, which is to contribute to mankind in a positive way.

Note: Make sure your reason, is not just about you.  Make sure you reach out beyond yourself and  include those things that are important to you such as your family, causes you may support . This should be aligned with your life's purpose.  Financial success, without contribution or anyone to share it with is the ultimate failure. The only way to truly feel fulfilled in life is to give back , during and after you have achieved success for yourself.

TIP # 2 - If You Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail.

Merely wanting something is not enough, you must first map out your goals and then put plans and a strategy in place to attain them. Set up your goals and add intended dates for achievement.   I don’t like to use the word deadline. I am a strong believer in the power of words and I don’t like using anything having to do with dead in my business .

Example:

• ( 10 years out) Long term goal: By 2023 my goal is to have 30 Wacky Cookie Store locations, all over the East coast of the United States, and 20 + franchises all over The European Union.          
• (5 years out) By 2018 my goal is to have 10+ Wacky Cookies Store locations to have a storefront operation each with three part time employees, a full time baking assistant and a full time decorating assistant.  
• (3 years out) List goals here
• (1 year out) List goals here

You get the idea, right?  Always work back from the bigger picture. Use the backwards planning technique.

Click Here for a good article on Backwards Planning 

TIP # 3-  Set Clear Goals for Consistent Improvement. 

Regularly check to make sure those goals are in direct alignment with your big picture.  

Utilize the Cookiepreneur formula for success M^2-  Mechanics x Mindset ( Creates the synergy for success)

Mechanics

Set up a practical step by step plan, take daily action toward your big goal by breaking it down into smaller daily goals. This can be as small as a single phone call per day, but the key is to do something, each and every day that will move you closer to your goal.

Mindset

If you ever want to achieve success you must  utilize positive thinking and visualization techniques and exercises to see your outcome (If you can see it you can be it! It’s not just a saying, it’s true) The world's most successful entrepreneurs, CEO's, athletes and performers use visualization techniques often to achieve their goals, and as Cookiepreneurs we are no different in our ambition to manifest a desired result for ourselves.

You must have the psychological element in place in order to reach your goals, I cannot emphasize that strongly enough.

A great book to help you with visualization exercises and to cultivate a Wealth Mindset in general with practical exercises is The Wealth Diet by Kathy Zant . 

The Wealth Diet

I love this book , because it is written from the heart by a real person.  I know Kathy, I am proud to call her my friend and she is an amazing entrepreneur, mother and someone just like you and me and is genuine in her message to help others succeed in life.

You may see yourself in this book, as I did.  Remember that I told you , when we first started this journey that I am a very strong believer in the inner game to success.  I believe that your outer world is merely a reflection of your inner landscape, so for many of you what that means is that you need to start working on success from the inside out.

Before you become a successful Cookiepreneur, first you must see yourself in that role. 

You must see yourself at the finish line before you get there and this book is a wonderful and indispensable tool, full of nuggets of wisdom and a-ha moment provoking passages that will help get you there.

I promised you that we would have lots of goodies and freebies here so make sure you click on the book below in order to secure your  your chance to win an autographed copy of The Wealth Diet.

Click HERE for your chance to win an autographed copy of The Wealth Diet,  The Proven, 4-Week Program that Realigns Your Mindset to Greater Wealth, Abundance and Happiness Giveaway  

I told  Kathy about this project and my journey to help you uncover and cultivate those wonderful gifts you have and she generously offered a copy of her book to one lucky winner, that could be you!

We will also touch on these subjects during our free teleconferences.  Sign up here  if you have not already and we will be sure to let you know as soon as we start offering these in July.

If you want to take it a step further, and are really serious about getting this down to a science , I will be offering  this as part of the curriculum in our  M² Elite Series Webinars starting in late summer / early fall . We are going to open pre-registration in a few weeks. These will be small group online classes I will teach you the step by step fool proof way to Create a compelling vision for your business based upon your life's purpose and how  to construct a comprehensive plan to get there.

For those of you who really wish to Go big or go home as I often do,  I have also decided to open up a few spaces for one on one Personal Business Coaching. This is the ultimate coaching program.  This is a series of  meetings ( Online  if you are in another state) where  you and me will work together directly in order to help you reach all of your business goals.  I bring every bit of knowledge, experience and resources that I have to the table in order to assist you in setting  up your vision , breaking it down  into manageable bite sized chunks, and helping you see it come into fruition..

I am so excited  to offer this to only a select number of people who are really serious about this process. Due to the number of requests this will be an invitation only type program and we will begin taking applications for this program the first week of August.

So in summing up this week, you already know that in order to create a successful business you need to have  

• Absolute clarity about what you want, and know why.
• Create a plan to get there.
• Set clear goals that are aligned with your big picture. 
• Take daily steps toward your goal, it doesn't matter how small, the key is consistency!

As always, I leave you with what I believe to be the absolute truth

Persistence is the key to success, never give up, Never!

Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous week.

Aymee 

Cookiepreneur Mindset 101- Overcoming The "F" Word

 I have to warn you that this week’s post may be a bit difficult for you to read, particularly if you are the kind of person who gives up after the first blow or thinks that just because you made a big  mistake you should give up.

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Fact, life is NOT fair more often than not and when you decide that you are going to go for it and open a business, you do it with the best of intentions,  Your hope is that everything will go smoothly. I am here to tell you that more often than not , things will not go totally smoothly, sometimes something may happen that may put the very survival of your business in jeopardy . 

 I am telling you right here and now that  if you ever want to achieve BIG success first you need to make friends with the one thing keeps grown men from sleeping at night. That horrible F thing that puts most people out of business permanently when they experience it for the very first time. The horrendous, ugly and unthinkable word that no one wants to talk about because we all want people to think we are perfect. The dreaded F thing that you will experience many times in your career as an Entrepreneur and must learn to embrace.

The “F” word I am talking about is FAILURE!

Cookie Business Guru or Human?

A close friend suggested I not write this post.  How will this make you look to the other ladies? Talking about your failures ? They will discuss you for weeks behind your back!  Good I said, if this teaches them something.

Fact is, this blog is not about constructing a flawless public image of myself  a Cookie Business Guru that has never failed at anything. The fact is if you ever find one of those, run in the opposite direction because they have nothing to offer you except a carefully crafted  image of perfection that you will never achieve. Not because you are not a fabulous businesswoman, because perfection does not exist. Gurus do not exist! They just want you to think they do, but I have earned my experience through trial and error, just like you will.  I just happen to be here now, because I have gone through it and if I can help you avoid the same you bet I am going to try.

    

So Yes, I am going there. The cold hard truth is if, if you do not develop sound psychological resiliency and a strong mindset as to how to deal with and embrace failure then a business of your own may not be the best option.

So at this point you are probably thinking , wow Aymee,, what an abrasive delivery.  You bet your cookies it is and I want to drive my point home , so pull up a chair, grab your coffee and listen up because this is going to be one of the most important lessons you will ever learn as a Cookierepreneur.

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The Cookie Business, or any other business is NOT for the fainthearted!

As a Cookiepreneur you are going to make mistakes.  Sometimes it will be something that you thought was the right thing to do, and will turn out to be a complete disaster.  Sometimes, it will be a dumber mistake, like the one I made and that I will tell you about later on in this post.  These mistakes may lead to failure but when they do…. Always remember this.

 The ONLY thing that separates a “winner” from a “loser” is their ability to turn failure into success.

 Let me repeat that in a different way. The ONLY difference between a person who is successful and a person who is not, is the meaning they give to their failure and what they they do about it.

Please do not think that I am calling anyone a loser.  I simply use these two broad terms to draw contrast and to help you understand that there truly is no such thing as failing in life until you decide to give up.  

Let me share a personal story with you.  Not one of my early “failures”  I can tell you a million of those , rather one that recently happened to me, and when I say recent I mean about two months ago that threatened to wipe me off the map as a cookie business.

Had I not put a strategy in place to deal with this, I would have most certainly gone under right away, I would not be writing this right now, and I you would never be able benefit from this information.

My Most Recent Epic Fail

As you know, my main cookie business is  The Wacky Cookie Company.  About  two years ago, I discovered a wonderful website called Etsy, that many of you may be familiar with.

For the benefit of those of you who are not, Etsy is a huge global online marketplace for handcrafted goods, and it is the ideal place for Artisans who create everything from jewelry to handmade cards, quilts, baked goods and art to come together and sell their products.

Etsy is a  Billion dollar  industry and if you have a quality product, with a smidgen of marketing acumen,  and good photography skills, with the help of Etsy you can start making very good money with your business in a relatively short period of time. Millions of people, that are interested in the “handmade” product niche visit daily.  

Needless to say, I started building a good presence on Etsy at first with  Wacky Cookies , and decided to branch out and open up a Gourmet hand poured candy shop, The Candied Flower, as well as another shop called Rainbow Sweets that was dedicated exclusively to the marketing of my rainbow colored cookies, and finally I opened my latest shop earlier this year called CookieBurger, which featured my latest brand of Gourmet Crème Filled Cookie Sandwiches .       

About a year ago, I had my first little run in with ETSY due to  some cookies that I created for a client’s baby shower. The theme was Burberry Love, and as you can see from the pictures below, the cookies were to follow the Burberry theme  which I am a huge fan of.

I listed these cookies for sale on ETSY , under a listing name that did not mention Burberry at all, but one of the tags were Burberry inspired.  My client who had ordered these is a stylist and she had submitted the table she put together to be featured as a guest submission on the Amy Atlas website, and was selected which drew massive attention to my shop.

About two weeks after these were featured via the Amy Atlas blog, I received an email from the ETSY Legal department which included a notice of copyright infringement from The Burberry Legal  Department asking that I please remove my cookies because they resembled Burberry’s trademarked Nova Check pattern.

The listing was deactivated and  that was the last I heard of them.

Fast forward a year and I receive yet another notice from the ETSY Legal Department letting me know that The Wacky Cookies has been shut down along with my three other shops for repeated instances of copyright infringement.

This  time it was two other listings in question that had triggered the notice.  This time there was no cease and desist notice from a huge corporation owning the rights to the likeness of my cookies.  My shop had been “reported” by a fellow Etsy  shop owner or someone who is a member of the Etsy community . Etsy did not disclose who reported my shop. 

The culprits pictured above 1. Aloha Kitty  2. Block Heads 

Their claim was that Hello Kitty is a registered trademark of  Sanrio and the Lego Heads are a registered trademark of Lego and that due to my “repeated” instances of copyright infringement, my privileges as an Etsy seller have now been revoked, forever more leaving me no recourse whatsoever.

Now, keep in mind. I had NEVER committed any kind of copyright infringement in any of my other shops,  they contained 100% original material designed by yours truly but they were shut down as well, all in one fell swoop, therefore rendering most of my channels of income DEAD in an instant.

My first offense was innocent enough, as I did not use the Burberry name and quite frankly did not think that it would be a big deal. The last two , were one of the dumbest mistakes I could have EVER made as a Cookiepreneur.

So what happened? Why and how could I have made such a stupid mistake? The fact is I am human! I got careless and complacent, I did not listen to my inner voice about slowing down when I should have, and I was just so tired from working all the time that I made reviewing my listings and making sure that everything  was okay a second priority .

I have been well aware that Etsy has a very erratic way of doing away with shops that contain any designs that are licensed. I figured that I would be okay if I did not actually write “Hello Kitty”  and even though it was her face, it was my outfit design , Stupid mistake!  .

The fact is there are tons of cookie shops on Etsy who do this. Yours may be one of them and it’s all too tempting to list cookies that your clients ask you for over and over again that are in fact trademarked designs by a huge Corp. Don’t do it!

I got tired of people sending me private messages asking me , Do you make Hello Kitty cookies? I don’t see any listed in your shop?

I am telling you this story for several reasons 1. As a cautionary tale  2. Because I want you to know that you will make dumb mistakes now and again , that may cost you everything unless you are prepared 3. If these mistakes bring you to a point of failure, you will know how to deal with the failure and turn it around  on a dime.

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The Turnaround

So, here I am, every single one of my Etsy shops has been shut down and my stream of income, paralyzed.  Sure, I had a good 50 orders in my pipeline to fill, but now I would have to scramble to try and set up my shops once again to bring in new traffic, even so , how would I get that amount of traffic without Etsy power? I thought about all of that but did not dwell, I sprang into action..

I shared my ordeal with a group of my closest cookie colleagues as a vent and I thought nothing more of it and went into full swing without even flinching. I worked 72 hours straight with the help of one of my best friends and my PA from time to time, and we were able to get a new shop up.

I already had my own Wacky Cookies website, for the past few years, even before Etsy , but I felt the design had become outdated and it would not appeal to people wishing to just purchase a listing of cookies, rather than going through an entire process of having to contact me via email or telephone to inquire about cookies, how much they cost, etc.

The first 72 hours after the incident, my adrenaline was pumping hard and I scrambled around to save my business from doom when all of a sudden, the fourth day, after this happened  I checked back into my Etsy shop , viewed my stats and  that is when the reality of what had happened to me hit me in the face, like a wet dirty mop.

I collapsed on my sofa and started crying.  My heart was broken and I thought MY GOD what will I do now?  I have worked so hard to build this business for the past few years, and thanks to ETSY it exploded into this enormous success.  Where will I get all of my traffic from now? What will I do? The saddest part being that I had so stupidly left a huge chink in my armor, that threatened to bring me down unless I moved rapidly.

I strongly believe in that saying “What we resist, persists” Therefore I decided to not fight the sadness and  give myself the rest of the day off and grieve for what was. How could I have been so stupid? I decided to forgive myself for that too, I am only human, I am not a machine.

I woke up the next day  ready to do battle and , well, what I had not yet mentioned to you is  that in spite of my shop being shut down, I kept receiving emails and requests for my cookies. Several per day, from my loyal client base. Both via my business email and Etsy.

It just so happens that over the past few years I have been working very hard to make sure that I provide my customers with top quality cookies and amazing customer service.

Repeat customers are the ones who truly build your business and  make you money.  

Thanks to that I have built a solid and loyal client base that has kept coming back for their children’s birthday parties, Anniversaries, Weddings, Christenings, Baby Showers and most of their most important occasions that call for cookies. Some of these clients found me through Etsy, some did not, but they are part of my loyal and solid base that I can count on. 

When I started thinking about what happened and how I could correct this so it would not happen again It also occurred to me that I did not listen to my instincts when they were telling me that I should start this Cookipreneur venture sooner , that is allowing me the platform to tell you this story about a year ago.  Yup, this idea has been rolling around in my head for over a year, my inner voice was screaming at me to do it, but I ignored it and continued to take more and more orders.

So, once I had collected myself , the proverbial light bulb in my head went off.  My goodness, I can start my Cookiepreneur blog now. This  is a blessing in disguise. I have been wanting to do this for the past year, but my business keeps getting crazier and crazier leaving me no time.  

So crazy that I am left time to do nothing else, and that is fine , if that is what I truly wanted to do, but for me, you see THIS, what I am doing right now, talking to you, telling you about my challenges and how I have overcome them, this is what I REALLY want to do , so you see, that is the meaning that I have given my “failure” .

WAIT, I cannot, even say that it’s a failure, I honestly don’t see it that way, I see it as a lesson, as a means of being forced to slow down a bit, and re-think what Is my true love in life, which is Personal Development, and giving people the tools of resiliency (Remember my first post? The Journey Begins The decision I made to help others? )Well , here I am.  I am going to get all spiritual on you, but the Universe, God, your higher power,  higher mind, whatever you pray to, always delivers what you ask for, ALWAYS!

Well let me give you an update on my cookie business. The Wacky Cookies is alive and well.  All the hard work, love and dedication I put into my customers the past few years, has paid off.  Things have slowed down a bit, and I do mean just a bit. I am still insanely busy and  I find it hilarious that some of my cookie colleagues actually thought I would close down. because of this.

I have filed for a Trademark on my new brand of Gourmet Creme Filled Cookies named CookieBurger, by The Wacky Cookie Company and have sold more of them than I have been able to produce thus far ( working on it). The orders are pouring in, and I have to say, the R&D that I did on these things for a year, really paid off ( That will be another post) They are delicious, and look how cute they are (Pictured below) I love them.

My point, I am doing awesome , and I am not even two months out from what could have been a major catastrophe and the end of my career as a Cookiepreneur.   I am less stressed, have a little more time to dedicate to what I LOVE to do besides cookies, and have even managed to launch a new brand of cookies.. Now if that is not bouncing back, I don't know what is. 

To sum up, I want you to remember the following things when it comes to dealing with failures in your business.

There is no such thing as failure unless you give up!

A true Cookiepreneur, only faces challenges. There are smaller challenges and greater ones.  True failure is when you decide that the blow is so hard that you just give up and quit.

Don't expect to do it right, all the time.

Fact, you will make mistakes, serious ones like I did. They do NOT have to be the end of you and your business. Learn from your mistakes and build on that. 

Failure can be turned around in an instant depending on the meaning you give it.

If you are one of those people who hit the first snag , and feel that the world is out to get you and that nothing you  do is right, etc etc, then forget it . If you decide that this is just another challenge and you see this as a new beginning, or as a vehicle to figure out how to do things better, congratulations, you are half way home in turning it around.

Always do your best, and it will pay off in the end, even if you make mistakes.

It's clear that I made a serious mistake, but my hard work the past few years paid off and has kept me alive. By taking advantage of  Etsy as a catalyst, I have built a solid client base that has allowed my business not only to survive, but thrive during a challenging period.

I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes by a man that you will probably hear me mention often because of the respect and admiration I have for him. A true winner, not because he is a billionaire, but because he had the guts to endure so many failures that would make a grown man head for the hills with his tail between his legs.

“Not many people are willing to give failure a second opportunity. They fail once and it’s all over. The bitter pill of failure is often more than most people can handle. If your’re willing to accept failure and learn from it, if you’re willing to consider failure as a blessing in  disguise and bounce back, you’ve got the potential of harnessing one of the most powerful success forces”

 - Joseph Sugarman-

A good way to strengthen your mind and spirit against failure is to read great Personal Development books.  You can start with anything by Tony Robbins  or get Entrepreneurial mindset coaching or both!. Invest in yourself, you’re worth it! I have invested thousands of dollars over the years in my Personal Development Education, I would argue that it was an even better investment than college 

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Very soon I will be announcing a series of teleconferences and online webinars, among them the  M2 Elite Series webinars, there will be a series dedicated to the “mindset” part of being an Entrepreneur.

Anyone can teach you the mechanics of how to run a business,  but mindset is by far the most important part.  If you have that in place, you will not only survive any challenge, you will turn it around and make it into one of your greatest successes.

Good luck, I wish you a wonderful and prosperous week and always remember this.

Persistence is the Key to success, never give up, NEVER!

Aymee 

p.s. I would love to hear some of your stories of psychological resiliency and how you overcame a difficult situation in business.   

Cookiepreneurship 101- Time Management and how it Impacts your Small Business

The cold hard fact is ….. How well you manage your time can make or break your small business.

One of the greatest challenges that I faced when I first started The Wacky Cookie Company was having to do everything on my own.  As a Cookiepreneur, with no assistance you are probably juggling all of these tasks almost on a  daily basis.  If you do not manage your time correctly, you will get very little done, no matter how talented or creative you are.  

·         Marketing/ Advertising

·         R&D ( Research and Development) of new Products and recipes

·         Expand  and Learning New techniques

·         Quote Custom orders

·         Baking

·         Decorating

·         Packaging

·         Shipping

·         Customer Service ( Answering Emails/ Telephone calls)

Anyone trying to do all of these things every single day is bound to go nuts or burn out sooner or later, therefore I have a few general tips to help you bring this under immediate control starting with the most important.

Tip #1- TMS Yourself-  Time Management System 

Get a superior time management system. There are tons of them on the market, look around and find something that works for you. Over the years I tried calendars, agendas, notebooks etc until I found Simpelology.

All I can say about it is WOW! Either go get this book (by clicking on it) which I highly recommend , or go to their website and sign up.  If you get the book, it will be much easier to understand how it all works, at least for me it was at first.

An added bonus of Simpel.ology is that it basically is a Business Guru in a box type website. The founder Mark Joyner, is an expert at marketing and this guy knows and has worked with some of the top business people in the world , so hands down this is what I recommend but again, get whatever works for you.

Tip#2- DO NOT make a habit of overbooking yourself.  

We have all done it at some point, You know you are booked to the hilt that week and a good client approaches you, so you take that order ( I will squeeze it in for you, is my favorite thing to say).  Then another, and another until you have so many orders that once you come to realize it you have been working for seventy-two hours with only 4 hours of sleep.

Now, notice I wrote do not make a habit of it, not don’t ever do it.  Once in a while it’s okay to work really hard. As a Cookiepreneur, you will have to be flexible and sometimes you just have to stretch a bit, especially around holidays. Sometimes you may just want or need that extra cash and that is great but let me  give you a few of the most important reasons why you should not make a habit of it.

First, you will burn out. It’s impossible for any human being, no matter how healthy, fit or mentally sound to work at that level for any prolonged period of time without burning out.

Secondly, you will wind up feeling angry and resentful and start making stupid decisions as a result.  You will be cranky, and it will come across in your communication to your clients and you will start burning bridges and making overall bad decisions.

Remember, proper rest is paramount to running a successful business!

Lastly, You want to enjoy what you are doing for a living.  When you are churning out cookies like a machine, you lose perspective of why you are doing this in the first place. It stops being an artistic endeavor and becomes a factory like assembly line of cookies that become one big blur to you. 

In the coming weeks we will talk more about pricing your cookies properly so that you don’t have to work as hard and make a decent living doing this .

Tip #3- Leverage yourself

If you are very busy, hire help.

Let me explain to you why it is to your advantage to hire either someone to help you bake or perhaps hire an assistant or virtual assistant to help you manage emails, computer/technology related tasks like website upkeep etc.

I got to a point in my business where I was shipping out 30-40 orders a week last summer. Clearly, it was impossible for me to physically do all of that so I decided that I was going to hire a baking assistant to help me.

I met a wonderful lady who happened to be working at a local Subway sandwich shop that I frequented and I was so impressed with the way she worked the moment I thought about hiring someone, I thought about her and offered her the job.

I found out how much money she was making at Subway and offered her an extra dollar per hour so that she was making $8.50 per hour working as my part time baking assistant.

I trained her and taught her how to make my cookie dough and my icing. She already knew how to clean and organize things in the kitchen and her work ethic was off the charts. She helped me do everything except for the actual decorating, that is much trickier as you know but it was a match made in heaven.

Simple Math

Now for those of you who are worried about hiring someone because it will cut into your profits, let’s do a bit of simple math here just so I can give you an idea of how much you are leaving on the table by not hiring someone.

I was up to an average of 35 orders per week.  My average order is about $45.00  so that is $1,575.00.

I had my assistant working with me an average of 25 hours per week (About 6 hours per day) at $8.50 per hour which equals about $212.50 .  My gross income is $1575.00 before I paid my assistant so let’s just subtract $212.50 from that to make it $1362.50. 

Had I not hired her, I would not have ever been able to maintain that volume of orders and would have burned out within a month or so. Because I hired her, I was able to take on even more orders, pay her even more money and grow my business. She was flexible and when things slowed down a bit, she had another part time job and it was a win-win situation for the both of us.

So, if you are afraid that hiring an assistant will cut into your profits I have some advice. Rather than focus on the money you will have to pay your assistant, do it like a true  Cookiepreneur  and focus on how much profit you will leave on the table if you decide not to hire her/him. 

That’s Called the Opportunity Cost of Capital by the way, and it means when making an investment decision, you look at how much you are going to leave on the table by not making that decision/investment v. how much it is going to cost you to actually do it you’re smart so I know you get the point! 

If you follow those three tips, you are off to a really good start about how to manage your time in order to make your Cookie Business a thriving success.  

In concluding today, I wanted to talk to you about a series of webinars and conference calls that l am going to host in the near future. 

Group Conference calls

Will be free of charge to everyone that is interested in participating. The only requirement will be for you to sign up so I know how many people are going to attend and these we are going to start offering once per month.

We will be discussing different topics and taking your questions beforehand, and answering them during the call. There will also be gifts and prizes for a winner chosen at random, after each call.

Cookiepreneur's Elite M2 Specialized Knowledge Webinars 

We are going to start offering a comprehensive webinar series on specific topics in the near future such as Comprehensive Cost Model Construction, Marketing, Branding, R&D etc.  Each one of these webinars will consist of two components. The Mechanics, and the Psychology of the Business of Cookies.  

These are going to be intensive elite level webinars that are intended for you, the most serious Cookiepreneurs that are truly want  to take your cookie business to that next level.

I will disclose upfront that  M2 Series of Specialized Knowledge Webinars will not be free of charge. I have invested countless hours on this comprehensive curriculum and am packing it full of every single morsel of information that I can possibly think of to help you surpass your wildest dreams and goals in this business.

Clearly, with something so intensive and involved,  there are certain costs involved that I must cover in order to host them, but what I can promise you is that 1. They will be incredibly affordable and give you MAJOR bang for your buck. 2.  We will go over the particulars of everything 3. You will have the option of adding personal email support from me. So there you have it!  

I want to give you ladies as much value as possible for your time.  My purpose is very clear, and that is to give you the tools you need in order to create your OWN recipe to success.

  

http://www.cookiepreneur.com

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Until next week , always remember what I know to be the absolute truth!

If you can see it, you can be it! Persistence is the key to success, never give up NEVER!

Wishing you an abundant and prosperous week.

Aymee