Podcast Summary: Baking it Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing 🍪

Episode 243: January Task List
Hosts: Heather and Corey Miracle
Date: January 6, 2026

Episode Overview

Heather and Corey kick off their first structured podcast of 2026 with a comprehensive, actionable “January Task List” designed for cottage bakers and sugar cookie entrepreneurs. This episode is packed with practical steps to get your bakery business organized, efficient, and ready to thrive in the new year. The duo maintains their usual humor and upbeat tone while ‘baking down’ the nitty-gritty of behind-the-scenes business housekeeping, social marketing, and strategies to stay ahead—whether you’re drowning in cookies or flour-dusted chaos.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New Year, New Structure (00:00–02:00)

• Heather and Corey introduce the podcast’s new structure for 2026, promising more actionable steps and less sponsor confusion.
• Opens with the inspirational quote for the New Year:

  “Let the success of others be a map, not a mirror.” — Heather (00:48)

2. The Essential January Baker’s Task List (03:00–48:00)

a. Refreshing Business Tools and Data

• Update & Refresh Spreadsheets: Rollover your annual tracking (orders, expenses, leads) to 2026. Archive prior years’ data for reference and declutter your working sheets.

  “Find the things that make a difference... Oh, I wish I knew this. And track that in 2026.” — Heather (03:50)

• Clean & Set Up Your CRM: Capture December customers and key details (what they ordered, child’s birthday themes, etc.) in a spreadsheet or basic CRM.
  • Prefer simplicity (Excel/Google Sheets) over big platforms unless you’re ready to learn the ropes.
  • Example: Corey recalls following up with a previous hysterectomy-cookie client as a personal touch (06:02).
• Newsletter List Update & Segmentation:
  • Add December’s contacts (with permission!) and begin segmenting by order type, class participation, etc. for targeted emails.
  • Encourage using opt-ins for healthier engagement and compliance.
  • “You can have a giant list of everybody, or a small list of some people who want to be there. I’ll always choose a small list.” — Corey (14:25)

b. Marketing Content Planning

• Outline Content Buckets/Pillars: Identify 4–5 repeatable post types—e.g., national day bakes, engagement prompts, “meet the baker,” sales offers.
  • Schedule posts ahead for consistency during busy baking times.

  • “If you did all these, you’d be a superhero, but even just a few will put you in a good place.” — Heather (02:15)

• Batch & Schedule Your Content: Use free tools (Facebook’s planner, Google Sheets) to schedule out January’s social media to avoid “photo dump” panic.
• Audit Social Bios & Pin Posts: Update Instagram bios for 2026, ensure “now taking orders” messages are current, and regularly refresh pinned posts for relevance.

  “Nothing says you’re not on top of it like a year-old pin post.” — Heather (28:25)

c. Business Operations, Organization & Legal

• Inbox Zero: Unsubscribe, label, archive—get your email down to zero and set up labels for ongoing organization.
  • “I fought tooth and nail to get there... I feel free.” — Corey (17:43)
• Financial Health: Audit recurring software/services, cancel what’s unused (“death by a thousand cuts”), set up or refresh your financial tracking (e.g., YNAB).
• Tax & Document Prep: Begin organizing receipts, mileage logs; use scan utilities and templates to prep for tax season (42:03).

d. Digital & Physical Decluttering

• Website Audit: Update for 2026 offerings, refresh holiday offerings, swap seasonal photos, and run plugins to catch broken links.
• Purge Supplies and Inventory: Organize packaging, labels, business cards, and toss (or sell) what’s outdated. Use expiration dates as freedom to let go.

  “Walmart is your storage closet. You only pay the storage fee when you pick up the item.” — Heather’s minimalist mantra (36:31)

• Cleanup Product Photos: Take a day-by-day approach in your phone library (“search January 6th”) to prune, label, and create themed folders for easy sharing (“butterflies,” “Lego,” etc.).

3. Automation & Efficiency (52:03–54:16)

• Set up autoresponders, order workflow automations (i.e., Zapier), and templates for customer inquiries and invoices to streamline repetitive tasks.

  “If you automate more stuff, you get to think less, and that thought goes to where you want it.” — Heather (52:03)

• Clean out and organize cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox), using folder and naming conventions (e.g., “2026_MM_DD”) for easy retrieval.

4. Strategic Market Position & Pricing (47:20–48:56)

• Audit Your Pricing: Analyze current costs, ensure profit on every item, and adjust for inflation or ingredient price changes. Knowing your numbers boosts pricing confidence and helps maintain competitive edge.

  “If you’re operating on thin margin, it’s a need to know.” — Corey (47:57)

• Review & Schedule Community/Networking Activities: Compile and rank local Facebook groups and baker collectives for regular engagement and marketing. Set up reminders in Google Calendar to post on optimal days.

5. Seasonal & Recurring Action Items

• Cookie Class Scheduling: Tentatively plan the year’s classes now—even if themes aren’t finalized—and use platforms (Eventbrite) to set them up in advance.
• Update All Communication Channels: Make sure auto-responses, pinned posts, business hours (Google My Business), and holiday closures are accurate and reflect 2026.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Personal Touch in CRM:
  “Happy one year without a urus! …She instantly responded.” – Corey (06:01)
• Marketing Wisdom:
  “If you have to open it to smell it, toss it.” – Corey (38:18)
• Inbox Strategies:
  “You can batch delete from a contact… Do I need to access this information ever again?” – Heather (18:16)
• Letting Go of Clutter:
  “Throwing it away means I’m no longer that best version. I’m actually a worse version that wastes money... Need a Heather! She has no relation, she was never going to be the best baker. She doesn’t bake at all. She can get rid of things.” – Corey (37:47)

Featured Listener Segments & Fun

Roomie Review (60:12)

Testimonial from Samantha, showing the value of the Cookie College membership and returning with a new mindset to use SCM as a business “toolkit.”

New “Goss” Column (65:44)

Anonymous, light-hearted baker stories—NOT customer bashing—debuts. First story: “Craigslist Missed Connections” at a Christmas market (66:34).

Upcoming Collabs & Dates (69:03)

• Quarterly Collabs: Reviews (Jan.), Meet the Baker (Feb.), AI Recreation Challenge (Mar.), Local Feature Variations (Apr.).
• Event Countdowns: Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, and major industry events (EddyCon, What’s Poppin Con, CookieCon).

STL Me About It Segment (72:05)

Listener texts—including “Word of the Year” (Corey: “Purge,” Heather: “Unbothered”) and a question about marketing cookies in a new gym (77:24).

Listener Q&A Highlight

Marketing in a Gym Setting (77:24–79:38)
A listener asks about running ads for cookies in a new gym:

• Corey suggests leaning into “birthday, party, or class” angles and bringing samples for personal trainers.
• Heather advocates fun, gym-themed cookies (“a balanced diet is a cookie in both hands”) and engaging the staff for cross-promotion.

Pro Tips Sprinkled Throughout

• Automate busywork early to free time for more creative or profitable tasks.
• Segment and clean your contact lists while last month’s customers are still fresh!
• Batch and schedule content when business is slow, so you stay visible all year.
• Let go of supplies, ingredients, and packaging “aspirations” that weigh down your space and focus.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:48 – “Let the success of others be a map, not a mirror.”
• 03:50 – Tracking, spreadsheet, CRM setup
• 06:01 – Personal CRM follow-up example
• 08:57 – Content buckets/pillars explained
• 11:34 – Scheduling January social content
• 17:43 – Inbox Zero journey
• 28:25 – Updating social bios, pinned posts
• 36:31 – Minimalist pantry mantra
• 42:03 – Organizing tax documents
• 52:03 – Order workflow automations
• 65:44 – “Goss” segment debut
• 69:03 – Upcoming events/collabs calendar
• 77:24 – Marketing at the gym listener Q&A

Style, Tone & Community

• Upbeat, Friendly, Encouraging: The Miracle twins blend actionable advice with humor and a pep talk vibe.
• Clean Language, Family-Friendly: No cursing—a Grandma Miracle guarantee!
• Baker-to-Baker Real Talk: “We’re not perfect, just tripping forward together.”

Conclusion

This episode is a blueprint for bakers looking to set the stage for their best year yet, with everything from task triage and digital decluttering to content planning and pricing fundamentals. Whether you tackle the whole list or pick a few, Heather and Corey encourage progress over perfection. Don’t let the “best version of yourself” become an excuse—organize, automate, and let your marketing sweeten the (cookie) deal.

Catch new episodes of Baking it Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing every Tuesday on your favorite podcast platform or in the SCM Facebook group!