Today we’d like to introduce you to Maddie Gartmann.
Hi Maddie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always loved making cute miniature things, so it was no surprise that when I saw a cute, intricately decorated cookie in the Starbucks bakery one day in 2015, I thought, “I want to learn how to make that!” After scouring the internet for every how-to article, I could find (and it was slim pickings back then), I eventually was able to create a decent-looking royal icing cookie. I posted a picture of it online, and I almost immediately ordered. You could say I completely stumbled into this as a business. Fast forward to 2018. I had just had my first baby, and my husband needed to find an alternative to our secured initial childcare. We made the (terrifying) decision for me to quit my job as a teacher and live off my husband’s income so I could stay home with my son. To help pay a few of the bills that I could, I took on more cookie orders and ramped up my marketing on social media. My business began to thrive, and I later expanded to offering wildly popular cookie classes.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
Everyone seems to have their story of how they had to pivot their business during the pandemic, and mine is no different. The cancellation of dozens of events comes with the cancellation of dozens of specialty cookie orders. I had to find a way to remain profitable in a terrifying, unsteady climate. So I began creating Do It Yourself kits as a fun activity to keep everyone busy while at home. I even created a chocolate chip cookie experiment for kids and parents to test the effects of ingredients on their cookies. While it was a challenge to have to reinvent my business during this time, it was gratifying and helped shape my business moving forward.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In January of 2021, I started posting on TikTok just for fun. I made a goal to post every day and see if I could grow my following. Shortly after I began posting, several of my videos went viral, and I shot up to a 500,000 follower count by mid-2021. I currently have over 850k followers. People come to my videos to see the soothing cookie decorating in action but stay to listen to the stories I tell while filming. I became known as the “cookie storyteller.”
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love the small-town feeling of my city. Everyone truly knows each other, which is rare for somewhere close to the inner city. But I do not like that we are so close to a sanitation plant, which can make for some not-so-pleasant-smelling days around here.
Pricing:
- $84/dozen for custom cookies
Contact Info:
- Website: gartygoodies.com
- Instagram: @gartygoodies
- Facebook: @gartygoodiescookies
- Youtube: @gartygoodies
- Other: @gartygoodies.
