Michelle Dukes with The Cookie Cutters

The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses

Michelle Dukes lives in Penfield, NY, and sells jumbo muffins and cookies with her cottage food business, The Cookie Cutters.

Although Michelle has thousands of Facebook followers and has sold many thousands of baked goods over the past 13 years, she doesn’t run her business to make a large profit or to become a brick-and-mortar someday.

Rather, her business is primarily a social and creative outlet for her, and most importantly, she focuses on having fun with it.

In this episode, you will hear how her business has changed significantly over time and what she’s learned along the way.

What You’ll Learn

• How to turn your hobby into a successful business
• That having a clear focus on fun rather than profit can still lead to success
• The value of community and support in overcoming business challenges
• That adapting to change is key to longevity in business
• Why you should refine your menu instead of trying to please everybody
• The significance of personal branding and being authentic on social media platforms
• How Michelle converts almost every market booth visitor into a customer
• The importance of a personal support system for growing a business
• How experimenting with products can help you find your niche in the market
• Potential challenges when transitioning to wholesale
• Why the journey of entrepreneurship is about more than just financial success

Resources

The Cookie Cutters Facebook page

New York Cottage Food Law

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Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/110