…And we’re back!From being on vacation mode, to jet-lag, to starting up 2 (so far) scheduled weddings for 2011, we clearly have minded our business away from our C&C blog. Forgiven? Sweet!! In the midst of my return from the Philippines in February, I came home just in time to help celebrate a friend’s baby shower. It being her second child, second baby girl, Natalie was not planning on having this shower. But after some convincing from her Auntie Jen, I hopped on the baby wagon to help out. We’re so glad we were able to throw Nat this baby shower, because she got all she needed to re-stock her newborn pantry with baby essentials, such as diapers, wipes, soft & cuddly blankeys, more diapers, shampoo, ointments, powder, bottles, gift cards to Target, and oh, have I mentioned…more diapers?! Perfect for a baby sister who gets all of Audrey’s hand-me downs & more. One day, Nat had shown me Audrey’s tubs of clothes all organized by age, and also let me gawk over Audrey’s closet. Talk about a fashionista who still had tags on almost half of her clothes! It was incredible. So Nat didn’t even register, instead we mentioned on the invite that the baby essentials such as the above would greatly be appreciated. While planning for the shower, I thought it’d be a great idea for C&C to add a special touch. Why not a dessert/candy bar, right? I thought to myself, “Well I can only bake so much.” I decided that I can handle the cupcakes and rice krispies myself. But I decided to call on one of our Preferred Vendor for some help. Doreen Torres of locally owned Sweet Little Cookie was so helpful in providing some of her own insights of her more popular cookies. So I went with the delicious, “heaven in your mouth” Powdered Angels, and the “sweet as it sounds” Candy Cookie. Perfect choices I have to agree! What was so great was that she delivered these to my front door the morning of the shower. 
Some other cravings I had in this Sweet Tooth buffet were chocolate cupcakes with Cream Cheese icing, Hershey Kisses, Rice Krispies treats, pink swirl lollipops, and the famous Conti Polvoron straight from Manila, Philippines. Everything was a hit and sure hit the sweet spot in everyone’s tummy!
As of now, my dear friend Natalie still has not popped out baby #2 yet. We patiently await the arrival of baby girl A, and pray for a beautiful & healthy delivery.
PS. Stay tuned for some exciting news!! “Pea”, take it away. :)
We had attended a beautiful wedding in October and found the delicious bagged cookie favors to be homemade locally by a company called Sweet Little Cookie. So I contacted her a couple weeks later to ask a few basic questions to post on our blog site.
Photo Courtesy of SweetLittleCookie.com
From baking to a stay at home mom and wife, Doreen Huezo shares her story and advice on how she started her own cookie business.
When did you first know that baking was not only a hobby for you but a business you wanted to take to a higher level?
Well, I've been baking for several years and I've always loved it. I would bake for friends and family and they always thought I should sell them. But I had a 9 to 5 job, had been working at the same title company for 10 years so the thought was never taken seriously, until I was laid off in February of 2008. The real estate market turned on me and I was devastated, not knowing how we were going to pay our bills. But that's when the thought of selling my cookies became a reality and starting my own cookie baking company became my new venture. What better time to give it a try, right? I launched SweetLittleCookie.com in May 2008 and couldn't be happier that I did.
What is your favorite cookie?
That's tough...it changes from day to day. I guess it depends on what mood I'm in. But lately, it's been the White Chocolate Macadamia....so yummy! :)
What is the biggest order you’ve ever had?
A Staples Office Supply in Northern California ordered 50 dozen cookies for a grand opening/customer appreciation event they were having. It took me all day (literally) to complete the order, but it felt great to know I could do it.
What is your most popular cookie?
My Perfectly Sweet Chocolate Chip, without a doubt.
Photo Courtesy of SweetLittleCookie.com
Where is the farthest you’ve ever had to mail cookies to?
To Afghanistan, a couple of times actually. I receive orders from women who have husbands stationed out there and want to send them a little bit of home :)
What do you like to do when you have some free time from baking?
Spend quality time with my husband and three kids. We have a 15 year old son, a 4 year old daughter and a baby boy who's turning 1 in December. Needless to say, there's never a dull moment. We have a ton of fun together.
What have you learned about having your own business?
Honestly, it's tougher than I thought it would be. It's extremely rewarding, yet very time consuming. Some times I feel like the business owns me, not the other way around. I guess it's because I thrive on customer service and the only way I'm going to offer an awesome product with exceptional service is to give it my all, which in turn means giving up much of my personal time. But again, it's so rewarding and I LOVE what I do. When I send out cookies to a soldier overseas or to a mother who just had a baby or to an 8 year old who just had knee surgery and is stuck in bed, I feel like my cookies are making that sweet little difference in their lives. And that makes it SO worth it.
What is one advice you can give others who wish to start their own business?
Do your homework before getting started. Find out if there's local competition, if your business would thrive in your area and if you're able to commit full time. Having this knowledge before getting started can save you a tremendous amount of heartache and frustration. It can also help make you the best business owner ever.
