Today we’d like to introduce you to Debi Lindsey.
Debi, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have been baking as a hobby for quite some time; always bringing yummy treats to parties, holidays and celebrations. I have a Hospitality Management degree from Johnson & Wales University so, professionally, I was used to being “front of the house”. In November of 2015 I found myself in between jobs and looking for some extra holiday money; I decided to casually put up a post on Facebook offering our cookies for holiday gatherings. To my surprise, we got over two dozen orders off of one post alone and it was then that I realized that we may just be on to something.
As the orders increased, it quickly became clear that I needed “more hands in the cookie jar,” so I recruited my partner, Lisa. Lisa not only has a passion for cooking, but also a background in business so between the two of us, Rolling in the Dough was born. Since then our little cookie business has more than tripled in orders. Word of mouth and social media have been solely responsible for our growth and we are so grateful for our amazing customers and community for helping our business thrive. To us, there is no better compliment than a repeat customer. We are really given a chance to be a part of big life celebrations which is so special for us. We have seen one specific couple through their wedding shower, wedding, birthdays, first anniversary, and most recently, baby shower!
We love that people crave our cookies and keep coming back for more. Within the last year, we have started shipping within the US and just recently opened our Etsy Shop to expand our customer base. We also participate in nearby events and festivals and have just recently been invited to be a contestant in a local bake-off where we hope to win the best cookie and best decoration. Our dream is to eventually open a comfy and inviting cafe that offers pastries, coffee, soups, sandwiches, crepes, light meals and of course… cookies! Every order is bringing us closer to that dream!
Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think any business has a completely smooth road – there are always some bumps and potholes along the way, and we are no different! We have come across our fair share of challenges while starting Rolling in the Dough.
Rolling in the Dough technically started during a time where both Lisa and I were unemployed. Although the cookies were bringing in some money, we still needed supplemental income to live off of and so Lisa got a full-time job serving and was able to help with cookies during her time off. I, on the other hand, took a bit of an unconventional route and worked as a part-time Uber driver. That allowed me to have more time to dedicate to our cookies while still bringing in consistent money. I was quickly known around the Boston area and Cape Cod as the “Cookie Lady” as I kept a basket of individually wrapped, freshly baked cookies (and business cards and pamphlets) in my car for any rider to enjoy.
The word spread quickly and I actually received quite a few orders from my Uber days! After spending one too many hours in rush-hour traffic and driving around one too many drunk people, I decided to hang up my Uber keys and get a job locally. After working at a wonderful café, I decided I needed more flexibility in my schedule in order to focus on cookies, as we often found ourselves up until 2 am finishing an order. I am now working at a local, successful restaurant (same as Lisa) that allows us plenty of flexibility in order to prioritize our cookies. Another passion of ours is traveling (if you couldn’t tell by our picture) and this lifestyle allows us to see the world whenever it is convenient for us.
During slow cookie months, you better believe we are visiting a new and exciting place, near or far. Lisa and I have had many long talks about where we want our business to go and what our next steps should be. We have both decided not to go back to the corporate world so that we can continue to grow and expand Rolling in the Dough and focus on our dreams of a café. To be honest, we could not be happier. This life may seem busy and crazy to most people, but we love what we do!
Another obstacle was getting up to speed with local regulations. I had to renew my serv-safe certification along with my allergen awareness certification, the health inspector came to our home to perform a property inspection, we had to file all required paperwork, and pay all required fees. After all of that was completed we were issued our residential kitchen license which allows us to sell our cookies out of our home. That was most certainly a learning process – we didn’t realize all it took to just sell some cookies!
Although we are so grateful for our residential kitchen license, producing hundreds of cookies out of an oven that bakes 15 cookies at a time and an apartment that is no larger than 1,000 square feet, is most definitely a challenge. We have turned our second bedroom into “The Cookie Room,” as everyone knows it. That is where we keep all of our equipment from food gel to cookie cutters, to our industrial cooling rack and stand mixer. It is crazy to think of where we started to where we are today. We began by working with a hand mixer, then a 5qt stand mixer, and now have an 8qt, heavy duty, stand mixer. There used to be cookie trays strewn around our kitchen (you could not see one inch of the counter or table space), our industrial cooling rack took care of that problem right away. We have learned to be so much more cost and time efficient from how we order our pastry boxes and wrapping supplies to how we decorate our cookies.
Lastly, we are COMPLETELY self-taught. Although I went to Johnson & Wales, it was for business management, not baking and pastry! There has been such a huge learning curve when it comes to our cookie business – I would spend hours online researching piping techniques and the secret to perfecting the ideal icing consistency. We both laugh now when we see pictures of how our cookies looked when we started and are so proud of the progression of our product. One thing that has not changed from the beginning, however, is how yummy the actual cookie is. Although we have tweaked the recipe here and there to ensure ultimate flavor and texture, they have been delicious from the get-go! People keep coming back not just because of how our cookies look, but how they taste!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Rolling in the Dough story. Tell us more about the business.
Rolling in the Dough specializes in custom, hand-decorated sugar cookies. We pride ourselves on creating aesthetically pleasing and truly delicious sweets that we know everyone will love. We most enjoy collaborating with our customers to create the perfect, personal addition to any occasion. Everyone loves a cookie with their name, wedding date, or personal message on it. Examples of recent occasions we have customized cookies for include: all holidays, birthdays, corporate events, weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, bachelorette/bachelor parties, fundraising events, house-warming gifts, business gifts for clients (ex. realtor open house/new home buyer), teacher gifts, graduations, get-well gifts… anything you can think of, we can do!
What truly sets us apart from other custom cookie companies is the taste and texture of our cookies. Most decorated cookies on the market (trust us, we have done our research) are hard and crunchy. They may look cute but once you bite into it, you wish you hadn’t. Even the ones that have good flavor could still break a tooth if you’re not careful. We have created the perfect combination of flavor and texture. We provide a soft, buttery sugar cookie topped with a royal icing. The cookie is firm enough to keep the integrity of the design but as soon as you bite into it – you will be in sugar cookie heaven. Some people order our cookies with plain, white icing (for no special occasion) just because they need a fix. We not only provide a cookie that looks good, but that tastes even better!
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc
Within the next 5-10 years, we see ourselves growing Rolling in the Dough and opening our own café. With a store-front location (and more importantly a bigger kitchen) we really feel like we could bring Rolling in the Dough to the next level. We want to eventually open a café, in which the cookies would still be the heart and soul of the business, so that we can expand what we have to offer (Lisa is an incredible cook) and make both our dreams, of being small (brick and mortar) business owners, a reality. With the continuous support of our customers, friends, loved ones, and community we know that we can achieve whatever we set our minds to.
Pricing:
- Custom Sugar Cookies start at $24/dozen
Contact Info:
- Website: http://djl448.wixsite.com/rollinginthedough
- Phone: 508-789-5328
- Email: rollinginthedough2015@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rollinginthedoughma/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rollinginthedoughbydebi/
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