204. Baking it Down - In the Market for Farmers Markets

Summary

Baking It Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing 🍪

Episode 204: In the Market for Farmers Markets

Release Date: March 25, 2025
Hosts: Heather and Corrie Miracle

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Introduction

In Episode 204 of "Baking It Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing," hosts Heather and Corrie Miracle delve into the lucrative but challenging season of farmers markets. Aimed at helping bakers optimize their presence and sales at these markets, the episode provides a comprehensive guide on selecting the right farmers markets, preparing effectively, and maximizing business growth through strategic marketing.

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Main Topic: Navigating Farmers Market Season

1. The Importance of Farmers Markets for Bakers

Heather and Corrie emphasize that farmers markets are pivotal for bakers, especially those who are new to the industry. Participating in these markets offers an excellent opportunity to "jumpstart your business" by gaining visibility, attracting new customers, and establishing a loyal customer base.

Notable Quote:
Corrie: "Market season is amazing for bakers. It's a great way to jumpstart your business. If your brand is spanking new, getting your name out there in a market is incredible."
[03:34]

2. Five-Step Guide to Selecting the Right Farmers Market

a. Market Marketing Assessment Evaluate the farmers market's marketing efforts. A well-marketed market likely attracts more foot traffic and benefits vendors.

Key Points:

• Check the market's social media presence.
• Assess the consistency and quality of their marketing campaigns.
• Lack of marketing can be a red flag indicating potential struggles.

Notable Quote:
Heather: "It's indicative of how strong the market will be if they're not marketed at all."
[09:21]

b. Conduct Thorough Market Research Understand the longevity, growth trajectory, and vendor diversity of the market.

Key Points:

• Determine how long the market has been operational.
• Assess whether the market is growing or declining.
• Ensure a diverse range of vendors to attract a broad customer base.
• Utilize community groups to gather feedback and recommendations.

Notable Quote:
Corrie: "If they don't have a social media presence, that's a big red flag. You're going to seek out someone that's marketing another way."
[09:20]

c. Engage with Market Organizers Establish communication with the market organizers to gather essential information about vendor policies, costs, and logistical requirements.

Key Points:

• Inquire about vendor limits, especially regarding bakers.
• Understand the pricing structure and what it covers (e.g., tents, tables).
• Clarify cancellation policies to avoid future conflicts.
• Avoid requesting exclusivity as it can be costly and restrictive.

Notable Quote:
Heather: "Don't ask for exclusivity unless you're ready to pay the big bucks. It's not typically offered and it limits your options."
[16:45]

d. Contact Past Vendors for Insights Gather firsthand experiences from previous vendors to gauge the market's effectiveness and vendor satisfaction.

Key Points:

• Ask open-ended questions about their experiences.
• Understand what attracts vendors to the market annually.
• Identify any recurring issues or standout positives.

Notable Quote:
Corrie: "Ask in a community group. Someone might say, 'I love Dale City Farmers Market,' which can guide your decision."
[23:37]

e. Prepare Strategically for the Market Effective preparation ensures a successful market experience and optimizes sales.

Key Points:

• Themed Treats: Align your products with upcoming holidays or events to attract themed interest.

  • Example: Easter bunny-themed cookies two weeks out from Easter.

• Freeze-Friendly Products: Bake items that can be frozen to mitigate the risks of bad weather or low sales.

  • Example: Royal icing sugar cookies and sourdough bread freeze well.

• Marketing Your Presence: Actively promote your participation through social media.

  • Create Facebook events specific to your booth.
  • Go live on social media to showcase your setup and interact with potential customers.

• Operational Readiness: Ensure you can handle the expected foot traffic without overproducing, which can lead to waste.

Notable Quote:
Heather: "Themed treats do better than ambiguous treats. Instead of just royal icing sugar cookies, make Easter bunnies or floral designs for spring."
[26:15]

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Additional Insights

Managing Booth Setup and Logistics

• Booth Configuration: Decide whether to have an inviting entrance or a more subtle setup based on customer preferences.

  Notable Quote:
  Corrie: "As a consumer, I don't want you to be right at the forefront because that shies me away. I want to see what you offer first."
  [06:50]

• Vendor Diversity: A diverse range of vendors (e.g., vegetable vendors, coffee trucks, honey vendors) can enhance the market's appeal and increase foot traffic.

  Notable Quote:
  Corrie: "If you have a good veggie vendor there, they bring people in. They are the ones that bring the foot traffic."
  [13:11]

• Parking and Space Management: Ensure the market has adequate parking to accommodate attendees without overcrowding, which can deter potential customers.

  Notable Quote:
  Heather: "Dale City is max capacity because they took over the commuter garage, allowing for more parking. It's something to keep in mind as you're doing your market research."
  [13:56]

Enhancing Customer Engagement

• Sampling Products: Offering samples can attract customers to your booth, encouraging them to make purchases.

  Notable Quote:
  Corrie: "Samples are a great way to get people into your tent and taste your goods."
  [21:03]

• Cross-Promotion with Other Vendors: Collaborate with complementary vendors (e.g., local coffee shops, honey suppliers) to create bundled offerings or joint promotions.

• Leveraging Social Media: Use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to announce your presence, showcase your products, and engage with the community before and during the market.

  Notable Quote:
  Heather: "Create a Facebook event on your page titled 'Your Business at [Market Name]' to attract traffic without confusing customers."
  [28:35]

Operational Tips

• Managing Custom Orders: Balance market activities with custom orders by setting clear boundaries and utilizing options like bulk pickups at the market.

  Notable Quote:
  Corrie: "Consider offering weekly custom pickups at the farmers market, providing discounts to incentivize pickups there."
  [32:10]

• Pricing Strategy: Position your products as premium by emphasizing the farm-to-table aspect, allowing for higher pricing while justifying the value to customers.

  Notable Quote:
  Corrie: "You can get away with charging higher prices at a farmers market because customers perceive it as fresher and more local."
  [35:21]

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Conclusion

Episode 204 of "Baking It Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing" serves as an invaluable resource for bakers aiming to excel at farmers markets. Heather and Corrie provide actionable strategies, from selecting the right market and engaging organizers to optimizing booth setup and leveraging social media for maximum impact. By following their comprehensive five-step guide and implementing the additional insights shared, bakers can enhance their market presence, boost sales, and foster sustainable business growth.

Final Notable Quote:
Corrie: "Farmers markets can be a great boon for your business. Know your numbers, price correctly, and market yourself effectively to flourish."
[36:33]

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Additional Resources

• Sugar Cookie Marketing Website: sugarcookiemarketing.com – Explore free resources, join the community, and learn more about upcoming classes.
• Cookie College: A membership program offering pre-recorded classes and resources to help bakers master online marketing and business management.

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Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting out, Episode 204 equips you with the knowledge and tools to make your farmers market venture a sweet success.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Baking it down with Sugar Cookie Marketing podcast. If you're hearing us for the first time, welcome. We're actually a spin off from a group that's on Facebook called the Sugar Cookie Marketing Group. I know we didn't go crazy with the naming there, but it makes it easy to find.

[B]

I want you to maintain that type of talking the whole time.

[A]

Challenge me. Challenge in. I'm in.

[B]

Do you know like when you listen to the news.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they're like, and tonight on this.

[A]

Big segment things happen.

[B]

But if you talk to somebody like that, you'd be like, I know.

[A]

Good thing I'm only talking to you on this one.

[B]

Hello, welcome. More on Sugar Cookie Marketing Group tonight at seven.

[A]

Well, if you're just tuning in for the first time, we are going to have a topic nugget and know how for your ear holes. That's what we always do. But I also wanted to jump in real quick. This podcast is run by the sponsors. Without the sponsors we would not be here. But I have an update to our sponsors and you're going to want to know about it. Let me tell you, the backers co who has sponsored us since the beginning of time, I think the beginning of time since the beginning of the podcast, pretty much which I think they've been around for quite some time. But the backers co is always offered 20 off. But they've come to the table and they said, you know what the price of eggs are pricing they are ever going up. So we wanted to help the bakers out and we're going to give them 25 off. So starting today onward, it's 25 off. Using the code sugar cookie at checkout. Now, the backers co is backdrops in a 23 by 23 inch form is larger or larger. They do have larger but the base is 20. It transforms your home. So instead of seeing your crusty dusty granite countertop with all the crumbs.

[B]

Don't you call my granite countertop crusty dusty. You've been through a lot.

[A]

You can transform your photos and photos really stop the scroll and get you more sales so that the backers co is really looking out for the bakers out there in the community. Amazing.

[B]

It makes a a load of difference.

[A]

It does.

[B]

Quality of the output of your photography. Photography for you, people who don't like photography.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that makes a massive difference in your bottom line because our clients buy what they're all they do.

[A]

So using the code sugar cookie saves you now 25 off. Plus she asked me to to say this on the podcast, on April 1, 9am EST Eastern Standard Time to 9pm Eastern Standard Time is the scratch and dent sale. Okay. Scratch and dent sale means you get their backers and the scratches are very minimal. I have partaken in the scratch and dense sale, so I can speak from experience. Sure.

[B]

25% off the scratch and dent sale.

[A]

No, scratch and dent sale is 50% off. 50, 50% off. You can't combine, so you can't use any code with that. But 50% off for the scratch and dent sale. Here's the thing. No returns. Sales are final. It's going to have a scratch, it's going to have a dent on it, but that's why you're getting it for 50% off.

[B]

So you got 12 hours to say 12 off, 50 off. If you miss that or if you are a queen who does not like no scratch, no dents. Yes. Dusty crusty ain't in your vocabulary, then you would use code sugar cookie for 20, 25% off.

[A]

So the scratch and den sale will have a button on their website that you'll click to and I'll show you everything that's under the scratch and den sale. So you have to go looking but the button will only be clickable from 9am to 9pm 50% off. No, can't combine with any other codes. All sales code.

[B]

That's a good one. Okay. Yeah.

[A]

Usually does not last that long.

[B]

No, they're going to sell out. Yeah, I know, but that's great. 50% off. Very good.

[A]

So that was very, very nice. But we wanted to dive in today. It is market season.

[B]

The spring has sprung.

[A]

The spring is springing.

[B]

The spring has sprang. My car is about to be colored in a yellow layer of crusty dust.

[A]

Yeah, I went on a walk yesterday.

[B]

This is walking season.

[A]

The film across little lakes.

[B]

The film is across my eyes and my nostrils because I have light slight allergies.

[A]

But it tastes like market season. And market season is amazing for bakers. It's a great way to one jumpstart your business. If you if your brand spanking new. To get your name out there in a market is amazing. There's nothing like it.

[B]

Don't set sail across the Atlantic on your own when you can tack your ship onto the big boat.

[A]

Yeah. But there are some things to look at when choosing what market you want.

[B]

To be a part of. I think the broad strokes markets are great for people who like doing things on the weekends.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The consistent thing. Now I'm not cut from the cloth that says be somewhere every Saturday at a certain time, all summer. For some reason, I feel claustrophobic. I like to have my options. And let the wind much like Pocahontas, take me where it blows. What was the song?

[A]

Oh, we sang it in the car just the other day.

[B]

It was so funny. Cory and I. Sorry. We got Cory and I. She's in my car and she was like, let me play dj. So I was like, oh, here's my phone. Because it just pipes in through Spotify. But the car displays the song in the instrument panel. So did not know that, right? I'm speeding and I'm also singing. So Cory's like, you know, she's like stoked and she's. You know when somebody's scrolling on Spotify, five years pass and they think it's fine, she's like, chooses Hercules. And I'm like, oh, that's a great song. And so she's like, at least, you know, hum along with it. Then she picks another one. I was like, oh, color is a win. Just a banger. Like, that one's phenomenal. And she was like, hum along with it. Then the third one, it was like an obscure Hercules song. You are just phenomenal.

[A]

I said, I didn't know you were such a Disney adult.

[B]

Like, she's like, you hear two notes and know what the song is. But I was reading it.

[A]

I said, I'm an idiot.

[B]

So anyways, jumping into market season now, you gotta ask yourself, are you a market? Are you a market girly? Are you somebody who can be consistent with this? Because what, the worst thing you can do is sign up for marketing? Cancel.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Cause you don't. You. You don't like it. So what, this whole podcast, and Corey is very, very excited about this one, is to help you vet this before you jump in. Yes. So if you went through all these, I think we have five steps here, you'd know.

[A]

You know, I'm a farmer's market go to kind of gal Cory is going to.

[B]

I hit her.

[A]

I would love to see.

[B]

Ain't no cucumber safe. Ain't no tomato not gonna be picked up in luck.

[A]

I love to examine. I don't need any tomatoes right now.

[B]

I went to a farmer's. I'm not. I'm not cut for farmers markets. Even attending them. If me and a farmer lock, I know I'm gonna buy something. I don't care if it's rotten through. I felt bad.

[A]

That's why I love when it's a jam packed farmer's market. There's too many eyes to lock in on. So I'm just a bag of the wind.

[B]

Before we jump into this, here's my question for you. I'm a. I used to have to do vendor booths in regards to like service based industries and I still have PTSD from that. But there's a theory that you make your booth so people can walk in or there's a one where you bring your booth out so people passing by can stop by.

[A]

Which one are you as a consumer? Let me walk in towards you.

[B]

Ah.

[A]

I don't want you to be right at the forefront of it because that will shy me away. I just want to see what you got to offer first. Then I'll talk myself into buying something.

[B]

Now I know this is very shopper specific. Do you want somebody to ask you if you need help or would you like to approach them as you need? I know a lot of people actually like to be asked if they need assistance.

[A]

Let me approach you as I know Ikea.

[B]

Okay, let's jump in to the number one. So it's farmers market season. Here's the things to look for if you're pre planning going to market and then we'll take you all the way to like I'm, I'm going to.

[A]

I'm going to.

[B]

So one biggest one. This is a marketing podcast. You're not going to be surprised. Here is the market marketing itself.

[A]

Here's the thing. Markets. Farmers markets pop up in spring just like the flowers do. The problem is is there are best laid plans of mice and men. Some are brand new, never been marketed, don't have a following. And you're taking a risk business being the first one there.

[B]

Right. What we don't want is to hook our line. Trailer. Trailer, the horse that's on his way to the glue factory right now you live in Lake Ridge. Right. There's a Dale City farmers market which is happening.

[A]

It's the number one around town.

[B]

And now there's the Tackett's Mill farmers market, which I think is. Someone finally put it out of his misery.

[A]

Yeah, he has been on his way out for years.

[B]

Is he not dead yet?

[A]

I want to say still has maybe three vendors.

[B]

Okay, so what we don't want, and this is why this is such an important question to start with, is we don't want to get locked into a market that has no value when there's a better market for us.

[A]

Here's the thing. We are getting into the markets because it's going to help our Marketing. We don't need to be doing the marketing for ourselves in the marketing for another farmer's market as well.

[B]

Yeah, it'd be a little unfair to the baker who's listening, who's been listening to this podcast and implemented all these great marketing tactics. And then the farmers market's like, hey, could you bring more traffic? That's not the goal here. We want something that's already working well and we can grab onto it. Yeah, we don't want to make something that's not working work well. Yes, you may be the superstar at that farmer's market of 3, but again, what's the value in it?

[A]

There's. And if the ship is sinking, for you to put so much time and effort in something that is already on its way out, that is unfortunate. And it will put a bad taste of farmers markets in your mouth.

[B]

We have a lot of means of transportation. We got horses, buggies, boats, boats, tugboats type.

[A]

Spring has sprung, cruise ships.

[B]

We are moving. And much like this podcast, we're moving on. So a great way to see if the market is marketing is social media pages. Check out their social media. You may say, well, they don't have one right there. That's a be my first little red flag.

[A]

Yeah, it's good to know why, in.

[B]

The world of online, why don't they have any social media? And they may have different. They may not be on Instagram, but big on Facebook or maybe even do it on Nextdoor. We need a little something, maybe have a newsletter. I need them to have a website. Need something.

[A]

It's good to know it's indicative of how strong the market will be if they're not marketed at all.

[B]

What do our cornice. If you're not marketing, you're dying, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So. So if they're not marketing, it would be. It would take them down a notch and maybe I'd seek out someone that was marketing another way. And I have this actually in my second tab, but I'm gonna move it up. Ask in a community group, which markets people love the most. Yeah, that's from the mouth of babes.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

They're going to hear that they love this market and they're not going to mention this market. And you're going to be like, okay, this one. For some odd reason, people like it. Why reinvent the wheel and try to make people like it? Absolutely.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

We're going to say, okay, community group. I am a vendor. I'm looking to go to farmers market, which is your favorite. You can come in even more Innocuous and say hey I'm looking to attend a farmer's market this weekend. What are my must knows where should I go?

[A]

You'll see that some the resounding name will be the like the Dale City Farmers market which is next to me and the unresounding name will be Tackett's Mill. Tackett's Mill might charge you less of a BO booth price and that might. You might be like but it's cheaper.

[B]

Here's not always a cheap that it may be cheaper but the cost.

[A]

I know, I know, I know.

[B]

So yeah so then we go to the second one. So do your market research. So first we we said is a market marketing. We want to see how involved the markets the organizers. Organizers. Yeah that that'd be great because if they're communicative on social media they're likely going to be communicative in email. So then next one do your market research of your market. How long has this market been around? Is it uh, how often do you see it again recommended in community groups? Uh I've never seen Tacketts Mill recommended. I've only seen people say don't go there. Don't waste your time. Uh so what we don't want. You may have the best three vendors in the world but three vendors aren't going to suffice the trip and we have a lot of traffic here. So it is asking people to do a lot and then you have that Dale City. Uh ask when the market runs. We have a market here in Burke that runs on Wednesdays. Uh that that's an interesting strategy. It gets people who don't work. We get the older generation or stay at home moms but we don't get families.

[A]

Yeah but Saturday markets you're the whole.

[B]

Kitten caboodle which you're going to see with Saturday markets is going to be higher cost. So it does factor at the end of the day the best. Biggest best market in the world isn't always the answer. Let's say you're. You don't have a high capacity to be able to bake that much. Maybe the smaller market is the cheaper market. Maybe that's where your budget allows you. Just because it's not the biggest and the best doesn't mean it's an automatic Nair. Yes but if you're like hey I have high capacity. I want to make a huge. I want this to be a part of my, my bottom line. We're going to look for the biggest and the best.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

We're going to say Is the market growing or shrinking now? The Tack and small farmers market at one time was a great market. It was. In the past couple of years, it's just really shrunk. I think the organizer might have moved away and is trying to do this remotely. Yeah, it could be. So is the market growing or shrinking? You can see that markets do reach a size capacity in which you get on these wait list. Maybe too big. You know, that may be too much to plan for. But if we have a market every year gets smaller and smaller, a good sign not to get involved.

[A]

It's a good sign to know that, you know, maybe the customer service with the organizers to the vendors isn't great.

[B]

If a business is shrinking, there is a reason why, if it is a really mean organizer, we don't necessarily want us attaching our trailer to that horse. Right, right, right. So I'm going to say small markets are fine. Small markets in their growth stage, even better markets that are in their dying stage, I would probably steer clear of. Yeah, right. So again, we don't have to be the biggest and the best, but we don't want to do Tackett's Mill. Sorry, Jacket's Mill. Is there a lot of diversity in vendor options? So when I think of farmer's marketing, Corey says this most important one is vegetable vendors.

[A]

Listen, if you get a good veggie vendor there, you are that they are the ones that bring the people there. It just is what it is.

[B]

Yeah. So I think you got your foundational staples, the veggie vendors. Then we have the Burke farmers market. It's really popping off these years. We have a pickle guy I love. It's such a stick. It kind of becomes its own marketing.

[A]

Another one to look for. If they have a coffee vendor, we have a coffee drive in. He drives in with his little coffee truck.

[B]

That is a good.

[A]

That's a fantastic one because you're getting trucks sometimes.

[B]

I've seen this incorporation of food trucks. Yes, it's great because now we get the people staying and they're staying longer because they have this food.

[A]

You get breakfast and lunch options. So you have a lot. Some bring provide seating. Which seating keeps people there. Seating is a rarity. It really is.

[B]

I'm going to say look at parking.

[A]

Yeah, there is.

[B]

So the problem with the Burke farmers market is it was a small parking lot. They took over the commuter garage, which now allows for a ton more parking if there is a max capacity of parking. Because remember the farmers market started taking out the parking lot.

[A]

Dale City is max Capacity.

[B]

So that is something to keep in mind. We don't. That's a problem when you're too big.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When you're too big, you start.

[A]

You're fighting over spots there.

[B]

Yeah. And then we're driving people away. That's going to leave a bad taste in a few people's mouth. Again, a little out of the control of the vendors. Just something to keep in mind as you're doing your market research. And I do really like that diversity in vendor options. Now you're going to not see us say, like, is there any bakers there? I hope there are. If you haven't been there. No. Baker has come. Might not be a great place for bakers. So if you see a baker there, it doesn't mean it's a no. It actually could mean it's a better yes. And we'll talk about that in a second. And then Corey has keep in mind that typically you want to bake for 20% of foot traffic. So we have a ton of people. You're going to think in your mind, if I just saw 100 people, I'd be baking around 20 units.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

If I. If this market sees a thousand people, do I have the capability of baking 200 units?

[A]

The issue that I see most bakers that approach their first farmer's market, they said, I over baked. I didn't sell that much. Look at. I had to waste all this product or I had to give it away. And that can put a bad taste in your mouth.

[B]

I know you're going to jump ahead on your. Your we're going to go back to once we sign up.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I feel like that's easy.

[A]

You did jump with the.

[B]

You have it here. You had me had it do your market research.

[A]

I needed it to be under ask organizer.

[B]

No, we actually have it preparing for the market. Okay, so let's just recap. So one we're going to say is a market marketing, because this is marketing podcast. I think the world turns with marketing. Without it, people don't know things are for sale. Would be awesome if the social media pages featured vendors.

[A]

Oh, for sure.

[B]

That'd be really cool. I have yet to see that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Then number two, do your market research. So before we even bring out our pen and checkbook, we're going to say we're going to learn more about this market. So we have a couple in there. I do. Really? That community group recommending thing kind of narrows it. How long has that market been around? How do you see it recommended often? Is a market growing or shrinking? Is there a diverse amount of vendor options? And then you're going to say, could I handle how many people this market brings? Could I bake for that? Number three. Okay. We've narrowed it down. We found a market we're really interested in. It's time to engage the organizers.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Now, this is where you take that deep breath because money might be coming out of your pocket. This one. So we're going to say, let's reach out to the market and ask these questions. You don't want to seem accusatory. Again, these market organizers have a lot of power.

[A]

They do.

[B]

And they can place you. So how many bakers are vending? How many vegetable vendors you have? What does a vendor list look like? Let's see if we can get a vendor list. Yeah. Corey made it a point. I have to agree with her on this. Not to ask for exclusivity. It's not typically offered and it limits.

[A]

A lot of options to pay for exclusivity. The price is high. At the end of the day, the vendor, the organizers have one job. Fill the slots with vendors, fill the parking lot with people. For you to ask for exclusivity, that's a lot. And unless you're ready to pay the big bucks, I would stay away from questions like that and just ask, how many bakers do you think will be there? Are there anyone who specializes in macarons there?

[B]

Right. So, yeah, like kind of doing them from a more of a research aspect. Like, hey, whatever they're not making, I think I want to fill in. Absolutely. So I'd ask for a list of vendors and kind of do your research on the vendors as well. Again, are they marketing? Are they not? It's up to them, that one. It'd be awesome if everybody did on see why you wouldn't. But hey, what do I know? How much does it cost? A big question. How much does it cost to vend there? Never. Are they free? Right. Because they use that cost to kind of create themselves. But there's some that are very high price and there's some that are more cost effective just because it's the biggest and the best. If that price does not fit your budget, doesn't mean stretch it.

[A]

There's one that's popped off in Loudoun County. It has now three locations every single Saturday. You can buy packages from them which lower the price. You can go to their less visited ones and the price is lower. So there's a lot of options out there.

[B]

Now, Corey and I live in a high Cost of living area because there's so many people here. For us to get to Loudoun county is 50 minutes. Unless there's a car accident, two days. I know, right. So we have a lot of options in smaller towns. Maybe you're looking at one. In which case you could be very respectful to the organizers. You don't have a lot of options outside of that. At no point should you ever be disrespectful to anybody. But what are your weather policies? Well, you know, April showers bring many flowers.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So we don't necessarily back to the boats. We don't. We want to know what the weather policy is. If. Is there a refund for that week or is the money absorbed?

[A]

Are you required to be there during bad weather? Because if you have to be there, you want to make sure that what you're like if you're doing sugar cookies, that icing isn't going to bleed.

[B]

That was a big issue. I see. So come vendor market season, market, farmers market season, we get a lot of questions in the group about, hey, my cookies are individually wrapped, cell wrapped. It's so hot.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That the ice, the humidity is creating icing bleed. It's getting in these packages. So consider that, like, I think a lot of people end up bringing coolers to kind of keep coolers. Like if you display them, cake pop.

[A]

People, chocolate people, that tends to melt. So there's ideas that you can have like a cookie that's outside of a cello bag and they can request, hey, can I get that one? And then you bring one out that's covered.

[B]

I see a lot of vendor folks kind of move into drop cookies in addition to the sugar cookies to kind of diversify the options. I think it's a nice add on sale and buy custom sugar cookie, but also get this drop cookie eat while you're sitting there. I'm a huge. I'm not a. Cory doesn't bake drop cookies. I love eating them.

[A]

I do love eating them.

[B]

I hate baking them. I would say. What are the booth requirements? So Corey's mentioned insurance here. Do they require the tent? Do they require the tables? Is that provided? Again, these are all just additional costs. Corey and I did that wedding expo. We had to provide the table.

[A]

Yes, we provided everything.

[B]

We had to provide. So then when you refried your table, you want to have the table cover. We had a backdrop. We didn't have to provide a tent. So again, these are just costs factor in here. But I'll keep in mind at the end of the day, it'd be awesome to come out the gate with everything perfectly branded. But you can add things in.

[A]

Absolutely. The cost to start up into the whole farmer's market is expensive because you think table the thing to get the table here all that your branding your tent. That is a lot of stuff.

[B]

Tables that they provide the tents and they may have a higher cost. It saves you in having one that just costs of carrying things at mental load and then the cost of purchasing. So something to keep in mind if you what I would like if you're like well I don't know how to set this up. Just go to a farmer's market and find which booths you really like.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And say oh I'd like to replicate this. This seemed inviting. Or there's a lot of people here. Why reinvent the wheel? Well we can just watch what our neighbors are doing.

[A]

The reason why you'll see most people have tents is because a sprinkle a summer shower rolls through.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That is not something you want to be caught under.

[B]

Now question on this one. Ask. I'd ask if they allow samples. I find that most around vendor market season samples do draw in a lot of people when you're fighting for the mass that's moving kind of through thing A sample. A cookie. Would you like a bite of this? You and I stopped and got sampled chocolate.

[A]

We did.

[B]

We did.

[A]

In Dale City Farmers Market they have a sourdough from Burke. You know the harvest Bread company loved it. They always do samples over there. Yeah.

[B]

So I know some people are like don't do samples. You know it's cutting into your bottom line. But samples are a great way to get people into your tent to attract people over and to get them to taste the goods.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So again talk about insurances because typically they do liability insurance.

[A]

They do.

[B]

They're pretty cheap. But I think you could get a standing policy. I know flip insurance is an option. There's a lot of those options for events though do you have and this one Corey mentioned. I didn't know about this. A drop in rate meaning you can come one time. It's going to be a higher rate because you've not committed to it. But see if they have the opt for you to do a test run.

[A]

If you've ever wondered like our farmers markets for me I just don't know. Some markets have what's called a drop in rate. You pay a little bit more than the vendors who are there all season long. But you can come in, you can sell like especially if there's a big Holiday. Like, we have fourth of July. That'd be a great time to come test it and see if it's something that you like and something that people respond to.

[B]

Yeah, well, you're missing the whole spring market.

[A]

The whole spring market.

[B]

Maybe I do. It's even a drop and rate for pre Easter market. Like something.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

I don't know. Something to see if it's worth your rate. Like, if you're like, hey, I'm committed. I could do this. Let me do one dry run before I sign a contract.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Not every market will have that, but it might be a decent ask even if a market hadn't thought of it. Like, hey, can I then this one week, see if it's a good fit. Sure. And then what are your cancellation policies? Life changes. So what you don't want is to sign up for the entire market season and then cancel on them and then ask for your money back. Right.

[A]

The problem is it's putting the. It's putting the organizers in a tough spot. And what we don't want to do is burn a bridge.

[B]

Burn a bridge because the organizer is. Got a lot of power. Right. Another question to ask is, like, how are vendor spots awarded out? Like, what. Who is choosing where people stay? Is it. Is it allocated? Is it first come, first serve? But what we don't want is to. Is to say, hey, we're here for the year. I'm canceling because I don't feel like doing this anymore. And now the market organizer is never gonna let us back.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Which I've seen happen. It happens every year. We get somebody saying, well, I don't want to do this anymore. Or, I decided I'm gonna move, but I've signed this, but I want my money back.

[A]

Yeah, right.

[B]

So see what that cancellation policy is.

[A]

Can't hurt to ask beforehand so that no love is lost.

[B]

Right. And I think these are all very fair questions to ask an organizer. Step number four, tip number four, really? Like this one. Contacting past vendors from the mouth of babes, to speak the truth, because nobody knows how it actually goes. Like, somebody's already paid for it.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And disgruntled people tend to be squeaky wheels. So Corey had this one. I had this one. Dry walk the market, like, see who's there. You know, maybe grab a business card. I see a lot of business cards when I go there. And you can reach out. But Corey actually had this tip. I actually liked it better. Ask in a community group, has anyone been a vendor at the Dale City Farmers market. I'd love to. To ask you a few questions. Likely a lot of people will.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Actually sell pickles. I've been there. Or hey, I used to be.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Feel free to reach out. Yeah.

[A]

You'll get a myriad of responses. People who are currently there, who are happy, people who are new are still happy. Maybe people in the past who are no longer happy with it. And it's good to take all of those answers and make it into a way that can help you decide if it's the right market for you.

[B]

So we had these ones ask past vendors these questions, but keep these questions open ended for more honest responses. How do you feel about how the organizers manage the event? Again, how do you feel? Right.

[A]

How do you feel?

[B]

Do you like it? It's like a yes or no. But how do you feel about it? Like, do you, do you think, you know, do you feel it's a woman. How many years have you vended here and do you plan on returning long term? Someone's like, you pry it from my cold, dead hands. That means they have a great.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

If someone's like, yeah, it's hit or miss. I'm not sure I wouldn't miss too much if I didn't come back. That's going to be indicative of maybe a stagnant market or a shrinking one. And I like this one. What two factors bring you back here year after year? And this is for somebody who's like, probably from my cold dead hands, like, what are the two things that make you think this is the best one? Yeah, yeah, I'd probably. It would be awesome if a baker's like, I'll tell you everything. I'm a baker there too. Likely you're not going to get that. So. But even finding the pickle guy, finding the watermelon guy. Yeah, for sure. Tomato man. We have our own tomato man here. Probably him. For my cold, dead hands.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Number five, Last one. How to prep for the market.

[A]

So prepping for the market is probably finding a market. Great. Now prepping for the market, we're like, oh, that's a total other beast about it. Here's the thing, as Heather said, you can add your marketing, your tent, your fancy little drop cloth to your market as it goes. You know, that's a lot of cost up front. So if we can share the burden from week after week, we run them.

[B]

The less cost for use.

[A]

Absolutely, absolutely. Asking other vendors where they got their drop cloths, their table covers from can help you.

[B]

Asking the sugar cookie marketing group. Yeah. For sure. A lot of people who've already been before and they will help you kind of narrow what that is.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

This one Corey brought up themed treats you bake for the event that's coming now. This is a tricky one. Right now we're in March 25th, we're less than one month from Easter. So my offerings would start bringing in Easter two weeks out. It's gonna be. Every sugar cookie is gonna be a bunny. Yeah. So yeah, you kind of allow the holidays to sale to sell for you.

[A]

Themed treats do better than ambiguous treats. Instead of just royal icing sugar cookies.

[B]

That are a circle.

[A]

We wanna make sure that we're doing the Easter bunny as Easter is coming. Something floral for Mother's Day. Father's Day ties and these are going to help you make those sales. Even if they're one off kid just wanting something. It's going to help bring the kids in and the parents like oh I, you know my, my dad, I have to go visit him next week for Father's Day. I'll grab a few for him.

[B]

One it's super cute. It's easier to market. This is another one. Bake things that freeze well in case of bad weather or low sales that week. I like this one. Corey's trying to keep our, you know, ingredients costs low. Nothing like was it called when a product not expired products but there's some life product that is not producting anymore. But bake things that freeze well. So if, if you do have low attendance or they does get rained out, you're not out the cost of those cookies. You're like when I got them away.

[A]

Royal icing sugar cookies freeze very well. Sourdough can freeze. So there's a lot of things out there that you can freeze that you could bring back to the next market and make your money back. What you don't want to do is bake so much and like it doesn't like chocolate things great. Those last a long time. You know. But things like cake, you know, where you're like o I did cake by the slice and now they're just getting stale as I go.

[B]

It's a rougher one.

[A]

I know it's a rough one.

[B]

So things to consider. We do a poll in the group. It's always that like the organizers say there's 5,000 people that are. How much do you bake? We find that on average, you know, I do like the 20% thing but when you're dealing with 5,000 people, you're not going to, it's not going to be that type of event, we find that people average between 150 units to 200 units. Yes, whatever that means. However it's interpreted, it's too hard to pull a group with such a like, hey, have you done a vendor event and how much you baked?

[A]

Here's the thing. You have to think about what is pulling people. Is it a carnival ride and vendors just happen to be there because people.

[B]

Are there is like local buy stuff. Yeah, carnivals or like one off pop ups.

[A]

You know where they are having like, you know, we, me and Heather, the one we went to last year, they were having a Runway fashion show was the main pool and we were the extras there. So we weren't necessarily the drop draw. The draw.

[B]

Right. So it's kind of say like you'll see like something that's pulling in 5,000 people might not be farmers marketing specific. So something to keep in mind, 150 units. It's probably you're going to get your sea legs right back onto the boat. You're going to say a baked too little or a baked too much. And then as you continue on that market, you're going to say, okay, guy, I figured out how this works. This one market it. You can market the market yourself. Right. We don't want to do the marketing for them, but we want to do the marketing for ourselves. So I always like this one. Create a Facebook event on your page. You can make it recurring now and then. I call it this your business at market name. Well, the reason why I do that is if you just create an event called the farmers market's names, then people are gonna think you're the farmer's market.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And they're gonna ask you a lot of questions and they're gonna get frustrated with you when you say, I don't know, I'm a cookie shop. I don't know. Yeah, so you're gonna say cookie shop at Dale city farmers market. That means when people search Dale city farmers market, you'll show up. But your name being at the front shows like I'm just a vendor. Yeah.

[A]

But what you can do with events like that and every event is a discussion portion. So you can showcase bringing to the market that week before we even get there. Heather had a great one. Go live with your options. Go live at the market. Go live showing what the parking situation is. Hey, it's 9am we don't have a lot of people. There's tons of parking. So if you want to get the best and the brightest, show up right now. It does you have to put on your market cap?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And take off your I'm embarrassed hat.

[B]

I think sometimes we think in terms of a farmer's market. Like this is. I'm just a vendor here. I don't need to market it. I think you should treat it like you're teaching a cookie class where it you are the reason why people are showing, right? And if you don't try, they don't come. Like, have that mentality. And you're gonna be like, hey, guys, Corey hates going live. But sometimes I'm like, hey, turn that bad boy on. I know, I know.

[A]

Here's the thing. Markets are great for getting your name out there and your brand out there. But what we want to do is cultivate that audience. Now, we don't want to just get it one and done and then we're forgotten about. We want them to come to our page, like it, and then get valuable content each and every week. What you're bringing, what the situation looks like, how many vendors are there? The Dale City Farmers Market runs all year long. During the winter, there's five core vendors there, you know, but then it grows as the spring. So every time I see in the local community groups how many vendors are at the Dale City Farmers Market this week? Because as the weather warms up, more and more come. But you could be bringing that information.

[B]

Talk about great content. One, you post to your stories, you post to your feed, you post as a reel. But like, hey, guys, I'm gonna walk the market for you. I'm here a little early. We got pickle guys setting up. We got what?

[A]

Watermelon.

[B]

We got bakery. We got another bakery over here.

[A]

I want to also say, even though I've not vended at the Dale City Farmers Market, I've made plenty of videos about the Dale City Farmers Market. And boy, do those vendors, when I tag them, always reshare my post.

[B]

Talk about a great way.

[A]

That is cross marketing. Because if you're local and I'm local and I'm shouting you out, you could return the favor by sharing that post and then we're both getting some juz out of it.

[B]

Great share. And what a great partnership. Create your own. Okay, start promoting it right now. Include it. Include it as just like another one of your products. Like I said, treat it like a cookie class. We got. I'm going to market my cookie class bucket. I'm going to mark in my farmers market bucket. You're going to keep tapping that guy and we're going to keep promoting it and we're going to promote it all year or as long as we're attending that, and then we're going to tag the businesses that we can. If the farmers market has social media, which it should, because we did a research back there, we could even say, hey, social media person for the farmer's market, what content would you love me to make for you guys? Yeah, you know, and I'll post it to my page, you know, just to kind of get the hype. Remember, at the behind every business is a social media person who just wishes somebody would make content and share it and tag them. Consider doing. And I really like this one. This is Corey. She said, consider doing your weekly custom pickups at the farmer's market. The cross promotion.

[A]

Nothing gets people into your booth than seeing other people at your booth.

[B]

I am a product of if nobody's at the restaurant, I'm not gonna.

[A]

Heather's easily influenced. If someone is going somewhere, she will be going to that restaurant.

[B]

And if I get somewhere and nobody's here, I don't want to be the only person holding the restaurant afloat.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I don't want to be. You know, like, when a booth is sad, it's sad. But you're like, I can't go in there because I'll be the only one that I have to buy something.

[A]

That's me.

[B]

So when I see more people, I'm like, I'm free to go in there. Like Corey said, she wants the Ikea vibe of there's so many people. I'm not going to be singled out. But if I want something.

[A]

Yeah, here's a great thing. If you've been in business and now you're just approaching your farm, farmers market era, you will already have people doing their weekly pickups with you. Instead of doing it Friday at your house, scooch it to Saturday at the market. One I would love if I could pick up my thing from the first because I'd love going to farmer's markets anyways. You could always make it an option upon pickup, you know, on your order form. Would you like to pick up at my house on Friday or at the farmer's market on Saturday? What we're trying to do is build this sense of what am I missing out and why is everyone going over to the pie place?

[B]

What if we said noodle wall sticks?

[A]

Sure.

[B]

What have you said? If you pick at the farmers market, there's 10% off of anything at the farmers market, remember, 10%. If our. If we have a healthy pricing model and we're charging 15% profit. Even at a 10% discount, we still make a 5% profit for individuals who wouldn't have been there otherwise except for they're there to pick up now. And I like Corey's like the compulsion to quickly snag something when you're already at at it would be hard pressed to think I'm going to go to a farmer's market, get my cookies and leave with nobody. I'm going to get. If I'm.

[A]

If my little bun is getting out of car and going to farmers market, I will be buying something.

[B]

I will be coming back with a snack, a cheetle and a watermelon. You will be doing that. So I really like that one because 1. The farmer's market is so fun.

[A]

It is so fun.

[B]

And then people could come that weren't otherwise and then you could get them to buy more.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Again, Corey and I said this. The Facebook lives each week featuring the market vendors. Be our eyes and ears. Before I roll out of bed, I want to know. And you can be like, hey, guys, here's what the weather looks like today. I hate this.

[A]

You put it right next to the.

[B]

Sound, everyone to be annoyed with me. I've been trying to get back on my water. I need to get on my water game too.

[A]

But farmers market can be great, great boon for your business. What you don't want to do is promise to be at a farmer's market and then take on so many custom order requests that you're fighting for space in your day and you're not getting any sleep at night. You have got to be a dedicated farmer's market person and maybe customs take a backseat. Farmer's market are great during the summer because customs are fewer and farther between.

[B]

But you don't want to be like.

[A]

Well, I'm going to take all the customs and I'm going to do all the farmer's market.

[B]

Something's got to play in this. So you can do the throttling of customs, which is a great way to do a coral. Do it by saying, I'm just booked for the month.

[A]

Yeah, right.

[B]

She'll take on the orders that she wants. Rest assured, if you tell somebody you book, they're still going to try to get into your inbox. She can take those orders as she wants once. Or you can tell people like, hey, I'm actually booked for your date. However, I'll have some Easter options at the farmers market. They may be a perfect fit for what you're looking for.

[A]

Yeah, it's fantastic. Farmers markets can be great. They can be great for your business. You have got to know your numbers.

[B]

Now, here's what I'm gonna say. Speaking on. Know your number.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I think you can get away with charging higher prices at a farmer's market. I'm conditioned to know that that watermelon farmers market is going to be a premium price. You're not in our area. At least no one could go into a farmer's market thinking that they're getting a deal.

[A]

No, you go because you think it's farm to table.

[B]

I want that. You think it's the freshest, bestest. You're not saying, like, this is going to be cheaper than Safeway, like, this is going to be more expensive. And for good reason. These are supporting the local community. I really do like that. Leaning into that kind of type marketing, you know, agriculture, that farm to table. Yeah.

[A]

Small business, fantastic local.

[B]

So you kind of lean into that and then you charge this premium. Because remember, indirect cost are higher here because we do have the cost of one. Just the event set up.

[A]

But absolutely, yeah, sure, yeah. So people were like, I don't charge any extra. You got to put on your marketing hat. You got to put on your marketing mind that you need to be competitive. You need to be priced correctly. When you know you were pricing, you've priced out the things that you need to be good at the market. So how you're going to outlay your booth and everything like that, the price of the market, insurance that you might need, and knowing that you can confidently go into your market season and flourish. And that's our end goal, is to.

[B]

Have you be like, wow, I can't.

[A]

Believe I didn't do markets beforehand.

[B]

I would say the dry run, being the consumer yourself. Going to the market, checking out the prices, buying some stuff, looking at the bread, looking at any of that baked type stuff and seeing what their margins.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I listen. You will. I will buy from every baker that there.

[B]

I love by Cory's gonna treat all.

[A]

Herself to taste test. I love to treat myself. It's not. I'm not going to be like, oh, I hate so and so saying, no. I'm gonna eat it and be like, I think I really like that they did this, or I really like the way they packaged that. Or this was a cute design. I'm going to go in there and I'm going to figure out what others are doing. That's smart business. Putting your blinders on. Be like, I can't look at what they're doing.

[B]

Come on, come on.

[A]

We're in business here. Baker of business.

[B]

You gotta be pretty strategic. You know some other vendors I've seen that have been pretty diverse. Like draws, you know, like a honey vendor and they had a beehive.

[A]

There's always a honeybender.

[B]

I like them.

[A]

There's always gonna be a honey.

[B]

That's gonna be a wild one. A florist.

[A]

Oh, I will buy a flower.

[B]

Yeah, you give me a flower. That's what I was thinking about.

[A]

That they have a bratwurst maker.

[B]

Smart. Okay. That one smell.

[A]

Oh my soul.

[B]

That's gonna sell half the things.

[A]

Yoder's Dutch Delights makes fresh doughnuts sense and they dip them in the glaze in front of you. So when you get it in your hand, it's like dripping with the glaze.

[B]

It's so good. It probably smells amazing.

[A]

Oh, it smells delectable.

[B]

So these type of markets and I know that we do have access to a lot of different businesses here so maybe we get more. But I think that finding a market with this diversity is like hey, like now you can feature a business and be like hey, come to this honey guy. I know.

[A]

Then they have some random one. Like there's a knife sharpener dude.

[B]

That's great. Crazy knife sharpener guys are hard to.

[A]

Get a hold of.

[B]

They are. And he is there what I'm gonna say. And Corian mentioned this and I guess I may have skipped over it. Like make sure that the vendors are that farm to table option. Sometimes markets like let in multi level marketing type companies and I think that's kind of deteriorates the market a bit. Again it's going to be. It's going to be specific to your market. It is our home shows. What do you think they're supposed to be about homes but they have now lended themselves to a lot of that multi level marketing where they're great salespeople. But it kind of gets the same. You sign up.

[A]

Right, right, right.

[B]

Just something to keep in mind as you get into farmers market season which could be a very fun option for people. Now would you sell DIY kits at a.

[A]

Absolutely. A th percent.

[B]

The way that I cross market freeze my cookie class. Oh, at my farm.

[A]

Yeah. The way that you can freeze DIY kits like the cookies in there and the icing in there. Like it's not going to go bad like it would if the. The icing was on the cookie. So DIY kits are great. Especially around holidays. Independent instead we already there.

[B]

You're already making the set Right. You're already making the product for sale. You already have the just bake extra and make extra singles. Do good.

[A]

I would stay away from anything platter because platters have a higher price tag. You're thinking like a platter. It's probably consisting of 8 to 10 cookies.

[B]

Like when the market falls the day before the holiday. Oh, that could be definitely say a platter place.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Again, your market's going to dictate a lot of how you're going to show up. Right. And it may take. Take some like that wasn't it or oh, I should have had more of this. And then you're going to kind of get your rhythm and then it's going to flow.

[A]

Last year, or maybe the year before, we had done a podcast. I had gone through a farmer's market and told you the things I liked as a consumer and the things I did not like as a consumer. So maybe in the show notes you can link back to that one so you can get a earful of what to look for and how to set it up, what people are looking for. You want things flat on the table, you want things up higher.

[B]

Things like that Hobby lobby, they have a great place to find those displays.

[A]

They have a display there at the hobby lobby.

[B]

Yeah. So that is farmers market. Just to recap, again, one is market marketing. Look at their social media pour through that. If it goes stagnant when they're off season, that's fine. But does it pick back up? You can just go back a couple years, do your market research on the market. I really like asking that community group. What do you guys like to go if you have multiple market options, questions to ask the organizers. We're talking about cost policies, what's provided, what isn't provided, cancellation, things like that. That Contacting past vendors from the mouth of babes. Hey, how. What brings you back here? How did you like this? What did you hate about it? Things like that. And then how to prep for that market. You know, theme treats as we're leading up to holidays. Again, there's a point I always see right now, like I'm two months away from the holiday. What do I. What do.

[A]

True.

[B]

And I say lean to the spring.

[A]

Yes. Nothing to floral, spring bugs, things like that.

[B]

Bake things that freeze well so you can plan if thing if weather takes a left turn. Sharon, do your own marketing. Market it as if it's one of these products that you gotta sell, which is marketing. Podcast marketing makes the world go round. You could be a huge boon to that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Farmers market yourself with the marketing and then go live. Consider doing your weekly pickups there. Really make the market work for you. I don't think markets are, if you build it, they'll come. However, there's enough vendors there that sheer numbers kind of bolster it up. But you can add, you can water.

[A]

That watch your watch you make yourself, yourself so valuable to the organizers that they want you to come back.

[B]

Wouldn't that be amazing? Oh, that would be. That's because you did really great marketing and drove foot tracker. Remember? You guys remember Google's product is a person searching on Google. Right. So Google needs the website that pulls up first to be the best. The farmers markets product is other vendors. Yeah, like they need the vendors to show up and the vendors need the customers of foot traffic. Right. So if we can make this look healthy and great for the organizers, your organizers could give us preference. It's hard not to be affectionate to someone who's helping you.

[A]

I, I know we're humans at the.

[B]

End of the day, listen, you scratch my back so kind of consider that. And I think the way that you're going to help these organizers is that, you know, being in a nice vendor showing up, but also this marketing component.

[A]

Yeah, for sure, for sure. Well that wraps us up for the tip that we have today. Heather, what is the cookie college? Speaking of marketing, you know when we.

[B]

Just said market, this is how to do that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's all the strategies of marketing and business administration like business admin, which gross because like we start these companies. I had someone say today they're like we start these companies and I feel like I'm not baking, I'm doing everything else. 17 hats. I know. And some of them have cookies involved. So streamlining, making business work better. We're focusing on this year on classes on passive income cookie classes. That's what the cookie college is designed to be. It's designed to help guide you. It's a done with you type setup where you can take these courses. They're pre recorded. You can take them at your own pace and implement things like creating a domain name and connecting it to a website.

[A]

You're going to see tons of courses out there that are selling. Here's how to start your baker business. Here's my tip. You got to look for someone, are they putting into practice what they are teaching? If they are not putting into practice what they're teaching, why are they teaching it to you? It's easy to say do steps one, two and three, but unless you're seeing them utilize it themselves. How can they tell you that it's working?

[B]

I don't want to teach a cookie class. But Cory's like, get your butt up. Because we're not going to be telling people how to teach cookie classes, not be teaching them.

[A]

Here's the thing. Usually teaching cookie classes like in the thick of COVID is different than us teaching cookie classes today. So the marketing, I told you years ago is not going to be the same marketing that tell you today. So we have to get our buns out of our own seats out there. And I do love teaching the cookie classes. I love working with the clients for the custom orders and things like that. It's always a learning curve. I am always learning something that I can bring to the table.

[B]

And when we turn around, as we turn that, bring to the table and turn it into a course to work on. So I'm working on the Amazon storefront, which is something you'd say. And we actually, when we teach a cookie class, I'll send out the link to our Amazon storefront. I'll be like, hey, a lot of the products you guys use today, here's where you can find them on Amazon. Now we have some people in the cookie college who have started bringing those products and selling them in class at a higher margin than Amazon. But it's that instant. Oh, I just took this class. Yeah, Corey and I had a class the other day. You know, I don't like giving up my scraps.

[A]

Heather does not.

[B]

Heather Campbell Berkshire sent us some backups to your left. You're lucky we needed them. But Cory, they were like, can we buy your scribes? Because we're going home to decorate these. I know. Again, we're gonna recreate everything we just learned here. And I was like, no. And of course, like, give it to them. And they're like, yes, we want everything. And I hated it. But a lot of the cookie college members have talked about and they're like, hey, I bring in, I buy this pack of, you know, five dollar scribes. Like I get a pack of 20 for five bucks and then I sell them at, you know, $3. I know.

[A]

And people, people want the option to be able to buy. They want to go and recreate. They're so excited after want to go home and take everything they learned back home with them and really just do it. So providing that opportunity for them is going to one benefit them, but also benefit you. Yeah.

[B]

And it's just another again this passive. We're already selling out the Cookie glass. You might as well make some additional money. And even adding DIY kits. Cornicell DIY kits along with the class ticket. Yeah.

[A]

Fun.

[B]

Always. Just pads it. And we charge. We actually raised our prices this year again, when in Rome. We raised the prices. We raised the prices on the DIY kits. And. And we've continued to sell out. You know, and I think.

[A]

You know what, for me to be able to say, charge more for your classes and not teach classes, I cannot wrap my mind around that. So that's why I said, heather, we will be teaching classes. Like, hey, I sent us it for vendors.

[B]

Like, there's so much behind that. She's like, it'll be good for a class. It'll be good for Cory, like, did this. And I'm like, why? And she'd be like, it'd be good for a class. Yeah.

[A]

I will say, though, every time I sign up and then the time comes, I feel very differently.

[B]

Some man on Tick Tock because I downloaded on Friday and uninstall it on Sunday. He was like, when you signed up, that energy is still inside you. Yeah. Even though you don't want to go now, he said, you've got to see the energy. Will have a great story.

[A]

It is.

[B]

It does.

[A]

Yeah, it does.

[B]

It does. Nobody said, I stayed home my whole life and had a great time. I know. I know. But you gotta experience life.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Staying home is crazy.

[A]

The things that I sign up for when I have a good attitude are crazy.

[B]

Sometimes I'm like, I'm gonna say yes to this. I'm gonna hate it, but I'm gonna go because I'll like myself better for having gone. Yeah.

[A]

But if you want to master your online marketing, grow your bakery in 2025, the cookie college is for you. If you want to stay stagnant and you say maybe next year or maybe this isn't for me. The cookie college is not for you.

[B]

Yeah. I don't want you to sign up and then do nothing. And I definitely don't want you to not sign up and then wonder why nothing's changed. You didn't do anything. You. I was thinking about this the other day. Life shakes out exactly as what you output, you get back.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, if you're gonna act like you.

[A]

Always say to me, what? You water will grow.

[B]

Right. So when somebody's like, well, we've done nothing and nothing's changed, I like that meme because it's so great. Like, you. You implemented no changes, and your business did not grow right yet. If. If you could create a business and it naturally grows. We'd never be able to enter a market because the people who are before us would be massive billionaires. So it's the. If you water it, it grows. Okay. How do you cost effectively do that? Like, we're cottage bakers. Like, we don't have big budgets, you know, businesses.

[A]

We don't have, like, millions in startup.

[B]

And that's why Cory and I did the done with you. Because you're not doing it for you. I'd have to charge you more. And we're not going to make you do it by yourself. So this kind of done with you set up and the cookie college and the private group and these. These courses are like, hey, I got you. I got you. Listen, pause me when you need to, but keep pressing Clay when you're ready to, like, do this.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

So that's the cookie college. You can learn more about the cookie college atthecookie college.com. the new website for sugar cookie marketing is up and includes a lot of our free.

[A]

Heather has spent a lot of time designing the new website she really had in mind. What do bakers want to.

[B]

Need to hear?

[A]

Need to know where to go?

[B]

Maybe we should do a podcast on this. I was thinking, like, in terms of writing copy. Right? We need copy copy. We need the words on a website. But it's easy to be like, I gotta write something. Let me write superfluous and more pointlessness. I know. And I call, I tell Corey. It's called the anmore. Because you don't know what else to say. Yeah. And so I keep quote. I keep making Corey read through this website. I'm like, hey, what can we trim here? What words? Extraneous words don't need to be here. What words are just filler that could be replaced with something that actually gives somebody some actionable knowledge.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To. To do something.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So it'd be like, you know, we help you with marketing and more. Okay. Or you say, hey, I can help you set up a newsletter and we can send that out quarterly. Which one is going to have more of an impact on my audience? Same with your bakery. Website is like, I bake cookies and more. I'm not gonna be like, I'll take some and mores.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I'm gonna say, how much is that? And more cookies. I do cake pops and I'm getting into sourdough. If you want any three of the. Let me be the first door you knock. Yeah.

[A]

And here's the great thing about a website. It never has to Be stagnant if you do and more, you can say, hey, sourdough and brownies. Like, you can add to it.

[B]

If you had and mores or brownies. Which one are you?

[A]

I know what's going to make you sell more. It's going to be saying the word brownies.

[B]

Yeah. And it's kind of that like, you know, and I've been baking for a long time now. You know, sometimes people do that for a while because they're embarrassed. Like, I just got started two years ago. You got two years more.

[A]

Two years more than the person who's ordering from you.

[B]

Yes. So it'd be like, you know, I got started in 2022 and it has become my passion. I now offer custom sugar cookies, DIY kits. I'd even explain what that was. Do it at home kits. And then you can even grab sourdough from me as I launch that aspect of my business.

[A]

I know, it's just great that you can always be adding to your business. It doesn't have to be stagnant. It can grow with you.

[B]

Right. So if you want to check out sugarcookiemarketing.com I've also laid out all the free sources that we've offered that have been kind of hard to find.

[A]

Noise.

[B]

Noise. Like I said, the website should be the 247 sales guy. The. The air traffic controller. Here's where that is. Here's where that is. And I think I'm doing a decent job. Not done yet, working through it, but I'm happy with it. And it is live. It's been nice. We're doing it live.

[A]

We're doing it live. We're doing it live. I'll just touch on the cookie class kits if you want to teach cookie classes. But you're like, I'm not ready for the college, but I'd still, still want to teach classes. I just made the next one.

[B]

My eyes and my ears have seen and heard. It is a Cinco de Mayo.

[A]

It's so cute.

[B]

You may be thinking, like, why that class? Because three years ago we did the primary holidays. We did. Last year we did the secondary holiday. So if there was two holidays within a month, we did the one that was less popular.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It was like St. Patrick's Day instead of like Easter, which was the first year. And then this one, we're hitting all the gaps between those.

[A]

Yeah. The guest and you don't know, like, there is a cult following for chips and salsa and for getting the ladies together for a little marg in a little Cookie decorating on Cinco de Mayo is so cute. Plus you can turn it into a DIY kit and sell it that way.

[B]

But I also think you like you said like just a fun class.

[A]

Super fun.

[B]

When I was in the.

[A]

I said this is so much fun.

[B]

A little. Is it chili pepper? What are this.

[A]

We have a chili pepper. We have a sombrero. We have chips and cheese. Got a little queso in there. Which one else do we have?

[B]

I. I just showed you last night.

[A]

We have a. What is it? The thing with the pit in the side.

[B]

Did you just offend an avocado?

[A]

An avocado. We have an avocado.

[B]

The last one.

[A]

Why is it failed for my brain, but it's cute. Whatever it is, I cannot remember for the life.

[B]

It's called a glass. You don't have a margarita, do you? It is not a mark, but I will look it up.

[A]

It is a taco. A taco, A cactus, a pepper chip and queso and a sobrero and a walk.

[B]

If you could have, let's say pretend somebody reached out for a private party and they decided and they're having their girlfriends over. Yeah, you do. Margaret and Meringue.

[A]

Margs and Meringue.

[B]

That's adorable. Be calling it because there's no.

[A]

I like Alvon.

[B]

The cookie class kits is a. We offer five memberships, the cookie college being the highest one. But the cookie class kits is included in the Cookie College. However, class kits cheaper and you can get all the 2025 class kits. So if you signed up today, you would get that at taco class and you would get. Sure. Other classes. You get what, four other classes?

[A]

Yeah, I think so.

[B]

Yeah. You get all the classes from 2025. We also have the Baker's business basics which includes a discount code if you want to sign up for the cookie college. Someone did that over the weekend and I was like, girl, you did it, girl. She signed up for the Baker's Business Basics, got that code and then went right back to her membership settings and.

[A]

Switched over to the Cookie College Paraded.

[B]

Discount and a discount on girl Smart heart.

[A]

She's making 2025 work for her.

[B]

The digital downloads which will be working on some DIY cookie cards. Cookie care cards.

[A]

Yeah, Easter.

[B]

And then the two dollar transfer club which is actually included on all those memberships as well. You'll never guess how much it costs. Two Wallace three just kidding. The two dollar transfer club for 350. Yeah. So that is the cookie college. Now moving on to our texting questions. Yes, I posted yesterday. I was like, hey, who are you? Like, Cory made fun of me. She was like, you got four text last week. And I was like. I said I didn't have barely any numbers to choose from, stupid. So I, I posted in the group and if this isn't the marketing lesson of this week, I posted in the group and I was like, hey, text in for your chance to win a stupid card trade. Here's the phone number. We have 50 texts.

[A]

What?

[B]

50 texts.

[A]

You said 50.

[B]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 47, 48, 49, 50. I'm sorry. 51, 52.

[A]

So we went from 4 to 52.

[B]

You know what, you gotta remind your.

[A]

Audience if there is a marketing lesson me and Heather can learn.

[B]

Cory and I are like, like it's marketing's not set up and forget it. You can't do I'm doing a farmer's market once and then never remind them.

[A]

You can't be like I'm doing my pop up one time and then expect a hundred people to show. It just doesn't work that way.

[B]

We just don't have the attention retention span for this much.

[A]

Okay, recount. My number is 37, 3 1, 2.

[B]

3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 20, 22 and 33. 37, 847 area code. What do you think it is?

[A]

847. I'm going say Illinois.

[B]

Illinois, northeastern Illinois.

[A]

Whoever you are, number 37 Illinois.

[B]

We surviving Wakean.

[A]

Arlington Heights, Evans, Elgin. Nice.

[B]

Oh, that's crazy. Look at that was wild. Did you just feel like it felt.

[A]

Like it felt like it was a northern little area cut there.

[B]

What is the best option for capturing payments for classes to keep everything in order and digital.

[A]

Laura.

[B]

So Laura, email me heather sugarcookiemarketing.com with the rest of your phone number and I will set you up with Phil for stupid card tray. If you didn't win today, you can always use a code. Sugar for 15 off stackable. And I think they're having some sales coming up.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

Laura, me and you, we're feeling the vibe. If you didn't know me and Heather have offered classes for a number of years. The one thing that we do offer and where our tickets are held is Eventbrite. The reason why we like Eventbrite is because it's a search engine all in one. A lot of crafters and people who like to do meetups will go to Eventbrite to find local classes. Here's the thing. Eventbrite does take a fee out of.

[B]

Each ticket that you sell.

[A]

So it's not a free platform to use if you are selling classes. But it is a nice and organized way to offer classes. The reason why you can have a listing there. You can have all your classes listed there. The pricing in Eventbrite will actually do the email campaigns for you to remind people.

[B]

Kansas I can. I even. I had to set up our classes for this year. I allowed them to be able to self cancel 7 days prior so I don't have to process it myself. See.

[A]

And that is if you offered on square, you are going to have to be involved with that process. But you do get to keep all the money when you offer it for square.

[B]

Okay, here is the cost. Uh, you can pass this cost on to the consumer. You can absorb it yourself. Cory and I absorb it is 3.7%. This is Eventbrites fee. Okay. 3.7% plus $1.79 per ticket.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Not the cheapest, right?

[A]

No, it's not.

[B]

No. And then there's a processing fee which you pay on square either and it's 2.9% because I'm sure it's like. And they all seem to be at 2.9%. So you can have the fees passed onto them, which means you keep your entire ticket sale or you can absorb them yourself. Corn, I absorb. I think it would be fine if we didn't. But 3.7% plus a $79 per ticket goes to Eventbrite.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then the 2.9% processing fee which goes to the payment processor.

[A]

The way that Manha justified is Eventbrite is searchable and is it's promoting the events on the platform.

[B]

You can run now Eventbrite ads or Eventbrite ads on Facebook. You can push the event to Facebook and it automatically. You could do it yourself.

[A]

But it automatically connects to the listings do look professional.

[B]

The listings do look professional. It allows. They have new features now. You can have a video in your listings. You can have endless amount of text in your listing. And then things that I do like is the email reminders, ticketing. There's a lot of Options with like choosing seeds corn. I don't do that but you can and then add ons the DIY kits. Now the big asterisk there is unfortunately Eventbrite allows you to buy an add on and not a class ticket which we actually do sell some of rarely but on occasion we do. It's still money. Right. So I just make sure to tell those people. Just so you know, that is a DIY kit. You'll pick it up during class. You just won't be attending. Yes, yes. But again you could use Square. There's some other options. Once you create an Eventbrite listing you'll have a lot of these other ticket E ticket websites reaching out to you. They just don't have the user base.

[A]

Like yeah, they don't have the following that Eventbrite has established over the years.

[B]

So I do like that they're claiming that you reach two times more people just by listing it on it.

[A]

And I think that people sign up. When you sign up with Eventbrite you're signed up for their newsletters and they will pummel you.

[B]

Yes. They said in 2023 unique ticket buyers on Eventbrite were 93 million people.

[A]

The thing is it does rank high.

[B]

That marketplace does. That marketplace works. So that's why we do it. It's not bad. And I, I never tell someone don't use Square. I'm just. And I tell people I'm lazy and that fee is worth it for me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Can I just pick another random text read not a winner but you can text in again next week 571-556-5644 and get entered to win a stupid card tray again because we do this every week. I just think this is funny. She said or he said. I don't have a question. I just want a supercard try. So again. Listen, I don't hate you.

[A]

I hate you.

[B]

At the end of the day that entered that person to win, they could win again next week. Another question. How do I make the switch from messenger direct message orders to a software designed or Google forms? I have been in business for just a little over a year and I'd love to streamline all the orders a bit and be more organized.

[A]

That's a fantastic question. Congratulating on growing your business. One year in is fantastic. Here's the thing. When you're switching from DMS into a form, your autoresponder needs to say in order to start a order request, please fill out this form every time someone DMs you even if they have placed orders in DMS in the past. You need to say, Shelly, thank you so much for this.

[B]

Why is it always I love Shelly. She's always top of my mind.

[A]

Thank you so much, Shelly. If you wouldn't mind filling out this form. It'll keep me organized and no matter what, you have to keep pushing.

[B]

The form actually was lamenting this. Corey's like, I have it. When somebody sends a direct message, it says, go to my form. And she's, you know, booking out. And then she's like, we're going on vacation some of these days. And she's like, people really just want to get around it. So they'll send me an email which also tells them you've got to go to the form. So again, it's going to have a kind of that. That little blend in. You're going to regret not taking it from the forum. Once you taste of the sweet nectar of what you can do with forms. If you use a Google form, you're not going to be able to collect payment, but it puts it in a spreadsheet for you.

[A]

But isn't Google Forms free currently? So a great stepping stone. If you're coming from DMS into a form, Google Forms is free. You can't take payment there, but you couldn't take payment really. I think on Facebook, DMS either.

[B]

No, I don't think that ever worked out for them.

[A]

I think they tried and maybe it didn't work out.

[B]

Facebook is like, taste this, try this.

[A]

Love it.

[B]

Like, it tells you. It, like, got rid of it. It was just like, yeah, it's gone. So. And then Corey uses JOT form sometimes. Most of the time. Right. So I was actually. We were arguing yesterday. I heard, I was read yesterday that relationships with arguments, as long as they're not horrible oops as they're long. It's like disagreements are healthier relationships because a relationship with no arguments means somebody's breathing, brushing something under the rug.

[A]

Oh, good, we're not brushing one thing.

[B]

So Corey wanted. She wanted to sell some DIY kits. We set it up on Jotform. She was like, I'll just send them the invoice. I was like, not in 2025. We don't. We collect at checkout. So Jotform, I think, still allows for 10 paid submissions for free.

[A]

Oh, nice.

[B]

Right?

[A]

There was a question in the group. Okay, so per month, Tasha, which is our cookie club. I know if, you know, sign up for the cookie club. Okay. So if you don't use the full 10, does that roll over?

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay. It doesn't roll over. If I delete prior submissions, does that give me 10 back?

[B]

No. No, you can't do that. I hope not. Be like job form. What are you doing? Job form pricing. Let me just check it real quick. You can get monthly pricing. Let's just see. They change it constantly.

[A]

I know.

[B]

They always are deals. So I'm going to look at the monthly. Not paying yearly. There's yearly Discounts. Discount. They're 20% off if you pay for the year starter plan, you get five forms. That's not five submissions. It's five different forms.

[A]

So you could have an Easter DIY kit form. You could have a class form. You could have an order form.

[B]

You can get 100 submissions.

[A]

For how much?

[B]

This is a free plan.

[A]

Oh, the free plan. Oh, that's a fantastic way.

[B]

100 submissions. This does include money. I know one user. Okay. 100 megabytes of space. Meaning if they attached an image.

[A]

I see. It could be big. Massive.

[B]

Okay. They limit how many people look at you from form. A thousand. I mean we're cottage. Yeah. If you're getting 3,000. No submission, you gotta. Okay. This is what you're seeing. 500 total submission storage.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yes. So there's a cap on what happened last month and the month before. Right. 100 fields perform if you're getting closer. I know. I gotta talk to you. Okay. 10 monthly payment submissions.

[A]

I see. I see.

[B]

And then 10 monthly sign. And that's all free.

[A]

I want to say though, as you're growing your business, that's a nice stepping stone.

[B]

I would say. Okay, Google forms is going to be.

[A]

Easier to fill out.

[B]

Right. It's going to be easier to set up as you move along. Jotform free plan would be my next step. It would be nice to end up on a website.

[A]

It would be nice.

[B]

It would be nice to build up to getting to a website. But I think the Jotform free plan payment taken at time of order, that's.

[A]

Going to get you more conversions. It really truly is.

[B]

So bronze plan, just you guys. It's $39 a month. But if you pay for yearly, it's 34. There is JotForm branding on the first one and I'm. I hate the branding.

[A]

I know.

[B]

But I like.

[A]

But I want to say if you're thinking about jot, sign up for their newsletters. They are always offering a discount.

[B]

I would never pay full sticker price.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

For job form they run a sale when they fart. Literally put that fart. We're going to put this on sale. So yeah. That's how Jotform pricing works. Great question. Let's do one last one. One last guy. I launched my first class and I'll be doing it at my home. I plan to rent a venue in the future but I was trying to see first if my customers would buy and which they did. Did. Do you have any tips for me? I hope I win the tray. Thank you guys. You guys are amazing. So you didn't win the trade but text in next week. This is also a great.

[A]

Fantastic and also congratulations on your first class.

[B]

That's. And I like what she did there and I know some of you guys are screaming.

[A]

You need to check with your homeowner.

[B]

Since it's insurance policy which she probably is. So let's assume that she's checked with her homeowner policy or she has flip insurance add on for the single day. So we're insured. What I would do, I would say how many people do you have coming? Smaller numbers. Do not be scared of small numbers.

[A]

Small numbers are fantastic.

[B]

Your first class. Absolutely. I'd encourage it if not just for your first few classes. Yeah. Things that I wish Corey and I knew with her first class that we didn't before I wish and we did do this. So I'm going to pass this along. Do a dry one with your family first. It just tells you like they're like.

[A]

It helps you feed in, fill in gaps that are. Maybe there's too many walls. If you over talk at the beginning and like now the. The decorating part is very rushed. You only have technically if your eyes are set on a venue. Venues have time frames that you have to stick to. So you don't want the. The longer your class goes the less profit you're making. That's just how it works. So even though you're jive in everyone's having a blast. You have got to have a cutoff time because each minute over is taking away from your profits. Because even though we love the class attendees gotta get them out that there's gotta be an expiration date to the class so you can walk away and know what your profits and your cost were.

[B]

Since you got it in your house you get a little bit more flexibility which is great. Things I probably wish I knew. Are you planning to decorate with them? There'll be some dead air there. I would practice if you can narrate while you decorate. Corey does I narrate for her because I'm doing nothing There I'll be like. And so if you could practice like and almost record yourself. I know it's like the worst thing in the world. Be like, hey, guys, what you're gonna see me do now? I'm gonna lay down the piping. I'm gonna draw it up, give myself some dish. Sends like gravity. Do the work.

[A]

What Heather was talking about in the car when I was trying to give us like the. The music list, the playlist. And Heather's like, it's five years for the person sitting there waiting for you to put your playlist together. The same thing is for when the baker is decorating the cookie. It's like you feel like it's two seconds long.

[B]

The only thing longer than watching paint.

[A]

Dry is watching dress.

[B]

So what happens is you're very, you're like decorating, trying to show off to these people. But it's a lot of time is passing with dead air.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So I try to always keep that energy up in the class. You're going to be like if you're a one man band or if you have a twin. Somebody texted. Somebody messaged a Paige last night and she was like, me and my sister are twins. Just kidding. We're 16, 65. We're just like you two. And we're going to teach our first the class kids yesterday. And I was like, you guys are. The only thing you're going to hate is that you didn't do it. So you're going to say practice like, hey. With a camera. You're like, hey, guys, what we're going to do is we're going to pipe this. You're going to see that I'm coming around here. Make this very dramatic because that icing separates and then I like to add. Add weird facts in. Now it's easier for me because I'm doing nothing right to be like, hey, this icing won't be fully dry until 48 hours. It's just merely crusting about 30 seconds before it starts. That kind of crusting process. You want to use your scrap, things like that. Right.

[A]

Keep that energy, that energy up and going.

[B]

So back to it. I would do a dry run with family. I'd record myself if I'm a one man band. And I would very much focus on your room configuration.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Corey and I find that classroom seating, I'm sorry, not classroom seating, around seating is what works for the venue and for us as well because it forces everyone to look at each other, which we find creates icebreakers. Now, classroom seating has everyone facing forward we're pretty conditioned in class not to talk to each other. Corey and I want them to know each other. So another thing we do is an icebreaker, an icing breaker. I'm adding that to the next slide. And we go around and say, hey, like, hey, what's your name? Where'd you roll out of bed from? And what's your experience with cookies today? And that kind of tells you what somebody's like, hey, I tried this and I really wanted to be a hobby. For me, it's not working. You know that they're going to be a little bit more intense.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And someone's like him just trying to kill time to seem fun. I know.

[A]

Then you can kind of what really brings a lot of instance. We live in the area that we live in. Someone will be like, yeah, I'm from Southern Maryland. Right on the. Like, right on the.

[B]

Which is a three hour drive.

[A]

They there. But then someone be like, I grew up over there. Oh my goodness. Do you know Blah.

[B]

My secret thing is I write down their names. How you are doing that. And I like to.

[A]

Trisha.

[B]

Trisha, how do we feel like that one.

[A]

Shelly.

[B]

Shelly, you're here. You're always Shelly. How did you feel like that one. Do you have any questions? And then sometimes like. And somebody will ask a question, be like, you know what? That's a great. Amber brought up a great point for everybody. And then again, we're just trying to keep that energy high.

[A]

You know what the person's favorite word they've ever heard is their name.

[B]

You can't say it too much though, because then it's like you will listen to a podcast. Amber, Amber.

[A]

Ambien Amsterdam. My girl B. Amberlynn. What do we think, girly?

[B]

Yeah. So I think you got do your driver do not care how it went. Like, be honest with them. Be like, hey, guys, this is my first call. I'm so excited. I can promise you it'll get better. But you guys are my guinea pigs and my besties. So any feedback you've got, I'd love to hear it.

[A]

Please be nice to me.

[B]

Moving on to our sponsors. Corey's mentioned AE core backers. Now the backers. Cool. Mm. Okay.

[A]

All right, all right.

[B]

Discount.

[A]

Eventually we'll have to let the rolls name go.

[B]

Your form still said formerly they crumble. Crumble. No.

[A]

Yeah, I love that on there.

[B]

Yeah, I know.

[A]

Leave it on there.

[B]

Still on there. So I will never give it. Yes, the backers code 25. Nice off using code sugar cookie.

[A]

Yes. And check out nice next up is Roya Batch. It is the meringue powder that I use the other day.

[B]

Bake. Because I called it Bacon Bake. And she's.

[A]

It's a royal batch made by a company called Bacon Bake. And I know where it's confusing. If you're not the baking twin, you don't see the package all the time. I understand, but Royal batch is on the page.

[B]

Do you pronounce meringue as meringue? No.

[A]

Whatever you said is exactly how my.

[B]

Lady I. She had said that her husband had asked her if she needed. She needed him to pick up more of it at the grocery store. And this is how you pronounce it made me laugh out loud when she said my husband pronounced it to you. It's a weird word. My husband pronounced it Marigu years ago. We called it nothing else. It was crispy. All right. The marigu powder that you need is Royal Batch.

[A]

Royal batch actually is. I've used all of the meringue powders out there on the market. The one that I've always gone to for the past couple years is. Is this Mangu. This Maru. Maru Maru called Royal Batch. Royal Batch has three main ingredients already in it that you would technically add to it, which is vanilla, corn syrup and white food coloring. It whips up bright white. It is a pleasure to work with. Every time I work with it, I say thank you, Royal Batch, for allowing me the opportunity. Say thank you Bakey B. Cuz then you'd be thanking a brand. You can use code Twitter wins. Save 10 off at checkout. You will not regret it. They also have these little two ounce bags that I will be bringing as my gifty to class.

[B]

Very nice.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

We're gonna be teaching a cookie class kit from 2023.

[A]

We will. We shall. Yeah.

[B]

Hopping in Easter. Ah. Stupid car tray sponsor this podcast sponsor of the stupid text question. Use code Sugar at checkout for 15 off and then text in again next week. If you text it in the this week, text in again next week, you can even retext in that same question and be entered to win a stupid card.

[A]

Unlike Jotform, our forms and text do not roll over to the next week.

[B]

So our tech subscription doesn't roll over either because they're burning through our text subscription.

[A]

Give them.

[B]

Eduardo Eddie By Primera is a direct to food printer. Now, I read in the Eddy Printer users group on Facebook that they'll have demos at Cookie Kong, which is in like an hour today. So they'll have demos and you can watch that photo Studio thing. They just about which is an additional cost because it looks like they have a third party software developer for it. But you can see that photo studio which we talked about when we went to the wedding expo, vendor expo, which is a nightmare. But we did that before the software came out. It would have been better.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Oh, I know. I couldn't imagine doing that thing with just one of us. No. This software like counts down for you. It's like a second, second person is there.

[A]

Yeah, it's like someone there. So while you're busy trying to get.

[B]

The photo lined up, that's the exact face I made. We have it transfer, transfer print Go team. Trying to talk to them. So you can check that out in person. Now I would join their group, Eddie Printer users group on Facebook and that's where you're going to see a lot of the demos. Granted you're going to get a lot of people asking for customer support. Don't let that spook you. They have a one hour. If you buy an Eddie new or used, they have a one hour session with their customer support. But here's the thing, I think you can still contact them. So it was funny. I saw in their group someone was like, looks like somebody at 3am was doing a late night order and was unable to contact customer support. Customer Support opens at 3:30am it was like some astronomical amount of time that customer support is available.

[A]

Fantastic customer support time over there.

[B]

So if you are at Cookie Con or if you have that shoppers pass, you'd be able to see them in the vendor hall.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And if you don't, definitely check them out on their Facebook page. And I think we have a couple of YouTube videos about him as well.

[A]

Yeah, nice.

[B]

I think you're always posting about him.

[A]

I, I, when I use him for an order he does make in its appearance.

[B]

He does. Love him, love him. No discount code. He ain't cheap, but he is. Somebody had said like how, how quickly did it pay it back? And people are like, once you get the orders, you gotta market, you gotta market them. Once you get that, you're gonna see that pay for itself and then some. Yeah, nice.

[A]

Do you have a twin trust? A twin to rest something?

[B]

Twin trusting. I was. Okay, here's my question. It's not even torturous. I need help from the audience. I got this kitten. He decided yesterday to pee on the couch. He did.

[A]

Not the first time.

[B]

What? No, no, no. He decided two days ago to pee on the couch. I'm like, this is a one Hit Wonder. No, last night. So you're like, we'll put something on that. No, I did. He pushed it off. He did. He's very little, but he did push it off. And then he peed there. Now I've got a million spiky thorns. I'll be honest. They're little spikes that you can get to keep animals from jumping on things. And I'm very worried that this is going to be a common recurrence.

[A]

I know. Heather had a fancy dancy bath room.

[B]

The meow want from you see it on Tik Tok a lot. But I bought it before it was on Tick Tock. Paid full price. I. It turns to clean itself. I wonder if he got caught in a cycle. I don't know if he got spooked by it. So I ran out last night and went to Walmart and got the traditional rudimentary litter.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And he used it. It. I'm waiting after this podcast to see what I'm walking on.

[A]

I know. Oh, I know. So if you have any tips or tricks. I said, she needs to take the couch cushion out of its little containery.

[B]

Thing and wash that.

[A]

The couch cushion and that squishy part.

[B]

Yeah. I don't want him to think, like, this is just a big giant red potty. Like, I want him to stop seeing it.

[A]

I know.

[B]

I know. You guys are going to say, is he fixed? He's too little. Get fixed. So he's not fixing this moment.

[A]

But we don't want to have.

[B]

There's nothing to fix yet. He's that little. So I don't know. Corey came over today and she was like, wow, that's a lot. Goodbye.

[A]

Not a lot of pee.

[B]

I'm sorry. A lot of work and it was a lot of people. My animals are all old.

[A]

They know what is required of them. They know what I require of them.

[B]

Cats is like, once they get a bad idea in their head, it's hard.

[A]

To break them up with it.

[B]

So I'm really worried he's got a bad idea. The first one went off. Second one trend. I know. Is that trend going to go up? I know.

[A]

So I'm working on my curb appeal. I had my sidewalks pressure washed by our cousin.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then my neighbor joined in on it. So now ours both look top of the town.

[B]

What else are you going to do?

[A]

I have contacted Freddy, my lawn guy, and we're doing aeration.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

Your yard needs to breathe. And he's taking out the old leaves.

[B]

Oh, that's great. Spring cleaning. He said yes.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I'm trying to work on this. Did you notice the bushes planted on.

[A]

No.

[B]

I want you to look over you.

[A]

I see nothing.

[B]

Can you stand up right here and look? Is it a baby? I see a top of a leaf. Okay. What do you think about it? I don't know. Know. Can you just stand up and kind of look over my shoulder at it?

[A]

This is wild.

[B]

This is wild. This is. Your grandmother found fake plants, fake outdoor plants on Amazon and ordered them. And she is stoked that nobody notices that they're not real.

[A]

No one's near them.

[B]

Yeah. And she says it's the distance that makes them look real wild.

[A]

No, I will not be doing that.

[B]

But they'll never need pruning.

[A]

They will have.

[B]

Listen, That's. The spiders are living in the desolator. She did that almost two months ago. So that's how much you missed it. You haven't noticed that they're fake?

[A]

Well, now I know.

[B]

I will be bringing it up. She'll be stoked. She's very proud of them. But. Yeah. Any more curb appeal?

[A]

Well, I put some grassy down. Down smoke grassy. And then I ordered from. I love Etsy. You do love Etsy. You know, I have those little bushes and they kind of surround the tree, but there's no color there. Others they don't bloom.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Little clay flowers with a stick and put them in there.

[B]

What's the difference between Ruthanne's fake bush?

[A]

Listen, I'm supporting small business, not big.

[B]

Box store like Amazon. That'll be fun. We'll see.

[A]

We'll see.

[B]

That'll be fun. Post a picture of your. You should have done a before and after.

[A]

But I'm making a video. There is a before and after.

[B]

Cory will make a video out of it. Cory's actually making some really good content. She said she's going to start a series, short little series on.

[A]

Short little series on how to prep.

[B]

For a cookie class.

[A]

I've done it so much that I've gotten out of the thoughts of someone never done it.

[B]

So she's going to go find the cutters. She's going to go prep the dough. Tell you how she preps that. I think you freeze it ahead of time.

[A]

I do.

[B]

And just kind. Kind of roll and cut it. How you do the icing. Definitely don't involve me in that part, please. Oh, and then how we set up for class.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Maybe I'll add in a part of my series, the emails.

[A]

I love that.

[B]

Thank you. Thank you. With my subscription that I don't want to use. I haven't printed a single paper. I don't want to mess up my papers.

[A]

All right, guys, thank you so much for tuning in. As always, you can text in, call in, listen in. We're here. We love to hear you. We love when you hear us.

[B]

The funny part about posting these to YouTube is I can see when people check out, and it's right after the texting questions.

[A]

Okay, good to know. Good to know.

[B]

Thank you. You guys who stick around, please give me PPE penal tips.