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An inside look at Valentine’s day…

Cookie Text Tweet Hearts Balloon

Things went remarkably smoothly on Valentine’s Day. There were a few minor hiccups, and one driver racing to get some CookieTexts to a school before the final bell (my fault, not hers, I should have sent that order on another route), but considering the volume of orders we put out, it went smooth like…butter.

Tuesday night around 7:30 pm we reached the number of orders we thought we could deliver with pride. At that point I went in the back end of the website and turned off February 14th as an option for delivery date. That was a first.

Liz was here with me that night as we got a head start on the next day’s orders. She’s awesome. She can sprinkle, box, and ribbon a CookieText faster than you can say Oklahoma Sooners (she proudly is one). Typically when she walks in the door I turn on the 60’s Pandora station and we get into a groove, and that’s exactly what we did. We share a couple of laughs and I bounce some ideas off of her, but we actually work pretty quietly together.  Liz is the perfect example of when the student surpasses the master. She can work circles around me.

At one point in the evening my friend Carlyn popped in with a survival kit. The paleo-beef stick I looked sideways at in the moment was a Godsend at 2am when I needed some sort of nutrition to keep going. It was either nutrition I needed or something to soak up all the liquid caffeine I’d ingested, either way, it hit the spot at the exact right moment.

Liz and Monica were both at work about 7am, and we got our hustle on. We had 6 routes going out, one of those with two people in the vehicle because it was the biggest one and deliveries go more quickly with two people. Our biggest delivery was to CNU, that driver put a rolling cart in her van so she could wheel everything to the mailroom in one trip (pretty brilliant). You know how we ended up with so many at CNU? ….I asked.

I wrote a Facebook post and asked that if there were any CNU parents that followed our page, I’d love it if they would let the other parents know we’d be happy to help them send a Valentine to their student. It only takes one person to say yes. It didn’t happen right away. The post had been up a few days when a mom commented that she had shared my post with the CNU parent’s pages she had access to. Not only that, she also fielded questions from them that they asked on the post. How awesome is that? I’m not sure if the lesson is sometimes ask for what you want or that it only takes one person to make a difference. I think it’s both.

Wednesday afternoon I went immediately to my friend John over at Healthy Touch Massages  He blissfully worked out the multiple kinks in my back and right arm from piping so many CookieTexts. The thing about John and Healthy Touch is that it’s convenient (I can book online), the prices are fair, the place is welcoming, clean, and classy, and he always does a great job. Once I found them, I never looked elsewhere. That’s how I want CookieText to be for our customers: reliable, efficient, and effective, so I can see why Healthy Touch’s business model speaks to me. Once I left there I hit my couch and didn’t get up until Thursday morning.

This was the first Valentine’s I can remember that we didn’t forget something: either some sprinkles, a balloon, an extra frosting, or something like that. That makes me so happy. I can’t stand messing up. We didn’t get a single complaint. In fact, quite the opposite:

“I ordered 3 cookie texts yesterday and one was going to a high school that told me they would turn it away. I contacted you all and you were so awesome! You called me almost instantly and I was able to change the delivery address. Also, the products are SO delicious!! Thank you so much!!! I’m a previous customer and will keep ordering!!!”

“Super easy to order! Love that there’s no shipping cost! Hubby loved getting his on Valentine’s Day! I will definitely order again!”

“This is our second year sending CookieText to our daughter for Valentine’s Day. This year’s was more beautiful than last, and she absolutely loves receiving them. Thank you so much for making her day while she’s away at school.”

How awesome is that!?

I’ve said it a million times, I love my job. I am grateful. We have a fantastic team on board and we had some phenomenal extra helpers as well, they all amazed me. Thanks to all of you for your support, for ordering from us, for cheering us on, and for telling your friends. Valentine’s Day is our Black Friday times 10 (but lucky for you there’s no standing in line at 4 am). It’s a lot of work, a lot of fun, and we get a ton of joy out of knowing people are getting showered with some cookie love. It’s a blessing to be able to do what you love for a living, and it’s something I do not take for granted.

All that said, as a true entreprenuer, I’m compelled to remind you: we’re here all year…you can order 24 hours a day at www.cookietext.com. 😉

I hope you had a LOVEly week,

Jeanne

Happy to help, Cupid!

 

 

 

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Can You Keep a Secret?

A friend and customer called the other day to tell me how it occured to her that at Cookie Text we likely have lots of local gossip. I laughed…because it’s actually kind of true. There is a bit of secret-keeping that happens in our cookie kitchen, and I have to admit, it’s often fun to be among the first to know.

I know your first question, have we ever sent a married person a CookieText® from someone who wasn’t their spouse? Well just slow your roll…we’ll address that later.

The good…

We are often among the first to know who got engaged, who is expecting or had their baby, who got into the college of their choice, or who got a promotion. These are fun ones. I always think it’s a special thing to share in someone’s joy, to celebrate with and congratulate them.  The mayday calls often come from Moms who recognize the thick collegiate acceptance envelope and hope to get a CookieText® to celebrate with that day.

The bad…

We often find out about new diagnoses, injuries, and the passing of loved ones via orders that come through the site.

One that sticks in my mind is a local grade-schooler who was sustained a bad injury to his face years ago.  What stood out for me most with this one was the delivery itself. For some reason I delivered that one, and I remember seeing the father’s face as he answered the door. The man just looked like he had been through the ringer, his shoulders were a bit slumped, and his face almost expressionless. I guess he looked like many fathers would when their child had been through something traumatic, like he was still trying to wrap his head around the experience and aftermath. The boy was another story. He walked up behind his dad and saw the CookieText® with the balloon attached and there was an immediate smile. God bless children and their resilience.

We try to treat the delicate orders and deliveries with the respect they deserve, and consider it a privilege to be called on during difficult times.

Those in the cookie kitchen know who orders for themselves, who ate the one they ordered for their loved one and has to order again to make amends, and who let their friend down and is ordering to try to mend fences.

The ugly…

Now back to the big question: Have we ever sent a romantic CookieText® to a married person that wasn’t from their spouse?

Yes.

More than once, but fewer than 5 times.

Usually these are sent anonymously. So while we can see the sender’s information, they request that no information about them appears on the label sticker on the box. All the ones we’ve ever sent out were delivered to workplaces not homes.

Now mind you, we were surmising this wasn’t the spouse and something a little sketchy was going on, we didn’t have proof.  As they say, when it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it’s usually a duck.

The information we get when someone places an order is not our news to share. I don’t think any of us find it particularly hard to keep things to ourselves, plus usually the information becomes common knowledge soon enough.  We do post CookieText® pictures on our social media accounts, we do our best not to use any kind of identifiers unless we have permission.

We need our employees to be team players, friendly, and hard-working. But don’t be surprised if you come for an interview and the first question is: Can you keep a secret?

 

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A Remarkable Year?

I liken our 6th birthday to being awarded 2nd runner up.

Sure it’s something, it’s just not…remarkable.

I mean, 5 years in business felt like a landmark, but six? Six is just…six.

My husband of 18 years and I split this past year. Now, that’s something remarkable.

Significant. Life-changing.

Personally, my year was remarkable. Professionally, honestly, it was a bit of a blur.

I remember on several occasions lying flat on my back in the middle of the cookie kitchen floor, just to feel grounded. I did it so I could feel that I was on this earth and breathing. I did it to start with what I knew for sure, because there was so much that was in transition this year, so much I didn’t know.

By now, I do know Cookie Text. It was just what I needed: consistent, steady, and distracting.  When I’m doing my thing in the kitchen, I get to think about all sorts of good stuff, like who is getting the cookie I am decorating, the funny messages, a nice review we got on the website, or how good cookie dough tastes…all great things. Especially when I’d  thought so much about hard stuff that I was weary.

One thing was tricky: I am so used to the growth mindset with Cookie Text, I had to coach myself a few times this year that holding steady was okay. This year just needed to be consistent and stable. My true focus had  to be on the boys and me, and I just needed to not lose ground with the business.

It was a hard thing to accept that I couldn’t do it all at once. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was most important.

One day this summer, despite my self-coaching, I felt like I was failing at Cookie Text. That afternoon the two younger boys and their friends asked me to take them on an outing. We were out and about for several hours and the boys and I had a great time.

It was just the reminder I needed:

Cookie Text has always allowed me to be the mom I want to be. Any time over the past six years that the boys wanted or needed me to be available or I wanted to be present, I could be. That will always be way more valuable to me than our sales figures or web traffic stats.

While it was a rocky year personally, I look back and think we still had an awesome year of Cookie-texting:

  • Even though the cookie kitchen moved, we never missed a day of deliveries.
  • Even though the kitchen was not set up ideally, we still had a record-setting Valentine’s Day.
  • Even though I was very sad at times, Cookie Text consistently brought me great joy.
  • Even though I might have neglected to send a newsletter reminder, you all still ordered.

Cookie Text was a companion on this journey. And a fun and reliable companion at that.

Now it’s time for me to get back in the driver’s seat and lead this business to it’s full potential.

In the coming year the oldest will be off to college, the middle son driving,  and the youngest will be in high school. I don’t believe this timing is an accident.  As my active-mom role shrinks, my cookie-lady role will grow. Just as I need to dedicate more time to the business, the universe seems to be handing it to me.

I find great joy in Cookie-texting, in mothering, and in just being me. The year’s personal journey was tough, but I have reached the clearing where I can feel the sun on my face and see the beautiful view.

I’m excited about the coming year, and look forward to having more attention to pay to the business. I’m grateful for all that this company is and has been for me. I am grateful for all of you.

By some unexplainable internal process I translate your affection for this company into love, and that love helped see me through.

You are all a very good kind of remarkable.

So cheers to six years, what-daya say we make us a national franchise by 10;)?!

Let’s do this!

 

 

 

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A Lesson in Creativity and Care

Cookies and Care

Stories>Numbers

Don’t tell my bookkeeper. I’m supposed to be pulling some numbers together for her. There is a long list of things I’d rather do than crunch numbers, so I will tell you this story instead:

Things were busy in May for us in the CookieText kitchen, so this story has been on hold for a bit.  In the midst of back to school and Mother’s Day orders, I got a text from a friend. Lori said she had ordered a CookieText®, but that she was going to have to send me a separate email about it.

See, her youngest daughter, Caroline, and her friend Elizabeth had been hard at work. Something had happened to their friend, Mary. I’m not sure if the young girl had been injured or was sick, but Caroline and Elizabeth had decided  they would like to send a CookieText® to Mary to help her feel better. This was to be no ordinary CookieText®, however.

Designers in the Making

I am not sure if it was in school or on the playground, but at some point, Caroline and Elizabeth put colored pencils to paper. They carefully designed a CookieText® so that it would look just how they wanted for their friend.

Lori had taken a photo of their drawing (which was slightly crumpled from some time in a backpack), and emailed it to me. I smiled at the photo and thought, we could do that, no problem.

As this was designed by very hip grade-school girls, there were lots of hearts and it had several colors. These girls are clearly not afraid to get in the game, though, because the Cookie was also designed to represent what must be Mary’s favorite team, Virginia Tech.

Design your own CookieText®
Finished product above, creative design below

 

As I decorated the CookieText® I was a little proud that I ran a company where people could order an item that tastes good, expresses care, and that these young girls had the confidence that we could make their vision come to “life”.

A Lesson in Caring

Then I took a moment to think about these girls, and how kind and thoughtful they were being toward their friend. To think to send Mary something was caring. To design it themselves, that took creativity, and a good bit of effort on their part. If I was either of the girls’ parents I would have been very proud of them.

Then I remembered something. I know Lori and her family from years of our sons playing soccer together. Caroline has food allergies. I remembered in that moment that Caroline has never eaten a CookieText®. She can’t, she is allergic to some of the ingredients.

What an incredible selfless expression of love for another, to give them something so carefully designed and thought out, that you yourself could never have. I shed a tear or two there as the full realization of the girls gift came into my awareness.

What beautiful girls and what a selfless expression of love they showed their friend. We in the cookie kitchen were quickly reminded that we have so very much to learn from the young.

So here’s a long overdue thank you to Caroline and Elizabeth. Thank you both, especially these days, for reminding us to love our neighbor, to express kindness, and that sometimes we all should put others before ourselves.

It’s not how much we give but how much LOVE we put into giving. ~Mother Teresa

 

 

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Cookies and Contempt: A Bad Week

Ruined Cookie Dough

Between a huge ruined batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, a chronically late employee, and no air conditioning, we simply couldn’t catch a break last week.

Things I already knew:

  1. There is a HUGE difference between Baking Soda and Baking Powder.
  2. It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.
  3. Most teenagers could sleep until noon if you let them.

Things I learned:

  1. Some CookieText-ing mistakes have a domino effect…
  2. Even dripping buckets of perspiration, I still love my job.
  3. Have the home phone number or the number of a relative, because teens usually mute their phones.

Between tossing pounds and pounds of unusable dough, fighting frosting that was getting softer from the heat by the minute, and sitting on hold with the A/C people for hours on end, I was happy to just put the week behind us.

Cookie soup
A do-over…the first one melted…

And so goes real life. Sometimes there are crappy days, sometimes there are crappy weeks. But I think just like relationships with people, you need to have a job that is more good than bad.

John Gottman, the marriage expert, talks about contempt in a marriage. Contempt is fueled by long-term negative thoughts about your relationship. Being disrespectful, sarcastic, or using hostile-humor are forms of contempt.  Gottman says contempt is the biggest predictor of divorce and that people in contemptuous marriages are more likely to suffer infectious sicknesses, like a cold or the flu.

I think his theories on contempt in a marriage apply just as well as someone’s relationship with their employment.

Ask yourself:

Do you spend more time thinking negative or positive thoughts about your job?

Are you in a bad mood throughout your workday?

Do you roll your eyes when you get yet another email from your boss/co-worker/corporate?

Do you talk badly about your employer, fellow employees or place of employment?

Are there more bad days than good days?

Or:

Are you in a workplace where, sure there is stress, but most the time things are good?

You generally enjoy your job, the people you work with, and when there is a bad day, you know it will pass?

Is there more good than bad?  There should be.

For me, even with a really crappy week, I knew I genuinely loved my job and that it was worth suffering through the annoyances. There is always more good than bad. I feel good about what I do. I have an underlying peace and satisfaction throughout my workday. I feel productive and generally happy while I work.

Are you in a conflict with your job? Life is too short to spend 40 hours a week in contempt. And that stuff seeps out into other parts of your life…a lot.

Maybe you need a change. Why not now? And if not now, when? And if you do have a million and one reasons why you have to keep the job you hate, can you change your attitude or approach, one thing at a time?

For me, a crappy week in the Cookie kitchen is still better than a good week doing anything else. I’m very lucky and blessed to have a job I love. So much so that I want the very same for you. Here’s hoping that you go to a job you love each day. And if you don’t do that now, hopefully you will very soon.

 

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