Couple Crumbles Debt with Gourmet Cookies

This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.

[Music]

In search of a side hustle, this husband and wife team bake their way to sweet success. Welcome to Side Hustle School. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is a classic baking story. Nothing complicated, very simple, just giving people what they want.

It's not an app, it's not a cryptocurrency, a new way to visit outer space, and that's okay. Because who doesn't love a good cookie? Especially in times of trial and stress. Over the past month, if not before then, many of us have been stress eating, and if you're gonna do that, you should support a small business. In this story, a Tennessee couple pays down debt with delicious gourmet cookies they call nookies.

That's right, gourmet cookies called nookies. Stay tuned for the story. [Music]

Baking has always been part of Courtney and Lindsey Norton's marriage. In fact, right around when they first got married, Lindsey learned that baking could be an ideal way to relieve stress. It soon became a running joke with Courtney's buddies at his office.

Whenever he would bring in delicious baked goods to share, they would tease him by asking, "What did you do to her this time?" After a while, those comments turned into, "Hey, you need to go stress out your wife some more," because Courtney's co-workers couldn't get enough. Around the same time, the couple had been thinking more and more about starting a side hustle. They were hoping to get out of debt, and they knew that an extra source of income would make a big difference in their quality of life. Thoughts turned to Lindsey's excellent baking abilities. Their hometown of Cookville, Tennessee had a desperate shortage of cookie chefs.

Decorated sugar cookies and old-fashioned chocolate chip were popular, but lead times to get those tasty treats from other companies could be well over a month. Even though sugar and chocolate chip were popular, no one was offering a wider selection of gourmet flavors. The couple found a hole in the market, and they were ready to fill it with peanut butter, coconut, and caramel. Mm. They called this new business Nookie's Cookie Co.

It was a combination of their last name, Norton, and the word "cookies." And then they said, "Let's bake this happen." Their first-ever order came only two days later from a woman they went to church with. She ordered four dozen. From there, they quickly set up an Instagram page and were soon up every night making sweet treats. It helped that Cookville was passionate about supporting local business, so the community was ready to rally around this new venture. With a sudden spike in demand, Courtney and Lindsey had to quickly determine their pricing.

They decided to sell these Nookies somewhere between the price of a typical store-bought cookie and those high-end cookie competitors. That way, they could price according to the quality they were producing and still be competitive themselves. They currently sell Lil Nookies for $10 a dozen and Big Nookies for $20. They also decided to sell cookie cakes for $27 and even cookie sandwiches with homemade frosting. One batch only costs $5 to produce.

They can get anywhere from two to six dozen cookies per batch, making their net profit high. You might call it a batch made in heaven. Once things got going, they decided to ramp up their marketing. Not only did they keep up with that Instagram account, they also made a Facebook page and began attending community events to get their name out. They did a mix of for-profit and charity events.

In addition, their bank featured them a small business of the month in February, which included a radio ad and a billboard spot for the entire month, and it was totally free. Since launching in August 2019, the couple has worked tirelessly to build their business and make it through their first holiday season. They had tons of orders pouring in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they also decided to do a Valentine's Day special. It was a big success, but all this work left them feeling a little crummy. The couple was working full days, then coming home and baking 200 to 300 cookies every night.

Not only that, but they were doing all this between spending time with their daughter. Still, they've agreed that the experience has been awesome, at least overall. Even with their expenses, they still ended up rounding off their first year with $3,000 in profit, and they're now averaging about $1,500 each month. Courtney and Lindsay could not be more excited for the future. They're now reinvesting in some equipment to keep the ovens running without working themselves as hard.

It all keeps getting sweeter. [Music]

There is nothing wrong with a classic, simple story of baking. I mean, you're giving people what they want. It sounds delicious. It sounds like there's a market for it, et cetera.

My only comment relates to something that Courtney and Lindsay seem to be learning on their own, which is that baking cookies every day is a lot of work. So they are wise to be looking at options to reduce that workload by buying the new equipment, including a deep freezer that will allow them to store more inventory instead of baking every night. So just as there's nothing wrong with a classic, simple story, there's also nothing wrong with working hard and really jumping into something. But hopefully over time, you'll find smarter ways to do it so that you can serve more people and not burn out. All right, congratulations to Courtney and Lindsay.

I wish I was in Cookville, Tennessee, so I could sample these nookies, perhaps one day. For now, inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is better. Today's notes are at sidehustleschool.com/1207, 1207. If you have a comment or question for the show, just come to sidehustleschool.com/questions. Be sure you're subscribed.

Much more is coming up and thank you for listening. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]

From the Onward Project.